Date: May 22, 2025
Dubai
In a keynote speech delivered at the Seamless 2025 conference, His Excellency Dr. Ali Mohammed Al-Khouri, Advisor to the Council of Arab Economic Unity and President of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, called for redefining scientific research as a strategic priority for the Arab world. Al-Khouri emphasized in his speech that the progress of nations is not measured by their consumption of knowledge, but rather by their ability to produce it and transform it into economic and technological power.
Discussing the Arab knowledge landscape, Dr. Al-Khouri pointed out that Arab countries’ contribution to global scientific production does not exceed 1%, and that spending on scientific research is less than 0.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP), compared to the global average of 2%, and 5% in developed and developing countries.
Al-Khouri addressed the brain drain crisis, explaining that Arab countries lose approximately $2 billion annually due to the loss of their scientific talent to other countries. Despite the challenges, he emphasized the existence of significant opportunities to benefit from the transformation. Digitalization, where modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data can contribute to improving the scientific research environment in the region.
Dr. Al-Khouri also presented his recommendations for decision-makers, which included establishing higher councils for scientific research, encouraging and motivating the private sector to fund national-level research with economic impact, and establishing sovereign funds for Arab research. His recommendations also called for developing the educational system to foster a generation capable of analytical thinking and innovation in scientific research, in addition to adopting well-thought-out policies to attract specialized and creative scientific talent.
Concluding his speech, Dr. Al-Khouri noted that “knowledge is not inherited, but rather produced,” emphasizing that building the future begins from within, and that Arab countries must be part of shaping the knowledge-based future.
