Scientific research is the hope of all peoples to achieving all forms of wellness by finding solutions to the various scientific and practical dilemmas of societies.
Political decisions made by authorities, institutions, international entities, as well as investment, industrial, production and other companies are based on the results of in-depth research. Furthermore, predicting and preparing for future crises is only possible through future foresight studies while relying on future scientific methods and research methodologies.
Scientific research is the best way to acquire knowledge and establish universal principles. Most scientists want to better understand and know the world around them, and as a result they direct their knowledge toward serving people in all spheres of life and protecting the planet from climate change. Moreover, scientific knowledge allows the development of new technologies, as well as solving practical problems. For example, scientific research led to the creation of the polio, measles, and smallpox vaccines, thus protecting generations, as it is the case nowadays with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scientific research is defined as: "a set of systematic procedures pursued by a researcher or student in order to identify all aspects related to a scientific topic or problem. The ultimate goal is to solve that problem.” The previously-mentioned phrase “solve that problem” reminds us of the most important objectives of scientific research, which are problem-solving and the provision of undiscovered creative solutions to address the issues that people face in their lives. “Society's unbreakable bones" is one of the most prominent expressions describing scientific research. High bridges, highways, navigation canals and major hospitals are all the products of constructive scientific research.
Undoubtedly, a nation’s civility is measured by the extent of its interest in scientific research and its spending for the purpose of establishing a state of knowledge. In this regard, studies indicate that the progress of countries is directly proportional to the development of scientific research and how much officials and opinion leaders pay attention to it.
If we examine the reality of scientific research in the Arab world, we will notice that it faces various obstacles and challenges, most notably the weak financial spending on scientific research as part of the GDP of Arab countries compared to that of Western countries. Moreover, Arab countries do not pay close attention to the important role of scientific policies for research and innovation in their developmental and social plans. Additionally, scientific research rarely leads to any value-added products for economic development in Arab countries. All these problems held the Arab world back and dragged it to the bottom of the list in scientific and technical investment. Moreover, these factors contributed to a brain drain due to the absence of a nurturing environment.
"Arab scientific research is characterized by a low volume of spending. The volume of spending on scientific research and development falls below the internationally accepted limit (1% of the gross national income). This leads to a lack of the necessary infrastructure for research, and a decrease in scientific productivity in the Arab world. Therefore, Arab countries, represented by ministries of education, are currently requesting a restructuring of scientific research to create national policies for research and development, in addition to taking bold decisions that push for an effective and active scientific research in various spheres."
Regarding the Kingdom's support of scientific research and education, the nation has invested in one of the largest scholarships for education abroad. The number of scholarships had reached about 93,000 in 2019. Furthermore, the Kingdom has encouraged international cooperation between Saudi researchers and their counterparts in major universities of the world. It has also established universities and research centers that have landed an advanced position in scientific research, such as King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, and King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center.
The new climate has doubled the number of scientific research published in international scientific journals, thus exceeding 16,000 in 2017. The Kingdom was ranked 36th globally in 2019 according to the quality metrics of scientific publication. According to Al Riyadh newspaper, the 2020 annual tables of the Nature Index showed that the Kingdom was ranked 1st in the Arab world and 29th globally in terms of the quality of published scientific research.
We cannot deny the scientific leap achieved by Saudi universities in terms of scientific research, an achievement that is now allowing them to excel compared to other Arab countries. These universities cooperated with other parties that have a good publishing history in scientific research to increase publication, and sent several teaching assistants to the best international universities, knowing that they will return with strong capabilities which would help them pursue their research interests.
We, in Saudi Arabia, aspire to increase spending on scientific research, use scientific production to create value-added products for economic development, increase the number of research centers, accept all ideas and innovations presented by researchers of different age groups, avoid restricting ideas and innovations to certain designations and specializations, and open the door to imagination and creativity.
