Research policy in Arab countries: International cooperation, competitive calls, and career incentives - Arvanitis, Rigas; Hanafi, Sari (The Transformation of Research in the South: policies and outcomes)
Context : Arab countries have underinvested in science and technology, and as a consequence have scientific communities and institutions that underperform in terms of scientific production and broader societal application. Against this historical backdrop, there have been recent reforms across the region in the creation of new research-funding agencies and how they fund research. This paper seeks to understand the scope of these policy changes, their causes, and consequences. In recent years, Arab countries have modified their policy frameworks. From Morocco to Qatar, countries have identified national research priorities, with more or less dedication, and introduced some important changes in how public funding for research is allocated. An important driver of these changes has been the growing European influence in promoting scientific collaboration. In the development of funding various Arab-European funding schemes, Arab countries have had to prioritize scientific domains, and adopt new principles for how research is funded and conducted. Whereas Arab research-funding agencies had relied on block funding to universities and public research organizations to support research, the newly created agencies introduced new processes. Instead of transfers to research institutions, a significant percentage of the new funding was targeted through open competitions, assessed by peer review, and meritorious proposals funded individual research grants led by identified researchers. The transparency of the process and the identification of researchers and topics was a significant departure from prevailing practices and widely welcomed by researchers. Within this general trend, there are distinctions between Maghreb and Mashreq countries, owing in part to the legacy of French and Anglo-American approaches to research governance. …
Keywords: bookSection; DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE; FINANCEMENT; INNOVATION; PAYS ARABES; POLITIQUE DE RECHERCHE; RECHERCHE; SUD; SYSTEME DE RECHERCHE; UNIVERSITES