RIYADH, 24 June 2005 — The Shoura Council has approved its science committee’s proposal to establish a National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR) to promote and coordinate research activities in the country. This new scientific body, which will administer a $266 million research fund, will act as an agency with the entrusted task to help, promote and oversee all scientific research projects in the Kingdom.
“A government panel is likely to scrutinize the proposal of creating the NCSR in detail before the proposal is given a green light for implementation,” said Dr. Khider Al-Shibani, a physics professor at the King Saud University. The move to set up this national body is the first major step to promote science and technology in the Kingdom. The effort will also help the Arab and Islamic world, where research and development (R&D) programs are nearly non-existent.
In fact, Arab nations spend only 0.15 percent of their GDP on R&D, well below the global average of 1.4 percent; which substantiates the fact that Muslim countries have failed to address the needs of scientific development adequately. There are only 430 universities in the Islamic world including a dozen in Saudi Arabia, while Japan alone has 1,000 universities. Similarly, the entire Muslim world produces 500 PhDs in sciences every year; in contrast, the UK alone produces 3,000 PhDs.
Dr. Abdel Wahab Rajab Hashem, a professor at King Saud University, said: “If endorsed, the Shoura proposal would give Saudi Arabia a major national base for science and technology that would enable the country to conduct innovative research and development works. The NCSR would also help our country to implement its 2001-2020 national plan for developing science and technology,” added Hashem.
This scientific body’s $266 million budget would be shared equally by the government and the private sector.
Abdulrahman A. Al-Zamil, a Shoura member, could not say how far the plan has gone ahead, when asked about the progress in this regard yesterday. Once approved, the NCSR’s planned activities will include creating and implementing policies related to science, guiding and supporting research, and preparing educational programs in specific scientific fields. In order to help build scientific capacity, the NCSR will also analyze the country’s needs and advise the government on ways to establish and maintain the necessary number of qualified scientists and the facilities they need to conduct research and teaching.
The NCSR would also develop scientific standards to measure the quality and innovative nature of scientific research in Saudi Arabia. It would provide independent advice on matters ranging from ethics to environment and encourage dialogue between the Saudi scientific community and the government.
At the moment, there are only a few universities and scientific institutions like the King Abdul Aziz Center for Science & Technology (KACST) and King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM), which have world-class research facilities.
