In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, research centers and laboratories across the world have been mobilized to confront this deadly virus. Advanced nations are racing against time to find a solution, while we occasionally hear of some Arab efforts to seek medical remedies. Yet, tangible achievements remain scarce, for most countries fail to highlight the outcomes of their research.
It is well known that most nations invest in scientific research, allocating a portion of their annual budgets and showering researchers in universities and institutes with financial and moral support. These nations have realized that their very existence, continuity, progress, and strength depend on what they achieve in research. They know that investment in science is among the most profitable forms of investment. Scientific research is, in fact, one of the most vital tools for achieving sustainable development in the modern world. It is an organized, methodical attempt to investigate social problems, describe them, and propose solutions. It has become a fundamental necessity, shaping the growth of human societies across all levels of civilization.
Research has found its strongest presence in universities. Yet, if we examine closely, much of it is pursued merely for academic promotion, while its results and recommendations are often ignored—despite the effort researchers dedicate in the hope of genuine progress in education and other fields.
What we seek is research whose results we can witness in action: in medicine, epidemiology, toxicology, and other areas that directly threaten societies. COVID-19 is ravaging the world, while advanced nations push tirelessly to develop a life-saving vaccine. In parts of the Arab world, we do hear of support for research, but where are the concrete outcomes? We have minds and knowledge, but they suffer from a lack of care and coordination. They are rarely provided with material or moral support.
Our scientific efforts—research, innovation, inventions, creative minds—remain theoretical frameworks that never reach the field. They lack the nurturing environment needed for achievement, development, and serious work. We hear lofty rhetoric about leadership in research, about centers and initiatives—but they remain lifeless words. Meanwhile, Corona sweeps across humanity, while research in many of our countries remains frozen in place. What greater wake-up call than a deadly pandemic do we need to mobilize ourselves toward genuine scientific research and to activate the role of neglected minds?
Scientific research is a matter of the state. Researchers must be motivated to innovate and create. We are confident that brilliant minds exist, but they need opportunity. The state has the ability to empower them—especially in the face of the Corona crisis that engulfs us. I leave this critical matter for discussion: let us work for scientific research—led by conscious minds that must finally be brought into the light.
