According to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rasheed, the vice chairman of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), the country’s nerve center for research and development, the Kingdom spends 1.25 percent of its national income on research. Israel spends 3.8 percent. In 1999, Israel poured $2 billion into research and development; that is the equivalent of the entire amount spent by all Arab countries combined. It is no wonder that other nations have leaped far ahead of us in almost every field while we continue to import almost everything we need.
Scientific research is not a recreational sector and as such should not be considered a secure investment area from which profits can easily be made. It is a high-risk area, and it requires courage and dedication to move into areas where the results are not always clear or even certain.
This sector still can be used to develop and advance investment, help promote better techniques for the efficient utilization of exhaustible resources such as energy and minerals, agricultural and animal resources and the environment. It could also help increase job opportunities by at least 40 percent.
Dr. Al-Rasheed cited two examples of how research could help develop our domestic resources instead of importing similar products from outside. The first is that the Kingdom continues to import cows from the Netherlands and other countries; they are imported to produce milk when the country could have benefited from camel milk which is more nutritious and available in large quantities.
The second example relates to dates, which Dr. Al-Rasheed says constitute a very rich source of food in addition to other economic advantages. Yet Saudis have failed to make full use of these two important food sources.
It is true our national policy for science and technology has given priority to areas that enjoy relative advantages and that best serve the country’s needs. What is needed is a concerted public and private effort to boost research and development while valuing Saudi researchers and scientific establishments. Only then can we acquire the tools and weapons needed to meet current and future challenges.
