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About SPHERE

Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEI’s) in Kuwait are relatively nascent with the oldest being around for just over a decade. Nonetheless, PHEI’s are reshaping the higher education scene in the country by providing an alternative dynamic educational experience. With this potential educational experience comes great challenges.

SPHERE, the Symposia for Private Higher Education–Road to Excellence, was started in an attempt to address the challenges facing this sector and provide a road map to better serve its goals. The SPHERE series was originally designed as an annual event co-organized by the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS). The activities within SPHERE draws on the exchange of knowledge and expertise by way of presentations by speakers renowned in the field and round-table discussions on international best practices in higher education.

The theme for each SPHERE annual symposium sheds light on a particular challenge facing the private higher education. SPHERE 2015 was the first and general symposium.it addressed “Opportunities & Challenges”. The theme for 2017 symposium revolves around the role of research and development in enhancing the mission of PHEI’s in Kuwait.

About ACK The Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) was established to provide internationally recognized and accredited experiential education and training to the Business, Engineering, Aviation and Maritime sectors. It was licensed by the Ministry of

Education and Higher Education under Amiri Decree 141/2003 and commenced operation in October 2004.

Since then, ACK has grown to become one of the leading educational institutions in Kuwait, strongly contributing to the employment sector and continuing to produce knowledgeable, skilled and professional candidates for Kuwait’s growing economy.

ACK respects the importance not only of academic qualifications but also industry recognition. The college is therefore proud that the School of Engineering has received unconditional accredited status from the professional body, Engineers Australia, which provides both academic and professional accreditation services. Currently the School of Business is progressing with accreditation candidature through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

The Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) is proud to offer unique theoretical and experiential education programs which are recognized in the region. To offer this unique learning product to our students, the college has established partnerships with quality international educational institutions with whom we share similar pedagogical philosophies. Based on demand and upon PUC Approval Bachelor programs in both Engineering and Business were introduced as well as broadening the range of courses which now include:

School of Engineering- (Bachelor of Technology Engineering) in Mechanical, Civil, Petroleum and Electrical that are endorsed by Central Queensland University - Australia and Cape Breton University - Canada.

School of Business- Management, Marketing and Human Resources Programs that are endorsed by Central Queensland University- Australia

School of Aviation offering Diploma of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Mechanical) B1.1 and Diploma of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Avionics) B2. The College has gained EASA Part-147 Approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), also ACK has gained KCASR Part-147 Approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Kuwait and GCAA CAR-147 Approval from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)-United Arab Emirates (UAE).

English Language Program which is presently pursuing accreditation with the Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality Language Services (EAQUALS).

Maritime short courses including Navigation, Ship Handling and Tanker Operations.

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Corporate Training offering a wide range of short courses for local business and industry accredited by such international agencies as the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), National Examination Board for Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

In 2016, ACK proudly became the first Private Higher Education Institution in Kuwait to be granted ISO 9001:2008 Certification. The college has also received accreditation for best practice in Human Resources through the UK Agency Investors in People (IIP).

ACK supports research and innovation programs carried out by its students and staff for the benefit of the community and society. The College contributes to its research capability by offering an exciting and successful environment for its researchers by establishing relationships with key Government and industry partners, as well as creative funding and training. It also aims to foster supportive infrastructure and facilities to enhance successful research and innovation.

About KFAS Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) has a 40-year history of supporting the advancement of science and technology in Kuwait. In 1976, a visionary call by the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, then Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait, was favourably embraced by the Chamber of Commerce and leaders of the economic sector in the country. It resulted in the establishment of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences by an Amiri Decree on 12th December 1976; stating its mandate as a private non-profit organization devoted to supporting scientific research today. The Foundation’s work is overseen by a Board of Directors, chaired by H.H. the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. It is financially supported by Kuwaiti private sector companies who have made generous contributions throughout the years, the contribution is currently set at 1% of their net annual profit.

One of the foremost goals of KFAS is to promote scientific development in the State of Kuwait by supporting scientific projects, the scientific community, and the country’s scientific infrastructure.

The State of Kuwait has grown rapidly in terms of population and economy, the latter as a result of steadily increasing oil revenues. Today, the public-sector accounts for more than 70% of the GDP and employs more than 85% of the national workforce. The consensus among the majority of stakeholders is that this growth is not structurally sustainable in the long run and that alternative national development strategies, based on

building a complimentary, efficient and competitive private sector economy, are urgently needed.

Recognizing this need, H.H. the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al-Sabah, commissioned in 2007 a “blue-ribbon panel”; the Kuwait Research Review Panel (KRRP), which was tasked to review the organization and the performance of Research and Development and make recommendations for restructuring and advancing Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Kuwait.

Recognizing its unique role within the national STI system in Kuwait and responding to the recommendations in the panel’s report, KFAS conducted an extensive assessment of its historical performance by benchmarking itself against similar institutions in the region and on a global level. KFAS consulted with representatives from its key stakeholders and worked closely with recognized leading international and domestic experts in Research and Development (R&D), policy, and STI evaluation to support this assessment.

Chairman Welcoming Speech

Excellences …………….

Dear Friends and colleagues

It gives me pleasure to welcome you to the second of what hopefully will become a series of symposia that focus on the

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role of private tertiary education in Kuwait in achieving excellence.

The rubric for these meetings will henceforth be “Symposia of Private Higher Education; Road to Excellence” or SPHERE.

The first SPHERE was convened in April 2015 under the title “Achieving Excellence in Private Higher Education in Kuwait “and addressed “Opportunities & Challenges”. The deliberations at that symposium reviewed experiences in other parts of the world and made recommendations for achieving sustainable excellence.

Today`s symposium will focus on the potential contribution of private higher education institutions to research and development, with an emphasis on the best practices and market-driven applied research, in addition to the role of research and development in supporting excellence in higher education. We are privileged to have among our esteemed participant’s leaders in the field of fostering research in Kuwait, the GCC and the region.

We are grateful for their acceptance to share their experience with us. I am sure that all of us look forward to their presentations followed by fruitful discussions.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that ACK has adopted experiential and innovative problem and project based teaching and learning methods in cooperation with leading institutions in Australia and Europe. We are optimistic that this approach will enhance the ACK graduates’ attributes toward research and development to foster Kuwait’s economic diversity.

I would be remiss if before ending I did not express my appreciation to KFAS for cosponsoring these symposia with ACK. Their advice as well as their financial support are a major factor in the success of this endeavor. Which bring me to another vote of thanks that should be addressed to Dr. Mohammad Rumaihi, who as a member of the ACK Board of Trustees planted the seed for convening these symposia as an ongoing venture.

Best wishes to all and a pleasant stay in Kuwait for those who travelled from abroad.

Dr. Adnan Shibab Eldin

Director General, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Please allow me to thank the Chairman and the President of the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK), for their collaboration in organizing the “Symposia for private Higher Education- Road to Excellence” series, to address important issues related to this field. In addition. I am very pleased that this symposium is being held at the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development where dreams and ideas are encountered and serves as a catalyst for development and change. The Arab Fund is evidence of what can be achieved if we have the will.

By working hard, much has been accomplished under the leadership of our dear friend and colleague Mr. Abdullatif Al Hamad, who is ever an optimist as to the future of Arab countries.

Referring to ACK and its role, let me introduce you to the prospects of cooperation between ACK and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) in changing the environment of science, technology and innovation in Arab countries and specifically in Kuwait.

The strategic goal for creating a science, technology and innovation community is to provide a base to meet the challenges of sustainable development in our countries. This requires us to invest in capacity building for science, technology and innovation and to benefit from scientific information and outputs elsewhere. This requires the endorsement of governments and organizations in the form of the necessary investments to attain the change.

Turning to the role of private universities and scientific centers in affecting change, we have to bear in mind that there are key pillars upon which science, technology and innovation systems depend to bring about change.

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The main pillar consists of economic and scientific institutions. These require competent individuals as well as a dynamic, customer-friendly, scientific and information base. The realization of change also requires the existence of a system that supports innovation such as incubators provided by the community. In order to achieve this, we must invest in research and development (R&D), and the nurturing of human potential. We have to enhance the culture and the environment of innovation and confront economic and social challenges in each of our countries by identifying suitable solutions based on science, technology and innovation.

Unfortunately, we are still in the first quarter of the so-called scientific method and research effort square. Arab countries including Kuwait spend less than 0.5 % of their national income on R&D. Latest statistics in Kuwait indicate that the government spends 0.2% of GNP on scientific research and the private sector spends 0.1%, if collected. The total is 0.3% compared to three or four percent in developed or emerging countries such as China, India and other developing countries such as Brazil and others.

In fact, Arab countries are investing in higher education but not in R & D. States such as Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan are not lagging in numbers. Numbers can be increased but my point is not about quantity. It is about questioning the quality and the capability to increase the productivity of the national economy. For example, the State of Kuwait is producing large numbers of graduates annually. Of these graduates 80% expect to work in the Public Sector, knowing that it is to a large extent a non-productive sector, with the exception of about 10%. Therefore, we must reorient our investment toward producing qualified human capital, not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of ability to excel in science, technology and innovation.

Reinforcing science, technology and innovation will improve the economy of our countries in the future. In many countries such as United Kingdom, China and India statistics have shown that two-thirds of the economic growth of these countries comes from innovation and not from increased resources. Hence, there should be a strong association between scientific research and the needs of the community, and between qualified workforce and essential elements affecting productivity.

Concluding my statement, I would like to emphasize the importance of collaboration in our countries between higher educational institutions, scientific research centers and the government so as to actually increase the percentage of expenditure on scientific research and development and to upgrade the capability of scientific research.

With respect to the involvement of the private sector, I would like to mention the role of KFAS that has a 40-year history of supporting the advancement of science and technology in

Kuwait. KFAS was initiated by the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, when he was crown prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait. This vision was favorably embraced by members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is financially supported by Kuwaiti private sector companies that have made generous contributions throughout the years. Their contributions started with 5% of their net annual profits and are currently set at 1%. This has enabled KFAS to play a complementary role as a catalyst on behalf of the government.

We are looking forward to working closely with the Government of Kuwait and with scientific institutions including: The Ministry of Higher Education, Private Universities, Kuwait University (KU), and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), in order to stimulate the scientific research efforts and encourage the private sector to increase its role.

Thank you all and wishing you a successful symposium.

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وتتناول ندوتنا اليوم موضوع البحث والتطوير ودور مؤسسات التعليم العالي في إيجاد استراتيجيات ونماذج ألعمال البحث العلمي تساهم في الخاص

مواجهة تحديات العصر من اقتصاد وعلوم وتكنولوجيا وعلوم طبية واجتماع وأدب وفن. فالبحث العلمي هو قاطرة التنمية والتقدم، يبعد عن االرتجال ويقدم الحلول، ويعود تاريخ البحث العلمي إلى وجود اإلنسان على سطح

رض حين كان يبحث في أفضل الطرق لتحسين سبل العيش من صيد األوزراعة وسكن. ومما ال يخفى على الحضور الكرام أن البحث والتطوير هو

من أهم إنتاجيات الحضارة اإلنسانية على مر العصور.

ويزداد التسابق في أيامنا هذه ، ال سيما في عالم التكنولوجيا سريع التطور ، كتشافات العلمية لما في ذلك من آثار ملموسة على النمو للوصول إلى اال

واالقتصاد وسعادة البشر، وكذلك تميز البلدان وتفوقها. وتتسابق الدول والمؤسسات العلمية فيها إلى تشجيع وتحفيز البحث العلمي وتوفير الموارد البشرية والتكنولوجية والمادية لتحقيقه وتجويد مناهجه . فال بد لمؤسسات التعليم العالي القيام بدورها من توفير أساليب الدعم للبحث العلمي الستقطاب الكوادر التعليمية المتميزة، وخلق بيئة علمية داخل أسوار حرمها الجامعي على التحصيل العلمي للطلبة ومن خاللها خدمة من شأنها التأثير إيجابيا

المجتمع والمجتمع العلمي.

مداخالت مشوقة تعالج وقرين ومن الحضور الكرامنترقب من محاضرينا الم هذا الجانب الهام من األداء العلمي لمؤسسات التعليم العالي الخاص ومن

الجميع المساهمة البناءة في حلقة الطاولة المستديرة للوصول إلى نتائج تنعكس إيجابا على أداء المؤسسات العاملة في هذا الحقل الحيوي ويمكن لها

فيد منها وتطور أعمالها . أن تست

يمحمد الرميح الدكتور/ كلمــة

"إننا نخاف فقط ما نجهله، وال يوجد ما يخيفنا على اإلطالق بعد أن نفهمه" ماري كوري

نرحـب بكــــم في البرنامج الثاني من هذه السلسلة من الندوات بعنوان :

الطريق لتحقيق التميز". وتهدف هذه "سلسلة ندوات التعليم العالي الخاص: السلسلة إلى تسليط الضوء على أهم الجوانب والممارسات التي من شأنها التأثير على تطور التعليم العالي الخاص في الكويت بما يحقق النمو واالزدهار للمجتمع، وال سيما أن هذا القطاع ما زال حديث العهد ويحتاج

ن األساسيين لتوجيه مخرجاته في االتجاه إلى عناية خاصة من كل الالعبيالصحيح، وتحقيق الهدف منه وهو تعزيز الرأسمال البشري الذي هو القاعدة

دونها ال تستقيم خطط التنمية . 2015ولقد قمنا بتحضير البرنامج األول من سلسلة الندوات هذه في أبريل

للتقدم العلمي، بعنوان " التحديات والفرص" بدعم كريم من مؤسسة الكويت كما هو الحال في هذه الندوة، ومشاركة معظم الجهات الحكومية واألهلية المتخصصة في مجال التعليم العالي. وقد شارك في كتابة األوراق نخبة متخصصة، استلم احدهم وزراة التربية في المملكة العربية السعودية بعد تلك

ضت عن ذلك اللقاء ما يلي :الندوة بأشهر وكانت أبرز التوصيات التي تمخ

إيجاد بيئة تنافسية بين مؤسسات التعليم العالي الخاصة. .1تطوير البيئة القانونية المنظمة ألعمال هذه المؤسسات، حيث ال .2

زالت البيئة تلك تحمل معوقات تحد من نمو وانطالق التعليم الجامعي الخاص.

ت بما تشجيع التنوع في التخصصات المعروضة في هذه المؤسسا .3 يعالج احتياجات سوق العمل.

الموازنة بين ضمان الجودة والعمل الربحي. .4التعاون بين مؤسسات التعليم العالي الخاصة والمؤسسات الرسمية .5

المتعاملة معها وتلك الكفيلة بدعم البحث العلمي من جهات حكومية وقطاع خاص.

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الدكتور/وليد الكندريكلمة

رفني تاذ أخي ش العامة لألمانة العام األمين أبل طاهر حبيب / الدكتور األس

ة الجامعات لمجلس لكم وألنقل الندوة هذه افتتاح في عنه اإلنابة الخاص

ترالية الكلية لجهود تقديره ة الكويت في األس س العلمي للتقدم الكويت ومؤس

وء إلقاء ة الجامعات إمكانات على الض في العالي التعليم تجويد الخاص

.والبيئة الطاقة المياه، :وهي والمنطقة الكويت دولة تهم مترابطة مجاالت

مجلس يحرص حيث العالي التعليم ركائز أهم من واحدة العلمي البحث يشكل وهو لذلك خاصة لجنة شكل قد و العلمي النشر دعم على الخاصة الجامعات

دار على يعمل لدوريات من عدد إص عاون المحكمة ا من عدد مع بالت

ة الجامعات منها ومن الخاص ترالية الكلية ض فقد الكويت،كذلك في األس

ريعات حددت رورة التش والتطوير العلمي البحث على اإلنفاق تعزيز ض

رورة راكات عمل وض مبتكرة بحوث إلجراء ودولية وإقليمية محلية ش

.المختلفة والخدمية اإلقتصادية القطاعات لخدمة

البحث وتدعم تحفز التي التوصيات من بعدد الملتقى هذا يخرج أن آمل إنني

ة الجامعات في والتطوير العلمي بدورها القيام من تتمكن لكي الخاص جنبا

. العزيز وطننا في األخرى العلمي البحث مؤسسات مع جنب إلى

الشكر أكرر الخاصة الجامعات ومجلس العام األمين باسم فإنني الختام وفي

ترالية للكلية والتقدير ة الكويت في األس س على العلمي للتقدم الكويت ومؤس

وذلك اإلقليمي الملتقى هذا تنظيم يا العالي التعليم وزارة تطلعات مع تماش

.العلمي والبحثكر ول والش التوفيق هذا الجتماعكم ويدعو الجهود هذه على للقائمين موص

.والفائدة

.الثاني بلدهم في الكويت دولة خارج من بالمشاركين ومرحبا

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الملتقى برنامج

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Symposium Program 08:30-09:00 Registration

09:00-09:05 Holy Quran

09:05-09:30 Opening Session :

Dr. Walid Al kandari

Assistant Secretary , Private Universities Council

Dr. Adnan Shihab Eldin

Director General, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences

Dr. Mohammed Al-Rumaihi

Head of Symposium -Board of Trustees Member, Australian College of Kuwait

09:30- 10:25 Session 1 : Research and Development in Private Universities in the GCC

Chairperson : Prof. Tariq Aldowaisan College of Engineering & Petroleum – Kuwait University

Speaker: Prof. Hilal Al-Hanai Secretary General of The Research Council (TRC) Oman

10:25-10:40 Break

10:40-11:25 Session 2 :Best Practices in promoting Research and Development in Private Universities

Chairperson : Prof. Moudi Al-Hmoud

President of the Arab Open University

Speaker: Prof. George Najjar

Provost - Lebanese American University

11:25-12:10 Session 3: Market-Driven Research and Development

Chairperson : Prof. Mustafa Marefi

Acting Head of the Office of Prizes at KFAS

Speaker: Prof. Abdalla Al-Najjar

Chairman-Arab Science & Technology Foundation, UAE

12:10-12:25 Break

12:25-13:10 Session 4 :Role of Research and Development in supporting excellence in higher education

Chairperson : Prof. Esam Alawadhi

Deputy Director of Kuwait University for Scientific Affairs

Speaker: Prof. Abeer Al-Bawab

General Director/The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF) in Jordan

13:10-13:25 Q & A

13:25-14:25 Lunch Break

14:25-16:00 Discussion Session Chairperson: H.E Prof :Adnan Badran Chancellor of University of Petra and Chairman of the board of Trustees of University of Jordan

Members: Prof. Hilal Al-Hanai Prof. Abeer Al-Bawab Prof. Abdalla Al-Najjar Prof. George Najjar

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Session one: Research and Development in

Private Universities in theGCC.

Chairperson: Prof. Tariq Al-Dowaisan

Biography: Tariq A. Aldowaisan holds a Bachelor (1983), Master (1986), and Ph.D. (1990) in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University. He is currently a Professor of Industrial & Management Systems Engineering at Kuwait University. Additionally, he is the Founder and General Manager of Global Lead Consultants established in 2005. He is a recipient of KFAS Scientific Production Award 2014 on Engineering Sciences. He is a Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE); Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB); Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), and Certified Supplier Quality Professional (CSQP) by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Additionally, he is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP); and a Certified Environmental, Safety, and Health Trainer (CET) by the American Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). He has an extensive track record of professional

Consulting and training in Quality, Organizational Excellence, and Safety.

Speaker: Prof. Hilal Al-Hinai

Biography:

Dr. Al-Hinai is the founding Secretary General of The Research Council of Oman, established in 2005. He was the Director of the Water Research Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University. He obtained his B.Eng. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Bradford University in 1986 and joined Sultan Qaboos University as a Maintenance Engineer. He obtained his M.Sc. (1988) and Ph.D. (1992) from the Applied Energy Department at Cranfield Institute of Technology in the UK. Beside his teaching duty, he was appointed as an Academic Assistant for Innovation and Industrial Links at SQU

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Research and Development in Private Universities in the GCC by Doctor Hilal

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Scholary Output

Publication Year

Scholarly Output vs Publication Year of Selected PHEIs as Compared to Kuwait University

American University of Sharjah Kuwait University

Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland ‐ Medical University of Bahrain

Sohar University Texas A and M University at Qatar

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Sch

olary

Output

Publication Year

Scholarly Output vs Publication Year of Selected PHEIs as Compared to King Saud University

American University of Sharjah King Saud University

Kuwait University Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland ‐ Medical University of Bahrain Sohar University

Texas A and M University at Qatar Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

pg. 12

But where does this “RESEARCH” fit in the R&D spectrum

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A mature national innovation system will have a rich array of institutes with overlapping responsibilities

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State-of-the-art research facilities that can attract industrial partners

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Challenges / Opportunities for the low oil-price era

Partnership with industry through various programs (Off-set, in-country value, CSR, venture capital funds, etc.)

Partnership with local and regional research institutes to solve national and regional challenges.

Tapping into international programs by capturing value from the local inputs or covering a regional domain.

Effective marketing of institutional resources (human, equipment and facilities, land, etc.…) after a proper evaluation process.

pg. 21

Session Two: Best Practices in promoting Research and Development in Private Universities

Chairperson: Prof. Moudi Al Humoud.

Biography: Professor Moudi A. Al-Humoud received her BA in Commerce (First Hons) from Kuwait University, 1973.

In 1976, Prof. Al-Humoud received her MA from North Texas University, USA, and then the Ph.D. in Business Administration from City University of London, UK, 1979.

Professor Al-Humoud held many positions at Kuwait University, first as a faculty member and Chair of the Business Administration Department in 1981, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce until 1989, and then as Vice President for Planning and Evaluation until 2002. In 2004, Prof. Al-Houmoud was appointed Rector of the Arab Open University, and then back to as President of the Arab Open University from 2013-present.

In 2008, Prof. Al-Humoud entered the political arena first as Minister of Housing and Development, and then as Minister of Education and Higher Education in 2009. Professor Al-Humoud served as member of the Higher Council for Planning and Development at the Kuwaiti Government from 2004-2008, this is in addition to her membership in the Higher Consultative Council of the Arab Institute for Planning from 1999-2001, and

her membership in the International Institute for Administration (Brussels) from 1994 until 1998. And chairperson for the Public Enterprise Committee in I.J.A.

Prof. Al-Humoud was also Chair of the Board of Trustees at Bayan Private School for seven years, and she served in a number of local, regional and international councils. In addition, she was the first lady to serve as a member of the executive committee for a political party, namely the National Democratic Party, and a member of the Women Cultural Society, as well as the Alumni Association in Kuwait.

Professor Al-Humoud has published a Good number or papers in the field of administration and organizational behavior. She is also a weekly columnist at Al-Qabas Newspaper of Kuwait.

Speaker: Prof. George Najjar

Biography: George K. Najjar, Ph.D. currently serves as Professor of Management and Provost at the Lebanese American University (LAU). He assumed this position in Fall 2012 after moving from the American University of Beirut (AUB) .where he served as Founding Dean of the Olayan School of Business for the period 2000-2012 while simultaneously also serving as Vice-President for Regional External Programs.

While at AUB, Dr. Najjar played a leading role in senior positions among teams that contributed to founding American University of Sharjah, University of Sharjah, Kingdom Schools

pg. 22

in KSA, and Dhofar University in Oman. He holds a Ph.D. in Management from U.S.C. and has taught and consulted extensively in the region.

His research publications appeared in leading international journals and he was the recipient of several international awards including the John Fernandes Strategic Leadership Award for 2012 and the Academy of International Business Award for 2017. Dr. Najjar also serves as special advisor to the President and CEO of AACSB for MENA.

Backdrop Major universities have traditionally had three major functions, namely knowledge generation, dissemination, and application.

The first of these functions, pushing the frontiers of new knowledge, has for long been a core university activity best manifested in research, mostly of a basic nature.

The second function, knowledge transfer, has always been closely intertwined with the first particularly with respect to graduate education.

The third function, knowledge application, however, is relatively new and R&D is one of its manifold expressions.

R&D simply refers to a process of converting knowledge into marketable products and services that either generates or responds to demand, leads to value creation, and meets the test of sustainable economic feasibility.

Nor is R&D exclusively restricted to universities. It is also to be found, in varying degrees, at major industrial firms, pharmaceutical companies, bio-technology enterprises, engineering design firms, software and IT institutions and many other non-academic outfits.

The clear fact, however, is that even when R&D in undertaken outside universities, it continues to be pursued in close affinity to universities, and often as a joint undertaking between industry and academia.

Just as often, government can be the driving force behind campus and industry R&D activities. R&D in general is a telling example of PPP – Public Private Partnership, and serves as active dynamic leading to expanding the frontiers of knowledge and the limits of turning ideas into products.

For universities, it is an indication of maturity, institutional effectiveness as well as the ability to leverage educational and financial resources sustainably through building bridges with industry.

Capacity Building for R&D at Private Universities Outside the US where major world-class private universities have existed for centuries, the rest of the world has had very limited experience with private universities. In most parts of the world outside the US, higher education continues to be namely a public-sector activity. The issue, however, of the role of private universities, has already started to force itself by virtue of their increasing numbers all over the world mostly, inspired by the US model.

In the Middle-East, three US-founded private universities made their mark on the higher education landscape in Lebanon and Egypt in the 19th century, and were to exercise a pivotal role in the Middle East region. Over time, these three institutions: AUB, LAU and AUC, came to serve as prototypes for a new generation of private universities that started to appear in the region around the late 1980s. Since then, the momentum has continued to accelerate and institutions to multiply.

At the moment, such private post-secondary institutions, number in the hundreds in the MENA area and are mostly for profit. They have by now firmly established themselves as key partners with public universities in satisfying the growing educational needs of a rapidly expanding population dominated by young brackets.

This trend is now dominant to a point where private higher education is a mainstream trend, particularly in the G.C.C. with multiple such institutions offering mostly undergraduate and graduate degrees on equal footing with established public universities, and attracting increasing numbers of young men and women for a wide variety of push and pull factors.

Several hundred such institutions currently exist in the region, and there is no evidence that the trend is showing any signs of abating any time soon. If anything, there is every indication of continued rise in the number of private institutions. Some of these institutions have come of age and are already major players with extended footprint.

pg. 23

Some Shared Characteristics of Private Universities

The few clear exceptions notwithstanding, emerging private universities in the MENA region share a number of key characteristics. These characteristics combined tend to make them very far as yet from serious-capacity building in the direction of R&D.

Some of these characteristics are:

1. Predominance of undergraduate over graduate or professional programs. This is usually accompanied with heavy teaching loads for faculty.

2. Weak research output items of both quality and quantity.

3. Thin full-time faculty numbers and over-dependence on part-time faculty.

4. Absence of major grants or research partnerships with outside bodies.

5. Only partially developed research infra-structure in some cases and total absence in others.

6. Absence of a deep-rooted research tradition on account of young age and different priorities.

7. Poor links with industry and absence of connecting bridges with communities of practice, and corporate alliances.

8. Relatively poor strategic planning and predominance of short-term thinking.

9. Dependence on government scholarships for undergraduate students as a main revenue stream.

10. General lack of faculty incentives and enticing rewards for research, scholarship, and creative work.

11. Absence of IP and Patent policies. 12. General preference on the part of industry to go

elsewhere for their commissioned research and R&D needs.

Best Practices for Encountering R&D at Private Universities There is a lot to be learned from the experience of leading international universities that serve today as major centers for R&D in the world. Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Caltech, Stanford, etc. are few examples. There are, of course, many other examples within and outside the US, including the Middle East. Suffice it to say that building capacity towards some or all of these best practices is bound to be a slow, costly, and institutionally demanding process.

It would require many of the existing private universities in our part of the world to introduce radical structural changes, radically reinvent themselves, secure additional resources, and introduce major amendments to their offices and procedures. The extent of the change needed will become clearer once we examine the best practices in question

Challenges in Attracting and Retaining Research Faculty

• Global Market • Scarcity • Cost Factors • Working Conditions • Academic Eco-System • Productivity • Sustainability • Retention and its Discontents • Research vs. Teaching Faculty • Converging Ideas into Products

Building a Network of Academic and Professional Partnerships

• Your Value Proposition • Enhancing your Value Chain • Carving a Niche • Dynamics of Reciprocity • Local vs. Regional vs. Global Networks • Champions, Facilitators, Bystanders and Blockers • Harnessing Interdisciplinary Knowledge • Mastery of Leveraging • Working with Overheads • Planning vs. Prospecting

Attracting External Research Grants

• Potential Source Identification • Proposal Writing • Navigating Complex Rules • Building Reporting Structures • Cultivating Faculty Interest • Learning from Failure • Assessing Performance • Building and Empowering Teams • Evolving an Agile Delayered Organization • Converting Results into Institutional Triumphs

Developing an IP and Patent Structure

• Framing the Challenge • Approaching Capacity Building • Scientific, Organizational, Financial, Legal, Ethical,

and Regulatory Components • Working out Contextual I.P. and Patent Policies • Achieving Buy-Ins • Opening Doors for Innovation • Building Common Grounds with Faculty • Managing Spin-Offs • Significance of Size • Overcoming Skepticism

pg. 24

Building Centers of Excellence • What is a Center of Excellence? • COEs as Differentiators • Working Across Departments and Schools • Branding COEs • Turning COEs into Strategic Assets • Embracing Change • Gaining Partners • Building Inter-COE Links • Converting Concepts to Operations • Turning Energy to Synergy

Enabling an Internal Entrepreneurship Culture

• Avoiding the excesses of bureaucracy • Igniting the spark for entrepreneurship and innovation • Creating the ecosystem • Connecting functional units • Establishing rules of engagement • Entrepreneurship and innovations as drivers for R&D • Fast-tracking the decision process • Nurturing the entrepreneurial subculture • Building entrepreneurial skillsets • Working with R&D-” premiership”

Creating and Managing Incentive Systems

• Material and non-material incentives • Role of incentive management in driving R&D • Special management skills relevant to incentive

management • R&D incentives vs. traditional incentives • Managing R&D incentives without straining the

overall system • Handling R&D failures • Recognition, showcasing, and celebration of

achievement • Examples of R&D incentives in action

The R & D Institutional Eco-System

The R & D Functions at Private Universities Drivers and Constraints

The R & D Cluster

• Basic Research • Translational Research • Applied Research

I.P. Patents Solutions

• Entrepreneurial Culture or Sub-Cultures • Links to Academic Programs and Pedagogy • Institutional Effectiveness • Market Intelligence

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Elements of an R&D Ecosystem

The Magic Acronym for Effective R&D (TREAT)

• Talent • Resolve • Engagement • Action • Team

Pillars of R&D at Private Universities

Institutional Self-Test for R&D Readiness of Private Universities

10 Key Questions 1.How would you characterize research activities at your institution?

Low Medium High

2.What is the % of full-time professional rank faculty to the overall faculty body at your institution?

< 25% 25-40% > 40%

3.What % of your institutional budget goes to supporting research

< 5% 5-10% > 10%

4.How successful are you in attracting external grant funding?

Non-existent Mild Medium High

5.Do you look for evidence of entrepreneurial skills in your faculty recruitment?

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

6.Do you currently have or are you seeking corporate partnerships with an R&D component?

Yes Have Seeking, No Have seeking

7.Do you currently have interdisciplinary research and/or degree activities?

Yes No Not sure

8.How much bureaucracy do you think you currently have at your institution?

Too much Just enough Little

9.What is the % of graduate students to your overall student population?

< 15% 15-25% >25%

10.Is R&D, and related activities, entrepreneurship/innovation etc. noted in the strategic plan of your institution?

Yes clearly Indirectly No

pg. 26

Session 3: Market-Driven Research and Development

Chairperson: Prof. Mustafa Marafi

Biography: Professor Mustafa Marafi received his BA in Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology, 1970.

In 1973, Prof. Marafi received his MA from University of Michigan, USA, and then the Ph.D. in Atomic Physics from University of Michigan, USA, 1976.

Professor Marafi held many positions at Kuwait University, first as Dean of Admission & Registration and Director of Summer School Programs, Kuwait University 1985-1989, and then as a Head of the Physics Department, Kuwait University (Several Terms). In 2014, Prof. Marafi was appointed Councillor to the DG at KFAS till Present, and then director of the Office of Prizes at KFAS from 2015 till now.

Professor Marafi Served in major committees at the departmental, college and university levels such as:

Kuwait Science Club: (Establishment of the Club, Establishment of the Observatory).

Ministry Of Education: (Science Curriculum Development, Teacher’s Training Programs, Authoring Several High School textbooks).

G.C.C. Joint Program Production Institution: (Scientific Advisor for the production of 30 episodes of a Public Science Series, Screenplay Writer for Some Episodes).

G.C.C. Arab Education Bureau: (Syllabus Development for Science textbooks, Editor for Science textbooks.

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research: (Joint Research, Director of Summer Training Program).

Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Science: (Establishment of the Publication Unit, editing several Books, Translating & Editing Numerous Articles for The Arabic Version of The Scientific American, Screenplay Writing of Four 30-Minutes Films on Environment.

Ministry of Health: (Attending Meeting Held by the U.N. on Ozone Layer during the 80’s).

Kuwait National Petroleum Company: (Writing the Script for a Film on the History & Activities of the Company.

Dr. Abdalla Abdelaziz Alnajjar Alhammadi

Dr. Abdalla Alnajjar is an Arab Emirati Innovation and Entrepreneurship magnate. He is best known for the "Arab

pg. 27

Science & Technology Foundation" (ASTF); the first state of the art Foundation in the Arab world which has under his leadership successfully initiated and supported outstanding RDI and business outcome throughout the Arab Region and beyond. His achievements created a unique character and popularity for himself. He successfully, for three consecutive years, is listed as one of the "Most Influential Arabs in the World".

Alnajjar holds a PhD on Experimental Physics from the University of Durham, UK. He gained a wide range of abilities and skills. He was a member of Parliament (Sharjah, 2007-2011), Director of Research, University Lecturer, Curriculum Specialist and School Teacher. These are some professions he held in his home country; the UAE.

Dr. Alnajjar, as an academic scientist, is teaching physics and entrepreneurship courses. He published 72 scientific research

papers in international refereed journals and conferences on thin film Solar Cells fabrication, materials and device characterization, and solar energy applications. He, also, edited 9 conference proceedings and developed more than 20 studies and reports. He chaired and co-chaired 41 conferences, symposiums and workshops, participated in 84 regional & international S&T events.

The stories behind Dr. Abdalla success and achievement won’t come true without clear vision, strong belief in his nation and the dedication that he himself and his tirelessness team that S&T RDI can take them direct into knowledge generation and economy.

pg. 28

Market-Driven Research and Development: Role of the Intermediate Research and Technology Sector

Prof. Abdalla Alnajjar

Arab Science and Technology Foundation an@astf.net

Most of the research undertaken in the Arab universities or research centers would not be commercially exploited to the same extent as in the universities of USA, EU, Japan or China. This because of many factors, the most important of them is the lack of the Intermediate Sector. Which should fill a crucial role between academia and industry by enabling the transfer of ‘raw’ knowledge from academic research into a ‘problem solution’ that can be well understood by all levels of management within industry. This paper will present the Intermediate Sector and analyses ways in which its work contributes to the prosperity of the economy, how the Intermediate Sector orients research to be toward the market or to solve local problem. And, I will show how, the Intermediate Sector helps to overcome market failures that result in too little R&D being undertaken in the Arab universities despite that the strength of Arab science base not being exploited to its full potential. The economic value of the direct, indirect and induced effects or R&D is related to the total revenues of the Intermediate Sector, while the catalytic impacts are ‘spillover’ benefits for other industries, consumers and the economy in general. Finally, I will present the case of the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) as an active Intermediate Sector player in the Arab Region.

Keywords—R&D; market; GDP; ASTF

I. INTRODUCTION

Research, Development and Innovation are crucial for long- term economic development. Knowledge has been at the heart of economic growth and the gradual rise in levels of social well-being since time immemorial. The ability to invent and innovate, that is to create new knowledge and new ideas that are then embodied in products, processes and organizations, has always served to fuel development. And there have always been organizations and institutions capable of creating and disseminating knowledge: from the medieval guilds through to the large business corporations of the early 20th century, from the Cistercian abbeys to the royal academies of science that began to emerge in the 17th century. “Knowledge-based economy”, however, is a recently coined term. As such, its use is meant to signify a change from the economies of earlier periods, more a “sea-change” than a sharp discontinuity.

On the other hand, the division between academic research and education on the one hand and industrial research on the other is probably not a functionally sensible division, but rather an expensive way of maintaining 19th Century illusions about academic freedom. It was common among directors of academic and R&D directors to claim; “One Dollar spent in basic research can drive ten Dollars in development and a hundred Dollars in application on profit”. This is badly misleading thesis. However, it is not meant to dispute the academic freedom for subjects like archaeology, comparative

literature, or philosophy, nor to dispute the need for academic freedom in basic research. Many research institutions have freewheeled attitude that expect market mechanisms to take over wherever the state has failed. `Academic freedom for, e.g., engineering subjects somehow does not seem to make a great lot of sense, nor does it make a lot of sense to expect of philosophers that they should prove the value of their work on the market. The current commonality among funding agencies is what impact that research project would make, no better impact than innovation that catches the breadth of the market. Dr Nicholson, earlier 3M VP, said; R&D is transformation of money into knowledge Innovation is transformation of knowledge into money. “Innovation” from R&D sustains more than that from public. It is not like those being plastered everywhere by marketing departments.

Over the years, America’s well-being has been furthered by science and technology. Increasing the productivity of the American workforce is the key to higher living standards and stronger economic growth in the future. Evidence indicates that investments in research and development (R&D) have large payoffs in terms of growth. R&D yields new products, improving the quality of life, and new processes, enabling American firms to reduce costs of production and become more competitive. Indeed, investments in R&D are estimated to account for half or more of the increase in output per person.[1] Maintaining or increasing this country's R&D effort is essential if we are to increase the rate of productivity growth and improve living standards [2].

The economic pressure on academic research grows, universities have to cope with their new multi-tasking environment, i.e. how should they reconcile teaching, the “exogenous” (i.e. curiosity-driven invention) and

pg. 29

“endogenous” (i.e. market-driven innovation) component of the academic research.

II. OBJECTIVES AND TYPES OF R & D

Academic and institutional R&D usually aim to obtain new knowledge, which may or may not be applied to practical uses. While Arab academic community perform research for pure promotion objectives. In contrast, the objective of industrial R&D is to obtain knowledge that is applicable to the company's business needs that eventually will result in new or improved products, processes, systems or services that can increase the company's sales and profits.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), a pillar US research funding agency, defines three types of R&D: basic research, applied research, and development. Basic research has as its objectives a fuller knowledge or understanding of the

1

subject under study, rather than a practical application thereof. Applied research is directed towards gaining knowledge or understanding necessary for determining the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met.

Research development differs from engineering. Development can be defined as utilization of state-of-the-art knowledge for the design and production of marketable goods and services. In other words, research creates knowledge and development designs, and builds prototypes and proves their feasibility. Engineering then converts these prototypes into products or services that can be offered to the marketplace or into processes that can be used to produce commercial products and services. [3]

III. EMPIRICAL RELATION BETWEEN R&D AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Generally, investment in R&D has been regarded as one of the key strategies to secure technological potential, and thereby innovation and economic growth. Research and development (R&D) includes creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.

A. R&D and Economic Growth driving

In today’s information age, many countries have been undertaking extraordinary measures to encourage R&D, knowledge creation and advanced technological development. The world is witnessing an inevitable trend of adopting knowledge economy as a key to attaining progress and productivity. Much of the literature on market-driven R&D and

impact of R&D on economic performance is found on developed countries, where the expenditure on R&D has been relatively high and stable for many years. The long run impact with respect to R&D was estimated over 10% OECD countries and 8.1% for Singapore.

There are some good numbers of researches have been done to explain how the R&D are a vital key for economic growth for example: Endogenous growth model pioneers, Romer (1990) and Lichtenberg (1992) have pointed out that the relationship between investment in technology and R&D expenditure leads to increases productivity, and therefore growth (Bilbao-Osorio and Rodriguez, 2004). Hall (1996) is one of the researchers that revealed in his article that investment in R&D is positively correlated with country productivity and profitability, and produces a relatively high rate of return. Scherer (1982), Griliches and Lichtenberg (1984), Aghion and Howitt (1998), and Zachariadis (2003) provide strong evidence that R&D investment and growth are positively related in the US economy (Rabiei, 2011). Moreover, Griffith, Redding and Van Reenen (2004) claimed that research and development (R&D) has two faces. The first face is in stimulating innovation and second face is in facilitating the imitation of discoveries by others. They found that R&D is statistically and economically important in both

technological catch-up and innovation. Further, Wakelin (2001) analyzed relationships between productivity growth and R&D expenditures in 170 firms quoted on the UK stock market. The research findings showed that has a positive and significant role in influencing its productivity growth.

B.

Industry Spending on RDI

Research and Development (R&D) requires spending. So, who is investing the most in research and development? As it turns out, companies are spending more on R&D than ever before. The Global Innovation 1000, a list of public companies that spend the most on innovation, invested in 2014 a record $647 billion. That total represents two-fifths of all innovation spending by organizations worldwide, according to a report from Strategy&, the consultancy formerly known as Booz & Co. Where does all that money go? Over the past decade, two industries have accounted for half of all R&D spending: healthcare and computers.

In 2016, the R&D spending is being further enhanced:

• Pharma and biotech was 15% now 22.1

• Computing and Electronics was 4.5% now 24%

pg. 30

• Software and internet was 10% now 12.9%

• Automobile was 4.4% now 15.4%

• Industrial engineering was 2.8 now 10.8%

IV. INNOVATION & KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

Today’s “knowledge economies” are seeing the emergence of new paradigms for innovation and the advance of knowledge in relation to economic production. This is not because either knowledge or innovations are new ingredients of economic growth. Rather, against a background of a rapid acceleration in the development of knowledge, a revolution in the instruments of knowledge and a necessary redefinition of some of the components of knowledge, the drivers of knowledge advance are also inevitably changing. Thus, the process of inventing, developing and bringing to users a 21st century microelectronic product is very different from the equivalent process in the case of, say, the light-bulb in the 19th century. Meanwhile, the “need to innovate” is growing stronger

2

as innovation comes closer to being the sole means to survive and prosper in highly competitive and globalized economies. It is not easy to distinguish between absolute novelties (“under the sun”) and innovations that are new only to the companies that adopt them, or more complex adaptations of existing products or ideas to a new market. The fact remains that companies and society in general are spending more time and energy on producing and adjusting to change. Formal research may remain the cornerstone of knowledge production in many sectors (for the simple reason that it provides a more or less sheltered domain in which to carry out experiments that would not otherwise possible in real life). But the knowledge production system is becoming more widely distributed across a host of new places and actors. More and more “innovators”

tend to be appearing in unexpected situations: users as the source of innovation, “lay people” involved in the production of scientific knowledge within such realms as health and the environment. [5].

V. MARKETING VS R&D

The debate of Marketing Vs. R&D has been raging on since the dawn of the capital world. The R&D group is engaged in creating novel solutions / products that directly solve a problem or satisfy a customer need. Traditionally, the marketing group is engaged in enhancing the acceptance rate of an already existing product. The R&D division is product focused whereas marketing is customer focused. In other words; R&D is fixated on “things” whereas marketing is fixated on “agencies/people” (who buy things).

Marketing and listening to community needs make the biggest difference on our commercialization activities. Marketing activities (upstream activities such as market research, market analysis, voice-of-customer studies, etc...) can help researchers establish and grow. In short, it was the ingenious marketing that chose the right R&D output (patent, product/service) and helped the research agency to secure funds and sustain progress.

A.T. Kearney surveyed (2016) more than 100 executives of large international organizations to assess their perspectives on global innovation management. Their key findings are:

• Innovation is expected to transform revenue

generation; disruptive innovation is key influencer.

• Innovation activities are becoming more global

• Innovation will be increasingly global and collaborative. Most companies work with external partners on their innovation agendas. Explored partners are: customers (60%), large suppliers (40%),

and research institutes or academic institutions

(34%).

• Trend in leveraging innovation partners is much

influenced on the anticipated role. That is found to

be as follows: the role of customers (78%), the role of start-ups and small suppliers (67%), and the role of research institutes or academic institutions (45%).

This illustrates the declining, yet still influential,

expectation form research institutes or academic

institutions. R&D teams

pg. 31

should put more emphasis on the identification of their target customer (industry, investors) and gear their research activities towards satisfying their intentions. Success to perform such link shall lead to real innovative products that sell much and add to economy growth. Therefore, innovation should involve contributions from both marketing and R&D groups. Unfortunately, that is not the case in majority of our universities and research centers. Especially, with the obvious weakness of TTO and mid-agencies to do their job.

VI. THE INTERMEDIATE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

The Intermediate Research and Technology Sector are positioned between academia and corporate and governmental end-users of technology. It comprises a range of entities and organizations whose activities are aimed at enhancing the development of new technologies and increasing the rate of adoption of technological innovation. As shown in the figure:

The Intermediate Sector may assist on the exchange of knowledge and technology by different means. Typically, the following formal forms are considered:

• Collaborative research, i.e. defining and conducting R&D projects jointly by enterprises and science institutions, either on a bi-lateral basis or on a

consortium basis;

• Contract research and know-how based consulting by

science commissioned by industry;

• Development of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)and establish frameworks for licensing

technologies, materials, databases, etc.;

• Start-up of technology-oriented enterprises by researchers from the science-base generated at the

research institute;

• Others, such as co-operation in graduate education,

advanced training for enterprise staff and exchange

of research staff between companies and research

institutes. Not to mention the informal contacts, that

lie behind the formal relationships (industry-science networks on a personal base). These informal contacts and human capital flows are much difficult to quantify, but nevertheless extremely important and often a

catalyst for instigating further formal contacts.

3

These units of intermediate players are characterized by their profile on commercialization; role for spin-off activities.

VII. THE SITUATION IN THE ARAB WORLD

Most Arab countries today are striving to harvest the power of quality R&D and owning knowledge to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21st century. The World Bank continually calling for investments in innovation and education as these are fundamental to achieve greater financial growth, especially the Middle East.

Although most of the Arab countries have accomplished significant progress, much still needs to be done. According to World Bank’s report, only four Arab countries have ranked in the top 50 on the Knowledge Economy Index. The region continues to face many challenges in pursuit of its objective to transform into an information-based economy, which requires implementation of key cross-sectoral reforms in education, research and innovation, and ICT domains, among others. One notable challenge is the lack of a coherent strategy among these developing economies to promote growth based on knowledge and innovation. Most Arab Countries still rely on the exploitation of natural resources and on infrastructure development and financial markets.

When looking at the distribution by areas of science, we find a very particular mix of disciplines. We notice the especially small percentage for basic science (15%) while energy sciences (engineering mostly) occupied 47%, followed by the environment and agriculture (24%). Engineering in all senses is the dominant Arab disciplinary domain in most countries, with some notable exceptions (Tunisia and Lebanon). The research strength of Egypt, Morocco and Algeria lies in chemistry, with particular specialization in organic chemistry, chemical engineering and physical-chemical characterizations for

pg. 32

specific materials. Clinical medicine is the research strength elsewhere in the region, including in Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. Syria’s strength lies in plant and animal science, which is a result of the presence of ICARDA, an international institute belonging to the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research Centers in Aleppo, which specializes in these fields. [4]

The GCC countries comprise the 12th largest economic region in the world with a recorded Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 4.03 per cent in 2013. UAE topped the Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) among Arab countries as it ranked 42nd globally with a score of 6.94. In 2013, five Arab universities, including four from Saudi Arabia and one from Egypt, appeared on the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. The Arab States have a low ranking in research development and technological innovation. The overall spending in R&D is about 0.15 % of the gross domestic product (GDP), compared with an average of 1.4% in the world, and 2.5% in Europe. This spending is provided by the public sector to a very large extent (97%).

There is huge gap between stakeholders and R&D that hinders the success of research teams to participate in country’s development plans. Intermediate channels that can carry this mission is much lacked.

VIII. INTERMEDIATE SECTORN PLAYER

CASE OF THE ARAB SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION (ASTF) AS AN INTERMEDIATE SECTOR PLAYR

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization, was formed out of a need expressed by Arab scientists to develop practical means to advance science and technology (S&T) using Research, Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RDIE) as tools to foster socioeconomic development of the Arab region. It was called for by the Arab scientific community (425 scientists, engineers, and physicians) who participated in the first international symposium on “Scientific Research Outlook in the Arab World and the New Millennium: Science and Technology,” that was held at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates in April 2000. They designed ASTF as a pan-Arab non-governmental, non-profit organization. Their request was formalized by a Decree issued by HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohamed AlQasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and member of the Supreme Council of the UAE.

ASTF plays the role of mediator between those who produce, develop and fund S&T on the one hand and those who benefit from it on the other. In all its activities, ASTF assumes the role

of a “catalyst, mediator, and supporter” of RDIE in S&T for the Arab world. With its Headquarter in Sharjah- UAE and Executive Office in Cairo-Egypt, ASTF fulfills its mission as a pan- Arab organization by establishing branch offices, liaison nodes and professional networks throughout the continent.

ASTF continues to execute scientific RDIE activities. It is becoming the followed model in its line of profession. As such, ASTF has 18 Years of successful initiatives and has developed large experience in:

• Designing and implementing a variety of approaches from within to exploit S&T for the development of the

region

• Developing single country, bilateral or regional S&T

programs designed to support knowledge based

economies

• Empowering less privileged groups (women, handicapped, poor and remote) to get engaged and

contribute to region socioeconomic development

needs.

• Connecting individuals and institutions of shared

capabilities and ambition, including expatriates, to

where they would serve better the advancement of the

region in S&T

• Bridging the region ecosystem gab/shortage, by assisting all parties to move their findings/resources toward a better impact; and most of all realization in

the marketplace. A total of 142 new startups were

realized from all below listed programs and

initiatives.

4

A. Connecting the S&T Community

The region is full of talent, yet that is not helping much its development. ASTF has established a network of 35,000 Scientists, Engineers and Technology Entrepreneurs, and memorandums/agreements with more than 400 entities; from and out of the region. It developed all types of networking and engaging models to bring that abundance to impact. This includes:

Meetings and Conferences:

pg. 33

In the past 17 years, ASTF organized and co-organized more than 274 events on all themes in 18 different Arab countries. That includes engaging expatriates from the region to "brain gain" them, along with community leaders/players to support the community. It developed a capable conference management team to carry out this mission.

Specialized Networks

To enhance the exchange of knowledge and resources, ASTF supported the formation of specialized networks, so the S&T can better serve their community. ASTF established FOUR scientifically specialized networks: Biotechnology Network, Microelectronics Network, Renewable Energy Sources Network and Nanotechnology Network. And, it established TWO community based networks: Arab Women Association for R&D and Arab Scientific Journalist Association, besides ONE business network which is: the Technopreneur and Investors Network.

Media to popularization

ASTF activities is well covered by the region media. By nature of its mission being a pan-Arab, media from all the Arab countries continue to publish its activities and achievements. The Foundation has tried THREE attempts to enrich the region interest in S&T. These are; Arab Scientific News Agency (Libya), ASTF Gate (Virtual), and Ghadaqa Digital Marketing. The first two attempts are facing resource shortage, while the last is quite active. ASTF is, also, active in the social media platforms. Its network extends to more than 100k connection.

B. From R&D to Impact

ASTF has been trying to show the way forward to fund and manage R&D, with a main goal to harvest innovative outputs. Many programs were launched with a total fund of $10 million. Many of the funded projects have reached advanced status by; filing and obtaining patents. A few has developed prototypes and sensible feasibility studies. Some of these did reach the market with some success. A list of funded projects and their outcome are announced in its reports (see the Foundation website).

Funding and Managing R&D (Grants)ASTF has 3 different

programs for managing R&D: 1. Abdullatif Jamil Grant: $1 million grant given every year.

ASTF manages the fund and take the applications from the start to final reporting. All reviewers are carried to international standard and execution. Funding is tied to

meeting agreed milestones. This program has funded 61 projects from 12 different Arab countries. Output was 9 filed patents, 5 prototypes and 20 potential investment opportunities.

2. Scientists engagement Program: This was the main program to support scientists and researchers living under hard living conditions. This program has started in its first phase with Iraqi scientists in living inside Iraq. The program was managed in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories in cooperation with the UNESCO. In 4 years, we funded 76 projects of 301

different researchers.

3. Prototype and Startup Support Program: this initiative was designed to assist on patent filing and feasibility study writing. The program encouraged many institutions to follow its guidelines to generate value.

C. Technology Transfer

Technology Transfer project aims to establish 10 offices for technology transfer in the Arab countries. The Offices should focus on commercialization of research activity output from the region academic institutions. A few gains from this activity, are; to train experts in intellectual property rights, to guide research contracts from industry towards Arab universities, to introduce IP and innovation culture to Arab universities and companies, to develop Arab industry technology through gaining technology from inside and outside the region and to improve IP laws and rights in region. This Program was initiated with guiding specialists from AUTM and LES and with an official support of WIPO.

D. Extraction of Innovation (competitions)

ASTF noticed that providing research fund is not sufficient to reach out to realistic outcome. Therefore, ASTF extended its programs to reach for innovation from its community including students and professionals out of academia. One main aim is to train Entrepreneurs and support Entrepreneurship This initiative became a rising model to drive research finding, innovative product/service ideas toward the market. ASTF performed 18 rounds of competitions within the region, not to mention the local (in- country) qualification competitions. Main aim of this initiative is to realize ties with local and regional marketplace and industries and provide needed training and resources.

Extraction of Innovation via Competitions

All competitions are designed to attract business like output from our community, these are:

pg. 34

1. Made in the Arab World: applicants are to present

prototypes of their work.

2. Arab Technology Business Plan Competition;

applicants are to submit business plans on their

technology ideas.

3. Industrial Business Plan Competition: applicants are

to develop an industrial process along with its

business plan.

4. El Baz Initiative for Arab capabilities: applicants are expected to present their work in all levels of its development phases, and the ASTF would help them to carry it out till final stage. This initiative is not like other competitions (which award certificate and

financial prize). The finalists meet with investors

and their prize is to realize their business idea. Our goal since the launch of this initiative is to address the community needs and establish business vehicles that apply technology to attend to actual market needs.

5. “Habdaa Be Nafsy” Initiative: this initiative is designed to encourage youth to start their own dreams without waiting for others to help them. This initiative aims to change community culture to take their ideas by their own hand and defeat disappointment within their environment. This initiative is now gaining much momentum in Egypt. Soon it will expand to other countries of the region.

E. Investing in Technology

ASTF is the first organization in the region that has such dedicated program to engage with the investment and business community. It focuses on Technology Entrepreneurship Output from all earlier listed programs are evaluated to business and investment standards and presented to regionally for investment.

Investing in Technology Program

A skilled team within ASTF work with inventors and innovators to develop their work into a viable business offer. This includes development of a full document that addresses; productization, cost-study, market study, and other elements of a prefeasibility document. It identifies the commercial value of research work. In many cases, we require matching inventor with entrepreneurs. And, in some cases matching entrepreneurs with scientists before being presented to investors. To date, ASTF organized “Investing in Technology Forums”. In the Forum, we bring inventors/entrepreneurs to present their

startups in front of investors. Entrepreneurs pitch their business idea (new technology product/service along with a prefeasibility indicators). Special meetings are then arranged for thorough checking that the investor would like to make. The ASTF organized EVEN forums where 95 startups have been presented. In total $22 million were channeled to pick up such startups.

IX. CONCLUDING REMARKS

In my occupation, I have been fortunate to support the realization of many startups (spin outs) and licensing activities of many sciences, shapes and sizes.

I witnessed how marketing and listening to community needs make the biggest difference on our commercialization activities. Marketing activities (upstream activities such as market research, market analysis, etc....) can help researchers establish and grow. In short, it was the ingenious marketing that chose the right R&D output (patent, product/service)

and helped the research agency to secure funds and sustain progress.

I found that healthcare R&D (especially, pharmaceutical) is most difficult to commercialize in Arab region. The same, relatively, applies to marketing pesticides. Such products require very intensive investment to gain regulatory approval. Investors, usually, escape such investment for being of high risk nature.

I argue that the R&D teams should put more emphasis on the identification of their target customer (industry, investors) and gear their research activities towards satisfying their intentions. I argue that the innovation should involve contributions from both marketing and R&D groups. Unfortunately, that is not the case in majority of our universities and research centers. Especially, with the obvious weakness of TTO and mid-agencies to do their job.

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation is a successful model to engage S&T human capital of the region into meaningful knowledge economy activities. Mimicking such model on local levels would lead to desired impact on each country socioeconomic development.

REFERENCES

1. GRILICHES, ZVI. "THE SEARCH FOR R&D SPILLOVERS." SCANDINA VIAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS. VOL. 94, SUPPLEMENT, PP. 29 -

47. 1992.

pg. 35

2. BAILY, M.N. AND A. CHAKRABARTI, INNOVATION AND THE PRODUCTIVITY CRISIS, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION,

WASHINGTON, DC 1988.

3. KADLEC, DANIEL. "A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION— BOTH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AGREE: IT'S TIME TO MAKE THE R & D TAX CREDIT PERMANENT." FORTUNE.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2000.

4. SATTI, N. S. (2005). “SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS IN THE ARAB REGION.SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

&SOCIETY 10(2), 249- 275

5. LUNDV ALL, B-Å. (ED.) (1992). NA TIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS: TOWARDS A THEORY OF INNOV A TION AND INTERACTIVE

LEARNING, PINTER, LONDON

6. WWW.ASTF.NET

pg. 36

Session Four: Role of Research and Development in supporting excellence in Higher Education

Chairperson: Prof.Esam Alawadhi

Biography: Esam M Alawadhi is the vice president for academic affairs and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kuwait University. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in May of 2001 from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. His research focuses on thermal management of electronics devices, energy conservation for buildings, fluid flow stability and phase change heat transfer.

He Had the engineering research production award, Kuwait Foundation for Advancement Science, in October of 2010. He is the author of Finite Element Simulations Using ANSYS book published by CRC Press, and co-author of Eco-Efficient Masonry Bricks and Blocks: Design, Properties and Durability book published by Woodgead Publishing. He Published more than thirty papers in peer reviewed international journal, and presents more than thirty research outcome in international conferences.

Speaker: Prof. Abeer Al-Bawab

Biography:

General Director of The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF) in Jordan & Professor of Physical chemistry with almost of 20 years teaching experience & specific work interest in enhancing education & conducting research & managing scientific projects (National and International) .Prof. Al Bawab managed more than 30 projects with total budget around 3 million JD. She Published around 70 high quality papers in high standard international journals & conferences.

Oriented Leader: acted as dean for the Deanship of Academic Research (DAR) & director for a research center (HMCSR) in UJ, restructuring the center & deanship, relocating its objectives and responsibilities & initiating some mega projects as well as research groups (Nanotechnology Research Group & Management of Solid Waste Research group (through classification and recycling projects). Advisor and Scientific Manager for establishing Materials Research Labs, Animal Research Labs. & the Restoration of Manuscripts & Rare Documents Lab.

Traveling to more than 25 countries for chairing, lecturing, attending, or moderating for congress, conference, symposium, meeting or workshop or funded projects or scientific networking Social society: President of the (JCS) &Vice Chairwoman for AJWA member of the Board of Trustees for (PSUT) and member of HEREs.

pg. 37

The Role of Research and Development in Supporting Excellence in Higher Education This report aims to explain the notion of excellence in higher education and how it can be applied in research, demonstrating how it can be applied in different parts of a society and its effects can extend to them.

1. The Role of Excellence in Higher Education a. Introduction

a. Introduction

Roles of Research & Development in Supporting Excellence in Higher Education (EHE)

Figure 1: A flowchart explaining the relationship between

research and development and the factors that contribute to the

relationship.

Definition of The Term ‘Excellence’.

• Excellence is referring to very good or outstanding performance, which may be equated with the reputation & standing of institutions. It usually depends on multiple factors, including the perception of student experience and the varying missions and visions of institutions. Excellence can be considered as a social phenomenon based on theoretical and cultural considerations. As a concept, it has practical applications in the context of management and

technological development

• Excellence has been used widely by accreditation schemes to define the level of the quality of service

provided by institutions

• Excellence drives the motivation for continuous improvement

• The Different Types of ‘Excellence’

Excellence, as seen previously from the definition, is not a phenomenon strictly applied in one field. Alternatively, it is usually seen in different fields, including; management, research, teaching, and student performance (both individually and as cohorts in institutions). It is important to also note that excellence applies to management & service delivery as well as the experience of staff and

students and the outputs from study & Research From

the definition of excellence, as well as its application in various fields, it can be concluded that excellence is both an expectation and a goal

• Excellence in Higher Education Process

In a highly competitive global world, higher education

plays an important role in

• Supporting thriving economies

• Innovation and social progress

During the past few years, politicians and higher education institutions (HEIs) have discovered and developed the concept

of excellence. Rankings undoubtedly have stimulated this

concept, both in positive and negative ways

Positive effect of rankings is the latest drive for enhancement. In addition, the rankings have removed the fiction of ‘equality’

between and within HEIs.

Negative effect of the concept of excellence is the ease with which politicians use the word, applying the notion that

excellence can be quickly and easily achieved.

Universities as Institution for Higher Education

Universities play a role by asserting in their strategic plans that they strive for excellence in Research & Teaching. Thereby, universities are constantly challenging those who must evaluate them on whether they actually deliver what they promise to. Consequently, HEIs might make themselves vulnerable (at risk)

in this way if they do not deliver outstanding quality The

concept of ‘excellence’ is well established in many fields of activity, and the term is used frequently to refer to very good or outstanding performance. In higher education, it means different things in different contexts. Excellence may be equated with the reputation and standing of institutions, but much depends on the perception of student experience and the varying missions of institutions. There are numerous definitions suiting different purposes and different areas of quality assurance and stakeholders’ involvement. The concept is vague

pg. 38

enough to offer plentiful grounds for both theoretical and practical research. In the view of the working group, it is important to consider excellence as a social phenomenon based on theoretical and cultural considerations, but it is also essential that the group recognizes that the concept has practical applications in the context of management and technological

development. Furthermore, there is a need to analyze

excellence through the lens of different key stakeholders, including students, families, society, and employers. The term has been used widely by accreditation schemes in the management field for higher education, to define the level of the quality of service provided by institutions. In this context, it is possible to define standards of performance which permit the recognition of excellence. The concept involves components which can be connected, logically and operationally, to

structural and organizational issues. It is less easy to define,

in the context of academic quality and standards, where excellence relates to the quality of teaching, the capabilities of students, the scale of resource provision and the level of student

achievement. In this chapter, the use of the term ‘excellence’

is explored in several different contexts reflecting the expectations of different stakeholders; management, research, teaching, and student performance. The different approaches to excellence serve to illustrate the multi-dimensional aspects of the concept. Excellence can be identified at the level of the institution, faculty, department or individual members of staff and can be applied in the context of the many different roles and functions of higher education institutions. It applies to management and service delivery as well as the experience of staff and students and the outputs from study and research. What is clear is that excellence is an expectation and a goal. There is a general understanding that the aim is central to the culture and values of higher education and drives the motivation for continuous improvement.

b. Excellence and Research: The Interplay Between Both Elements.

Figure 2: Flowchart showing the process, in chronological

order, in which excellence plays a role in the Higher Education

Process. Excellence and Research

Why we need Excellence in research?

• Excellence in research for an Innovative &

Sustainable Society

• Excellence in research shows clearly the impact

of research and provides evidence that publicly

funded research presents a good return for all

members in society

• Excellence in research leads to innovation

c. Excellence and Innovation.

Innovation as a Tool for EHE2

• Innovation is the process of translating an idea or

invention into a good or service that creates

value or for which customers will pay • To be called an innovation, an idea must be

replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy

a specific need • Innovation involves deliberate application of

information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are

generated and converted into useful products • In business, innovation often results when ideas

are applied by the company in order to further satisfy the needs and expectations of the

customers • Continued investment in Research and Innovation

is essential to national development • Investment in research creates a range of benefits

– • improving the quality of education for all

students,

• developing a cadre of highly trained students, • producing new knowledge to address national and

international problems, • enhancing international competitiveness, and

informing public opinion

Innovation vs. Creativity

For many, the thought of being truly innovative seems an unattainable goal; most people believe that innovation takes place in a laboratory, a research facility or in the

pg. 39

garage of a “really smart” person. Despite that in many cases these claims stand true, it is important to realize that innovation is a skill that can be taught and, if managed well, can become the culture of an organization: through a process called Innovation by Design or Design Thinking (often used interchangeably) any organization can develop break-through ideas and products that provide sustaining or disruptive innovation in the market.

Education, Innovation, and Research: The case of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in

complex and changing world

The concept of sustainable development (SD) must change the general guidelines and core elements of societies. Looking at ESD from this perspective that will require to integrate topics of SD into the curriculum for many and maybe most of the subjects & topics, sparking some

lingering questions in mind, including;

✓ what are the contributions of all subjects at school?

✓ what are the training in the vocational sector?

✓ Who are the Learners and educators?

This will link the concept of ESD to many subjects and everyday practice of education, which in turn should include the educational organization or schools as an

institution.

d. Excellence and Entrepreneurship

Definition of entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as the process of designing, launching, and running a new business, which typically begins as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a product, process or service for sale or

hire4 • It has been defined as the "...capacity and

willingness to develop, organize, & manage a business venture along with any of its risks in

order to make a profit". • In the 2000s, the definition of "entrepreneurship"

expanded to explain how & why some individuals (or teams) identify opportunities, evaluate them as viable, & then decide to exploit them, whereas others do not and, in turn, how entrepreneurs use these opportunities to develop new products or services, launch new firms or even new industries & create wealth. (However, Stevenson’s

definition: Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of

opportunity beyond resources controlled)

Entrepreneurship and HEIs

• Higher education institutions are now increasingly recognized to have a broader role in the economic development & entrepreneurship5

• For a higher education institution to become

entrepreneurial, it must acquire the kind of

organization that ▪ Allows it to be in a state of

continuous change & adaptiveness ▪ Allows its

members to be more effective. • This new kind of university has two key features

▪ Transforming elements ▪ Sustaining

dynamics • There are many mutual benefits to a close

relationship between a university & an

industrial firm • Firms gain access to not only leading-edge

technologies, but also highly trained students,

professors & university facilities • Involvement of the firms in the academic

programs of the universities is a major

mechanism for knowledge transfer. (Ex. Students work on corporate problems for their

theses & dissertations in many technical

universities) • Cooperative education programs, internships and

job placements for students and recent graduates provide means for knowledge transfer

• What are the roles of universities in regional

economic development with respect to

knowledge generation and transfer processes

and how are these roles changing?

pg. 40

Figure 3.1: Theoretical flowchart Knowledge demonstrating

the process of exchange between University and Industry.

Figure 3.2 (right): Theoretical flowchart manifesting the

problem-solving knowledge starting from home to school to

university, within society.

Problem solving knowledge – Starting from Home, To School, To University – all within the medium of society6

This topic connects back to the previous point discussing Education for sustainable development

• ➢ A prerequisite for this is that sustainable development should not be seen as a closed

concept with given solutions.

• ➢ It must be considered as an on-going process,

finding new and the best solutions.

• ➢ That’s why WE should introduce the concept of life-long learning to everyone at school.

While children stay at school they need the possibility to

develop and realize their specific concept of life-long learning

Against this background there is a need for change within

the whole education sector.

• ➢ Teaching, learning, student’s participation and cooperation with the local community and

partners in the society all need to change

• ➢ Instruction must be replaced by co-construction between students, teachers, parents, partner and

experts from outside schools.

Figure4: Education in the knowledge triangle representation

e. Ranking: A Tool to Quantify Excellence? Definition of Ranking8

• ➢ Ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either 'ranked higher than', 'ranked lower than' or 'ranked

equal to' the second

• ➢ Rankings: is a listing of items in a group, such as schools or sports teams, according to a system

of rating or a record of performance

• ➢ Ranking: is a position in such a list.

• ➢ Rankings help maintain and build institutional

position and reputation

• ➢ Good students use rankings to ‘shortlist’

university choice, especially postgraduates

• ➢ Key stakeholders use rankings to influence their decisions about accreditation, funding,

sponsorship and employee recruitment

• ➢ In addition, rankings influence the willingness

of others to partner with them or support their membership of academic and professional

associations

pg. 41

Figure 5: Different ranking systems, their criteria, and the

weighting of each.

• Ranking and Research

• ➢ Research evaluation is used for multiple purposes. First, it is used to provide accountability for analysis and learning. Second, it is used to facilitate funding allocation and call for

proposals.

• ➢ There is a growing need to show clearly the impact of research & to provide evidence that publicly funded Research presents a good return

on investment for the research funders

• ➢ This requires a conceptual understanding of how Research translates to academic, health, social & economic impacts, & how to measure those impacts through various forms of Research

evaluation

Global Universities or High-Ranking University? Factor (10-40%) depends on number of articles published by

Academic & students.

The university has at least one research center or institute that functions under the jurisdiction of the university, but as a separate entity. (35%)

➢ There are opportunities for undergraduates to participate directly in research. (35%)

➢ The university receives federal research funds. (30%)

What is Research Universities?

• ➢ Some of the world’s most famous discoveries have

been made through university research.

• ➢ From the invention of the telegraph, the discovery of AIDS, the origination of the internet, and current

advances in stem cell research, our nation’s universities are the hub of knowledge and discovery

• ➢ 56% of the US basic research is being conducted at universities.

• ➢ Students are an integral part of university research; studies show that students who engage in research are twice as likely to graduate, five-times more likely to go on to graduate school, and have more successful careers after graduation.

• ➢ These students go on to become the next generation of scientists, engineers, teachers, and leaders in government and industry.

Top 25 Best Research Universities: 2017 Rankings

➢ As their name would suggest, research universities focus heavily on research! While many of these academically-inclined institutions have undergraduate programs, a great

emphasis is put on their graduate / doctoral programs.

➢ At research universities, students can earn their PhDs and go out into the world to change it. So, we’ve come up with a list of the best of the best. Here are College Raptor’s Top 25 Best

Research Universities of 2017!

➢ Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, academic rigor, and student success.

List of Research Universities 2017

1. 25. Georgetown University

2. 24. University of California—Los Angeles

3. 23. Johns Hopkins University

4. 22. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor 5. 21. University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)

6. 20. Rice University

7. 19. Cornell University

8. 18. University of California–Berkeley

9. 17. Vanderbilt University

10. 16. Dartmouth College

11. 15. Washington University in St. Louis

12. Northwestern University

13. University of Virginia

14. Duke University

15. 11. University of Notre Dame

pg. 42

16. 10. Brown University 17. 9. Columbia University in the City of New York

18. University of Pennsylvania 19. California Institute of Technology 20. University of Chicago

21. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 22. Stanford University

23. Yale University 24. Harvard University

25. Princeton University

f. The Role of Accreditation

Definition of Accreditation

• The term ’accreditation’ means to prove something creditable and publicly acknowledge its worth in relation to external criteria. It usually refers either to an official approval of HEIs and their programs or to the awarding of different quality labels to HEIs and their programs

(FINHEEC’s Definition) • Accreditation is: the process of external quality

review used in higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities, & higher education programs for quality assurance & quality improvement. Success results in an accredited

institution and/or program. • In some countries, it conveys institutional

authority to offer specific programs (CHEA

glossary) • Provides a method for systematic, high level

assessment • Applies accepted standards of organizational

excellence • Highlights strengths and priorities for

improvement

• Create baseline measures • Facilitates comparison with other organizations

• Provides a framework for sharing effective

practices • Asks questions, does not prescribe methods or

strategies

• Broadens participation in leadership and problem

solving

Accreditation and Research

Figure 6: Flowchart showing the divisions and considerations for accreditation aims in improving.

A New Model for Universities: Case Study Example From

the UK

In the UK, the Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award is a recognition of HE excellence in demonstrating how institutional leadership and a strong entrepreneurial culture can create the policies and practices that are conducive to the development of enterprising and entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviors throughout the organization.

The criteria used in the assessment include:

1. Institutional Environment

a. How has the university transformed its culture to provide environments conducive for supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship?

b. How is institutional leadership for driving enterprise and entrepreneurship throughout the institution demonstrated?

2. Student Engagement

• How are students and graduates demonstrating their ability to apply the enterprising and entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviors learnt through their university

experiences?

• How has the student experience enhanced a positive attitude towards enterprise and entrepreneurship as a

career and life choice?

3. Innovative and Entrepreneurial Staff

• How have staff demonstrated innovation and growth in their approach to the design and delivery of the institution’s enterprise and entrepreneurship

offerings?

• How are staff incentivized and rewarded for developing excellence in enterprise and

entrepreneurship practice?

pg. 43

4. Entrepreneurial Impact

• What impact has the institution had on the entrepreneurial outcomes of staff, students, and

graduates?

• What step-change has been achieved in the delivery of

regional and national entrepreneurship goals?

• What enterprise and entrepreneurship good practice

and effectiveness has been demonstrated?

• In what ways has the institution’s experiences influenced policy and practice in the wider

environment?

What about Arab World? Where are We from All these terms? Case Example: Jordan

4. There are many Higher Education institutions in

Jordan (10 public, 13 private)

5. There is an accreditation for Higher Education in

Jordan (Accreditation and Quality Assurance

Commission for Higher Education Institutions)

6. Who is Responsible for Scientific Research Policies,

Strategies & Coordination in Jordan?

7. The Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific

Research (Council of Higher Education) and The Higher Council for Science & Technology (HCST)

Figure 7.1 (left): Jordan Science and Technology Structure, demonstrating the relationship between private sectors, government institutions, and universities/research centers. Figure 7.2 (right):

Funding parties in scientific research in Jordan.

Figure 7.1: Jordan Science and Technology Structure, demonstrating the relationship between private sectors, government institutions, and universities/research centers.

Figure 7.2: Funding parties in scientific research in Jordan.

Jordan Science and Technology Structure

Who is Responsible for funding research and innovation? Scientific Research Support Fund (SRF)

• ➢ Established in 2007 as a financially & administratively independent government institute, responsible for encouraging & supporting scientific

research in Jordan.

• ➢ The Fund plays a key role in the implementation of the higher education & scientific research national strategic plan:

✓ Advance scientific research & development.

✓ Develop higher education.

✓ Strengthen the private sector role in developing scientific

research especially transformational scientific research that

national continuous development plans require

Who is responsible for Innovation in Jordan and, most

importantly, who develops it?

1. Innovation centers inside Universities

2. Transfer Technology Offices inside universities

3. Business / Technology Incubators 4. The Royal Scientific Society - Technology Transfer

Center (TTC) 5. Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE)

Still a long way to go!

pg. 2

About SPHERE

Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEI’s) in Kuwait are relatively nascent with the oldest being around for just over a decade. Nonetheless, PHEI’s are reshaping the higher education scene in the country by providing an alternative dynamic educational experience. With this potential educational experience comes great challenges.

SPHERE, the Symposia for Private Higher Education–Road to Excellence, was started in an attempt to address the challenges facing this sector and provide a road map to better serve its goals. The SPHERE series was originally designed as an annual event co-organized by the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science (KFAS). The activities within SPHERE draws on the exchange of knowledge and expertise by way of presentations by speakers renowned in the field and round-table discussions on international best practices in higher education.

The theme for each SPHERE annual symposium sheds light on a particular challenge facing the private higher education. SPHERE 2015 was the first and general symposium.it addressed “Opportunities & Challenges”. The theme for 2017 symposium revolves around the role of research and development in enhancing the mission of PHEI’s in Kuwait.

About ACK The Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) was established to provide internationally recognized and accredited experiential education and training to the Business, Engineering, Aviation and Maritime sectors. It was licensed by the Ministry of

Education and Higher Education under Amiri Decree 141/2003 and commenced operation in October 2004.

Since then, ACK has grown to become one of the leading educational institutions in Kuwait, strongly contributing to the employment sector and continuing to produce knowledgeable, skilled and professional candidates for Kuwait’s growing economy.

ACK respects the importance not only of academic qualifications but also industry recognition. The college is therefore proud that the School of Engineering has received unconditional accredited status from the professional body, Engineers Australia, which provides both academic and professional accreditation services. Currently the School of Business is progressing with accreditation candidature through the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

The Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) is proud to offer unique theoretical and experiential education programs which are recognized in the region. To offer this unique learning product to our students, the college has established partnerships with quality international educational institutions with whom we share similar pedagogical philosophies. Based on demand and upon PUC Approval Bachelor programs in both Engineering and Business were introduced as well as broadening the range of courses which now include:

School of Engineering- (Bachelor of Technology Engineering) in Mechanical, Civil, Petroleum and Electrical that are endorsed by Central Queensland University - Australia and Cape Breton University - Canada.

School of Business- Management, Marketing and Human Resources Programs that are endorsed by Central Queensland University- Australia

School of Aviation offering Diploma of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Mechanical) B1.1 and Diploma of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (Avionics) B2. The College has gained EASA Part-147 Approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), also ACK has gained KCASR Part-147 Approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) Kuwait and GCAA CAR-147 Approval from the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)-United Arab Emirates (UAE).

English Language Program which is presently pursuing accreditation with the Evaluation and Accreditation of Quality Language Services (EAQUALS).

Maritime short courses including Navigation, Ship Handling and Tanker Operations.

pg. 3

Corporate Training offering a wide range of short courses for local business and industry accredited by such international agencies as the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), National Examination Board for Occupational Health and Safety (NEBOSH) and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH).

In 2016, ACK proudly became the first Private Higher Education Institution in Kuwait to be granted ISO 9001:2008 Certification. The college has also received accreditation for best practice in Human Resources through the UK Agency Investors in People (IIP).

ACK supports research and innovation programs carried out by its students and staff for the benefit of the community and society. The College contributes to its research capability by offering an exciting and successful environment for its researchers by establishing relationships with key Government and industry partners, as well as creative funding and training. It also aims to foster supportive infrastructure and facilities to enhance successful research and innovation.

About KFAS Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) has a 40-year history of supporting the advancement of science and technology in Kuwait. In 1976, a visionary call by the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al- Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, then Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait, was favourably embraced by the Chamber of Commerce and leaders of the economic sector in the country. It resulted in the establishment of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences by an Amiri Decree on 12th December 1976; stating its mandate as a private non-profit organization devoted to supporting scientific research today. The Foundation’s work is overseen by a Board of Directors, chaired by H.H. the Amir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. It is financially supported by Kuwaiti private sector companies who have made generous contributions throughout the years, the contribution is currently set at 1% of their net annual profit.

One of the foremost goals of KFAS is to promote scientific development in the State of Kuwait by supporting scientific projects, the scientific community, and the country’s scientific infrastructure.

The State of Kuwait has grown rapidly in terms of population and economy, the latter as a result of steadily increasing oil revenues. Today, the public-sector accounts for more than 70% of the GDP and employs more than 85% of the national workforce. The consensus among the majority of stakeholders is that this growth is not structurally sustainable in the long run and that alternative national development strategies, based on

building a complimentary, efficient and competitive private sector economy, are urgently needed.

Recognizing this need, H.H. the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al Jaber Al-Sabah, commissioned in 2007 a “blue-ribbon panel”; the Kuwait Research Review Panel (KRRP), which was tasked to review the organization and the performance of Research and Development and make recommendations for restructuring and advancing Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Kuwait.

Recognizing its unique role within the national STI system in Kuwait and responding to the recommendations in the panel’s report, KFAS conducted an extensive assessment of its historical performance by benchmarking itself against similar institutions in the region and on a global level. KFAS consulted with representatives from its key stakeholders and worked closely with recognized leading international and domestic experts in Research and Development (R&D), policy, and STI evaluation to support this assessment.

Chairman Welcoming Speech

Excellences …………….

Dear Friends and colleagues

It gives me pleasure to welcome you to the second of what hopefully will become a series of symposia that focus on the

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role of private tertiary education in Kuwait in achieving excellence.

The rubric for these meetings will henceforth be “Symposia of Private Higher Education; Road to Excellence” or SPHERE.

The first SPHERE was convened in April 2015 under the title “Achieving Excellence in Private Higher Education in Kuwait “and addressed “Opportunities & Challenges”. The deliberations at that symposium reviewed experiences in other parts of the world and made recommendations for achieving sustainable excellence.

Today`s symposium will focus on the potential contribution of private higher education institutions to research and development, with an emphasis on the best practices and market-driven applied research, in addition to the role of research and development in supporting excellence in higher education. We are privileged to have among our esteemed participant’s leaders in the field of fostering research in Kuwait, the GCC and the region.

We are grateful for their acceptance to share their experience with us. I am sure that all of us look forward to their presentations followed by fruitful discussions.

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight that ACK has adopted experiential and innovative problem and project based teaching and learning methods in cooperation with leading institutions in Australia and Europe. We are optimistic that this approach will enhance the ACK graduates’ attributes toward research and development to foster Kuwait’s economic diversity.

I would be remiss if before ending I did not express my appreciation to KFAS for cosponsoring these symposia with ACK. Their advice as well as their financial support are a major factor in the success of this endeavor. Which bring me to another vote of thanks that should be addressed to Dr. Mohammad Rumaihi, who as a member of the ACK Board of Trustees planted the seed for convening these symposia as an ongoing venture.

Best wishes to all and a pleasant stay in Kuwait for those who travelled from abroad.

Dr. Adnan Shibab Eldin

Director General, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Please allow me to thank the Chairman and the President of the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK), for their collaboration in organizing the “Symposia for private Higher Education- Road to Excellence” series, to address important issues related to this field. In addition. I am very pleased that this symposium is being held at the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development where dreams and ideas are encountered and serves as a catalyst for development and change. The Arab Fund is evidence of what can be achieved if we have the will.

By working hard, much has been accomplished under the leadership of our dear friend and colleague Mr. Abdullatif Al Hamad, who is ever an optimist as to the future of Arab countries.

Referring to ACK and its role, let me introduce you to the prospects of cooperation between ACK and the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS) in changing the environment of science, technology and innovation in Arab countries and specifically in Kuwait.

The strategic goal for creating a science, technology and innovation community is to provide a base to meet the challenges of sustainable development in our countries. This requires us to invest in capacity building for science, technology and innovation and to benefit from scientific information and outputs elsewhere. This requires the endorsement of governments and organizations in the form of the necessary investments to attain the change.

Turning to the role of private universities and scientific centers in affecting change, we have to bear in mind that there are key pillars upon which science, technology and innovation systems depend to bring about change.

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The main pillar consists of economic and scientific institutions. These require competent individuals as well as a dynamic, customer-friendly, scientific and information base. The realization of change also requires the existence of a system that supports innovation such as incubators provided by the community. In order to achieve this, we must invest in research and development (R&D), and the nurturing of human potential. We have to enhance the culture and the environment of innovation and confront economic and social challenges in each of our countries by identifying suitable solutions based on science, technology and innovation.

Unfortunately, we are still in the first quarter of the so-called scientific method and research effort square. Arab countries including Kuwait spend less than 0.5 % of their national income on R&D. Latest statistics in Kuwait indicate that the government spends 0.2% of GNP on scientific research and the private sector spends 0.1%, if collected. The total is 0.3% compared to three or four percent in developed or emerging countries such as China, India and other developing countries such as Brazil and others.

In fact, Arab countries are investing in higher education but not in R & D. States such as Kuwait, Egypt and Jordan are not lagging in numbers. Numbers can be increased but my point is not about quantity. It is about questioning the quality and the capability to increase the productivity of the national economy. For example, the State of Kuwait is producing large numbers of graduates annually. Of these graduates 80% expect to work in the Public Sector, knowing that it is to a large extent a non-productive sector, with the exception of about 10%. Therefore, we must reorient our investment toward producing qualified human capital, not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of ability to excel in science, technology and innovation.

Reinforcing science, technology and innovation will improve the economy of our countries in the future. In many countries such as United Kingdom, China and India statistics have shown that two-thirds of the economic growth of these countries comes from innovation and not from increased resources. Hence, there should be a strong association between scientific research and the needs of the community, and between qualified workforce and essential elements affecting productivity.

Concluding my statement, I would like to emphasize the importance of collaboration in our countries between higher educational institutions, scientific research centers and the government so as to actually increase the percentage of expenditure on scientific research and development and to upgrade the capability of scientific research.

With respect to the involvement of the private sector, I would like to mention the role of KFAS that has a 40-year history of supporting the advancement of science and technology in

Kuwait. KFAS was initiated by the late Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, when he was crown prince and Prime Minister of Kuwait. This vision was favorably embraced by members of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It is financially supported by Kuwaiti private sector companies that have made generous contributions throughout the years. Their contributions started with 5% of their net annual profits and are currently set at 1%. This has enabled KFAS to play a complementary role as a catalyst on behalf of the government.

We are looking forward to working closely with the Government of Kuwait and with scientific institutions including: The Ministry of Higher Education, Private Universities, Kuwait University (KU), and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), in order to stimulate the scientific research efforts and encourage the private sector to increase its role.

Thank you all and wishing you a successful symposium.

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وتتناول ندوتنا اليوم موضوع البحث والتطوير ودور مؤسسات التعليم العالي في إيجاد استراتيجيات ونماذج ألعمال البحث العلمي تساهم في الخاص

مواجهة تحديات العصر من اقتصاد وعلوم وتكنولوجيا وعلوم طبية واجتماع وأدب وفن. فالبحث العلمي هو قاطرة التنمية والتقدم، يبعد عن االرتجال ويقدم الحلول، ويعود تاريخ البحث العلمي إلى وجود اإلنسان على سطح

رض حين كان يبحث في أفضل الطرق لتحسين سبل العيش من صيد األوزراعة وسكن. ومما ال يخفى على الحضور الكرام أن البحث والتطوير هو

من أهم إنتاجيات الحضارة اإلنسانية على مر العصور.

ويزداد التسابق في أيامنا هذه ، ال سيما في عالم التكنولوجيا سريع التطور ، كتشافات العلمية لما في ذلك من آثار ملموسة على النمو للوصول إلى اال

واالقتصاد وسعادة البشر، وكذلك تميز البلدان وتفوقها. وتتسابق الدول والمؤسسات العلمية فيها إلى تشجيع وتحفيز البحث العلمي وتوفير الموارد البشرية والتكنولوجية والمادية لتحقيقه وتجويد مناهجه . فال بد لمؤسسات التعليم العالي القيام بدورها من توفير أساليب الدعم للبحث العلمي الستقطاب الكوادر التعليمية المتميزة، وخلق بيئة علمية داخل أسوار حرمها الجامعي على التحصيل العلمي للطلبة ومن خاللها خدمة من شأنها التأثير إيجابيا

المجتمع والمجتمع العلمي.

مداخالت مشوقة تعالج وقرين ومن الحضور الكرامنترقب من محاضرينا الم هذا الجانب الهام من األداء العلمي لمؤسسات التعليم العالي الخاص ومن

الجميع المساهمة البناءة في حلقة الطاولة المستديرة للوصول إلى نتائج تنعكس إيجابا على أداء المؤسسات العاملة في هذا الحقل الحيوي ويمكن لها

فيد منها وتطور أعمالها . أن تست

يمحمد الرميح الدكتور/ كلمــة

"إننا نخاف فقط ما نجهله، وال يوجد ما يخيفنا على اإلطالق بعد أن نفهمه" ماري كوري

نرحـب بكــــم في البرنامج الثاني من هذه السلسلة من الندوات بعنوان :

الطريق لتحقيق التميز". وتهدف هذه "سلسلة ندوات التعليم العالي الخاص: السلسلة إلى تسليط الضوء على أهم الجوانب والممارسات التي من شأنها التأثير على تطور التعليم العالي الخاص في الكويت بما يحقق النمو واالزدهار للمجتمع، وال سيما أن هذا القطاع ما زال حديث العهد ويحتاج

ن األساسيين لتوجيه مخرجاته في االتجاه إلى عناية خاصة من كل الالعبيالصحيح، وتحقيق الهدف منه وهو تعزيز الرأسمال البشري الذي هو القاعدة

دونها ال تستقيم خطط التنمية . 2015ولقد قمنا بتحضير البرنامج األول من سلسلة الندوات هذه في أبريل

للتقدم العلمي، بعنوان " التحديات والفرص" بدعم كريم من مؤسسة الكويت كما هو الحال في هذه الندوة، ومشاركة معظم الجهات الحكومية واألهلية المتخصصة في مجال التعليم العالي. وقد شارك في كتابة األوراق نخبة متخصصة، استلم احدهم وزراة التربية في المملكة العربية السعودية بعد تلك

ضت عن ذلك اللقاء ما يلي :الندوة بأشهر وكانت أبرز التوصيات التي تمخ

إيجاد بيئة تنافسية بين مؤسسات التعليم العالي الخاصة. .1تطوير البيئة القانونية المنظمة ألعمال هذه المؤسسات، حيث ال .2

زالت البيئة تلك تحمل معوقات تحد من نمو وانطالق التعليم الجامعي الخاص.

ت بما تشجيع التنوع في التخصصات المعروضة في هذه المؤسسا .3 يعالج احتياجات سوق العمل.

الموازنة بين ضمان الجودة والعمل الربحي. .4التعاون بين مؤسسات التعليم العالي الخاصة والمؤسسات الرسمية .5

المتعاملة معها وتلك الكفيلة بدعم البحث العلمي من جهات حكومية وقطاع خاص.

pg. 7

الدكتور/وليد الكندريكلمة

رفني تاذ أخي ش العامة لألمانة العام األمين أبل طاهر حبيب / الدكتور األس

ة الجامعات لمجلس لكم وألنقل الندوة هذه افتتاح في عنه اإلنابة الخاص

ترالية الكلية لجهود تقديره ة الكويت في األس س العلمي للتقدم الكويت ومؤس

وء إلقاء ة الجامعات إمكانات على الض في العالي التعليم تجويد الخاص

.والبيئة الطاقة المياه، :وهي والمنطقة الكويت دولة تهم مترابطة مجاالت

مجلس يحرص حيث العالي التعليم ركائز أهم من واحدة العلمي البحث يشكل وهو لذلك خاصة لجنة شكل قد و العلمي النشر دعم على الخاصة الجامعات

دار على يعمل لدوريات من عدد إص عاون المحكمة ا من عدد مع بالت

ة الجامعات منها ومن الخاص ترالية الكلية ض فقد الكويت،كذلك في األس

ريعات حددت رورة التش والتطوير العلمي البحث على اإلنفاق تعزيز ض

رورة راكات عمل وض مبتكرة بحوث إلجراء ودولية وإقليمية محلية ش

.المختلفة والخدمية اإلقتصادية القطاعات لخدمة

البحث وتدعم تحفز التي التوصيات من بعدد الملتقى هذا يخرج أن آمل إنني

ة الجامعات في والتطوير العلمي بدورها القيام من تتمكن لكي الخاص جنبا

. العزيز وطننا في األخرى العلمي البحث مؤسسات مع جنب إلى

الشكر أكرر الخاصة الجامعات ومجلس العام األمين باسم فإنني الختام وفي

ترالية للكلية والتقدير ة الكويت في األس س على العلمي للتقدم الكويت ومؤس

وذلك اإلقليمي الملتقى هذا تنظيم يا العالي التعليم وزارة تطلعات مع تماش

.العلمي والبحثكر ول والش التوفيق هذا الجتماعكم ويدعو الجهود هذه على للقائمين موص

.والفائدة

.الثاني بلدهم في الكويت دولة خارج من بالمشاركين ومرحبا

pg. 8

الملتقى برنامج

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Symposium Program 08:30-09:00 Registration

09:00-09:05 Holy Quran

09:05-09:30 Opening Session :

Dr. Walid Al kandari

Assistant Secretary , Private Universities Council

Dr. Adnan Shihab Eldin

Director General, Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences

Dr. Mohammed Al-Rumaihi

Head of Symposium -Board of Trustees Member, Australian College of Kuwait

09:30- 10:25 Session 1 : Research and Development in Private Universities in the GCC

Chairperson : Prof. Tariq Aldowaisan College of Engineering & Petroleum – Kuwait University

Speaker: Prof. Hilal Al-Hanai Secretary General of The Research Council (TRC) Oman

10:25-10:40 Break

10:40-11:25 Session 2 :Best Practices in promoting Research and Development in Private Universities

Chairperson : Prof. Moudi Al-Hmoud

President of the Arab Open University

Speaker: Prof. George Najjar

Provost - Lebanese American University

11:25-12:10 Session 3: Market-Driven Research and Development

Chairperson : Prof. Mustafa Marefi

Acting Head of the Office of Prizes at KFAS

Speaker: Prof. Abdalla Al-Najjar

Chairman-Arab Science & Technology Foundation, UAE

12:10-12:25 Break

12:25-13:10 Session 4 :Role of Research and Development in supporting excellence in higher education

Chairperson : Prof. Esam Alawadhi

Deputy Director of Kuwait University for Scientific Affairs

Speaker: Prof. Abeer Al-Bawab

General Director/The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF) in Jordan

13:10-13:25 Q & A

13:25-14:25 Lunch Break

14:25-16:00 Discussion Session Chairperson: H.E Prof :Adnan Badran Chancellor of University of Petra and Chairman of the board of Trustees of University of Jordan

Members: Prof. Hilal Al-Hanai Prof. Abeer Al-Bawab Prof. Abdalla Al-Najjar Prof. George Najjar

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Session one: Research and Development in

Private Universities in theGCC.

Chairperson: Prof. Tariq Al-Dowaisan

Biography: Tariq A. Aldowaisan holds a Bachelor (1983), Master (1986), and Ph.D. (1990) in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University. He is currently a Professor of Industrial & Management Systems Engineering at Kuwait University. Additionally, he is the Founder and General Manager of Global Lead Consultants established in 2005. He is a recipient of KFAS Scientific Production Award 2014 on Engineering Sciences. He is a Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE); Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB); Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), and Certified Supplier Quality Professional (CSQP) by the American Society for Quality (ASQ). Additionally, he is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP); and a Certified Environmental, Safety, and Health Trainer (CET) by the American Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP). He has an extensive track record of professional

Consulting and training in Quality, Organizational Excellence, and Safety.

Speaker: Prof. Hilal Al-Hinai

Biography:

Dr. Al-Hinai is the founding Secretary General of The Research Council of Oman, established in 2005. He was the Director of the Water Research Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University. He obtained his B.Eng. in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Bradford University in 1986 and joined Sultan Qaboos University as a Maintenance Engineer. He obtained his M.Sc. (1988) and Ph.D. (1992) from the Applied Energy Department at Cranfield Institute of Technology in the UK. Beside his teaching duty, he was appointed as an Academic Assistant for Innovation and Industrial Links at SQU

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Research and Development in Private Universities in the GCC by Doctor Hilal

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Scholary Output

Publication Year

Scholarly Output vs Publication Year of Selected PHEIs as Compared to Kuwait University

American University of Sharjah Kuwait University

Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland ‐ Medical University of Bahrain

Sohar University Texas A and M University at Qatar

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Sch

olary

Output

Publication Year

Scholarly Output vs Publication Year of Selected PHEIs as Compared to King Saud University

American University of Sharjah King Saud University

Kuwait University Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi

RCSI Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland ‐ Medical University of Bahrain Sohar University

Texas A and M University at Qatar Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

pg. 12

But where does this “RESEARCH” fit in the R&D spectrum

pg. 13

A mature national innovation system will have a rich array of institutes with overlapping responsibilities

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State-of-the-art research facilities that can attract industrial partners

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Challenges / Opportunities for the low oil-price era

Partnership with industry through various programs (Off-set, in-country value, CSR, venture capital funds, etc.)

Partnership with local and regional research institutes to solve national and regional challenges.

Tapping into international programs by capturing value from the local inputs or covering a regional domain.

Effective marketing of institutional resources (human, equipment and facilities, land, etc.…) after a proper evaluation process.

pg. 21

Session Two: Best Practices in promoting Research and Development in Private Universities

Chairperson: Prof. Moudi Al Humoud.

Biography: Professor Moudi A. Al-Humoud received her BA in Commerce (First Hons) from Kuwait University, 1973.

In 1976, Prof. Al-Humoud received her MA from North Texas University, USA, and then the Ph.D. in Business Administration from City University of London, UK, 1979.

Professor Al-Humoud held many positions at Kuwait University, first as a faculty member and Chair of the Business Administration Department in 1981, Dean of the Faculty of Commerce until 1989, and then as Vice President for Planning and Evaluation until 2002. In 2004, Prof. Al-Houmoud was appointed Rector of the Arab Open University, and then back to as President of the Arab Open University from 2013-present.

In 2008, Prof. Al-Humoud entered the political arena first as Minister of Housing and Development, and then as Minister of Education and Higher Education in 2009. Professor Al-Humoud served as member of the Higher Council for Planning and Development at the Kuwaiti Government from 2004-2008, this is in addition to her membership in the Higher Consultative Council of the Arab Institute for Planning from 1999-2001, and

her membership in the International Institute for Administration (Brussels) from 1994 until 1998. And chairperson for the Public Enterprise Committee in I.J.A.

Prof. Al-Humoud was also Chair of the Board of Trustees at Bayan Private School for seven years, and she served in a number of local, regional and international councils. In addition, she was the first lady to serve as a member of the executive committee for a political party, namely the National Democratic Party, and a member of the Women Cultural Society, as well as the Alumni Association in Kuwait.

Professor Al-Humoud has published a Good number or papers in the field of administration and organizational behavior. She is also a weekly columnist at Al-Qabas Newspaper of Kuwait.

Speaker: Prof. George Najjar

Biography: George K. Najjar, Ph.D. currently serves as Professor of Management and Provost at the Lebanese American University (LAU). He assumed this position in Fall 2012 after moving from the American University of Beirut (AUB) .where he served as Founding Dean of the Olayan School of Business for the period 2000-2012 while simultaneously also serving as Vice-President for Regional External Programs.

While at AUB, Dr. Najjar played a leading role in senior positions among teams that contributed to founding American University of Sharjah, University of Sharjah, Kingdom Schools

pg. 22

in KSA, and Dhofar University in Oman. He holds a Ph.D. in Management from U.S.C. and has taught and consulted extensively in the region.

His research publications appeared in leading international journals and he was the recipient of several international awards including the John Fernandes Strategic Leadership Award for 2012 and the Academy of International Business Award for 2017. Dr. Najjar also serves as special advisor to the President and CEO of AACSB for MENA.

Backdrop Major universities have traditionally had three major functions, namely knowledge generation, dissemination, and application.

The first of these functions, pushing the frontiers of new knowledge, has for long been a core university activity best manifested in research, mostly of a basic nature.

The second function, knowledge transfer, has always been closely intertwined with the first particularly with respect to graduate education.

The third function, knowledge application, however, is relatively new and R&D is one of its manifold expressions.

R&D simply refers to a process of converting knowledge into marketable products and services that either generates or responds to demand, leads to value creation, and meets the test of sustainable economic feasibility.

Nor is R&D exclusively restricted to universities. It is also to be found, in varying degrees, at major industrial firms, pharmaceutical companies, bio-technology enterprises, engineering design firms, software and IT institutions and many other non-academic outfits.

The clear fact, however, is that even when R&D in undertaken outside universities, it continues to be pursued in close affinity to universities, and often as a joint undertaking between industry and academia.

Just as often, government can be the driving force behind campus and industry R&D activities. R&D in general is a telling example of PPP – Public Private Partnership, and serves as active dynamic leading to expanding the frontiers of knowledge and the limits of turning ideas into products.

For universities, it is an indication of maturity, institutional effectiveness as well as the ability to leverage educational and financial resources sustainably through building bridges with industry.

Capacity Building for R&D at Private Universities Outside the US where major world-class private universities have existed for centuries, the rest of the world has had very limited experience with private universities. In most parts of the world outside the US, higher education continues to be namely a public-sector activity. The issue, however, of the role of private universities, has already started to force itself by virtue of their increasing numbers all over the world mostly, inspired by the US model.

In the Middle-East, three US-founded private universities made their mark on the higher education landscape in Lebanon and Egypt in the 19th century, and were to exercise a pivotal role in the Middle East region. Over time, these three institutions: AUB, LAU and AUC, came to serve as prototypes for a new generation of private universities that started to appear in the region around the late 1980s. Since then, the momentum has continued to accelerate and institutions to multiply.

At the moment, such private post-secondary institutions, number in the hundreds in the MENA area and are mostly for profit. They have by now firmly established themselves as key partners with public universities in satisfying the growing educational needs of a rapidly expanding population dominated by young brackets.

This trend is now dominant to a point where private higher education is a mainstream trend, particularly in the G.C.C. with multiple such institutions offering mostly undergraduate and graduate degrees on equal footing with established public universities, and attracting increasing numbers of young men and women for a wide variety of push and pull factors.

Several hundred such institutions currently exist in the region, and there is no evidence that the trend is showing any signs of abating any time soon. If anything, there is every indication of continued rise in the number of private institutions. Some of these institutions have come of age and are already major players with extended footprint.

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Some Shared Characteristics of Private Universities

The few clear exceptions notwithstanding, emerging private universities in the MENA region share a number of key characteristics. These characteristics combined tend to make them very far as yet from serious-capacity building in the direction of R&D.

Some of these characteristics are:

1. Predominance of undergraduate over graduate or professional programs. This is usually accompanied with heavy teaching loads for faculty.

2. Weak research output items of both quality and quantity.

3. Thin full-time faculty numbers and over-dependence on part-time faculty.

4. Absence of major grants or research partnerships with outside bodies.

5. Only partially developed research infra-structure in some cases and total absence in others.

6. Absence of a deep-rooted research tradition on account of young age and different priorities.

7. Poor links with industry and absence of connecting bridges with communities of practice, and corporate alliances.

8. Relatively poor strategic planning and predominance of short-term thinking.

9. Dependence on government scholarships for undergraduate students as a main revenue stream.

10. General lack of faculty incentives and enticing rewards for research, scholarship, and creative work.

11. Absence of IP and Patent policies. 12. General preference on the part of industry to go

elsewhere for their commissioned research and R&D needs.

Best Practices for Encountering R&D at Private Universities There is a lot to be learned from the experience of leading international universities that serve today as major centers for R&D in the world. Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Caltech, Stanford, etc. are few examples. There are, of course, many other examples within and outside the US, including the Middle East. Suffice it to say that building capacity towards some or all of these best practices is bound to be a slow, costly, and institutionally demanding process.

It would require many of the existing private universities in our part of the world to introduce radical structural changes, radically reinvent themselves, secure additional resources, and introduce major amendments to their offices and procedures. The extent of the change needed will become clearer once we examine the best practices in question

Challenges in Attracting and Retaining Research Faculty

• Global Market • Scarcity • Cost Factors • Working Conditions • Academic Eco-System • Productivity • Sustainability • Retention and its Discontents • Research vs. Teaching Faculty • Converging Ideas into Products

Building a Network of Academic and Professional Partnerships

• Your Value Proposition • Enhancing your Value Chain • Carving a Niche • Dynamics of Reciprocity • Local vs. Regional vs. Global Networks • Champions, Facilitators, Bystanders and Blockers • Harnessing Interdisciplinary Knowledge • Mastery of Leveraging • Working with Overheads • Planning vs. Prospecting

Attracting External Research Grants

• Potential Source Identification • Proposal Writing • Navigating Complex Rules • Building Reporting Structures • Cultivating Faculty Interest • Learning from Failure • Assessing Performance • Building and Empowering Teams • Evolving an Agile Delayered Organization • Converting Results into Institutional Triumphs

Developing an IP and Patent Structure

• Framing the Challenge • Approaching Capacity Building • Scientific, Organizational, Financial, Legal, Ethical,

and Regulatory Components • Working out Contextual I.P. and Patent Policies • Achieving Buy-Ins • Opening Doors for Innovation • Building Common Grounds with Faculty • Managing Spin-Offs • Significance of Size • Overcoming Skepticism

pg. 24

Building Centers of Excellence • What is a Center of Excellence? • COEs as Differentiators • Working Across Departments and Schools • Branding COEs • Turning COEs into Strategic Assets • Embracing Change • Gaining Partners • Building Inter-COE Links • Converting Concepts to Operations • Turning Energy to Synergy

Enabling an Internal Entrepreneurship Culture

• Avoiding the excesses of bureaucracy • Igniting the spark for entrepreneurship and innovation • Creating the ecosystem • Connecting functional units • Establishing rules of engagement • Entrepreneurship and innovations as drivers for R&D • Fast-tracking the decision process • Nurturing the entrepreneurial subculture • Building entrepreneurial skillsets • Working with R&D-” premiership”

Creating and Managing Incentive Systems

• Material and non-material incentives • Role of incentive management in driving R&D • Special management skills relevant to incentive

management • R&D incentives vs. traditional incentives • Managing R&D incentives without straining the

overall system • Handling R&D failures • Recognition, showcasing, and celebration of

achievement • Examples of R&D incentives in action

The R & D Institutional Eco-System

The R & D Functions at Private Universities Drivers and Constraints

The R & D Cluster

• Basic Research • Translational Research • Applied Research

I.P. Patents Solutions

• Entrepreneurial Culture or Sub-Cultures • Links to Academic Programs and Pedagogy • Institutional Effectiveness • Market Intelligence

pg. 25

Elements of an R&D Ecosystem

The Magic Acronym for Effective R&D (TREAT)

• Talent • Resolve • Engagement • Action • Team

Pillars of R&D at Private Universities

Institutional Self-Test for R&D Readiness of Private Universities

10 Key Questions 1.How would you characterize research activities at your institution?

Low Medium High

2.What is the % of full-time professional rank faculty to the overall faculty body at your institution?

< 25% 25-40% > 40%

3.What % of your institutional budget goes to supporting research

< 5% 5-10% > 10%

4.How successful are you in attracting external grant funding?

Non-existent Mild Medium High

5.Do you look for evidence of entrepreneurial skills in your faculty recruitment?

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

6.Do you currently have or are you seeking corporate partnerships with an R&D component?

Yes Have Seeking, No Have seeking

7.Do you currently have interdisciplinary research and/or degree activities?

Yes No Not sure

8.How much bureaucracy do you think you currently have at your institution?

Too much Just enough Little

9.What is the % of graduate students to your overall student population?

< 15% 15-25% >25%

10.Is R&D, and related activities, entrepreneurship/innovation etc. noted in the strategic plan of your institution?

Yes clearly Indirectly No

pg. 26

Session 3: Market-Driven Research and Development

Chairperson: Prof. Mustafa Marafi

Biography: Professor Mustafa Marafi received his BA in Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology, 1970.

In 1973, Prof. Marafi received his MA from University of Michigan, USA, and then the Ph.D. in Atomic Physics from University of Michigan, USA, 1976.

Professor Marafi held many positions at Kuwait University, first as Dean of Admission & Registration and Director of Summer School Programs, Kuwait University 1985-1989, and then as a Head of the Physics Department, Kuwait University (Several Terms). In 2014, Prof. Marafi was appointed Councillor to the DG at KFAS till Present, and then director of the Office of Prizes at KFAS from 2015 till now.

Professor Marafi Served in major committees at the departmental, college and university levels such as:

Kuwait Science Club: (Establishment of the Club, Establishment of the Observatory).

Ministry Of Education: (Science Curriculum Development, Teacher’s Training Programs, Authoring Several High School textbooks).

G.C.C. Joint Program Production Institution: (Scientific Advisor for the production of 30 episodes of a Public Science Series, Screenplay Writer for Some Episodes).

G.C.C. Arab Education Bureau: (Syllabus Development for Science textbooks, Editor for Science textbooks.

Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research: (Joint Research, Director of Summer Training Program).

Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Science: (Establishment of the Publication Unit, editing several Books, Translating & Editing Numerous Articles for The Arabic Version of The Scientific American, Screenplay Writing of Four 30-Minutes Films on Environment.

Ministry of Health: (Attending Meeting Held by the U.N. on Ozone Layer during the 80’s).

Kuwait National Petroleum Company: (Writing the Script for a Film on the History & Activities of the Company.

Dr. Abdalla Abdelaziz Alnajjar Alhammadi

Dr. Abdalla Alnajjar is an Arab Emirati Innovation and Entrepreneurship magnate. He is best known for the "Arab

pg. 27

Science & Technology Foundation" (ASTF); the first state of the art Foundation in the Arab world which has under his leadership successfully initiated and supported outstanding RDI and business outcome throughout the Arab Region and beyond. His achievements created a unique character and popularity for himself. He successfully, for three consecutive years, is listed as one of the "Most Influential Arabs in the World".

Alnajjar holds a PhD on Experimental Physics from the University of Durham, UK. He gained a wide range of abilities and skills. He was a member of Parliament (Sharjah, 2007-2011), Director of Research, University Lecturer, Curriculum Specialist and School Teacher. These are some professions he held in his home country; the UAE.

Dr. Alnajjar, as an academic scientist, is teaching physics and entrepreneurship courses. He published 72 scientific research

papers in international refereed journals and conferences on thin film Solar Cells fabrication, materials and device characterization, and solar energy applications. He, also, edited 9 conference proceedings and developed more than 20 studies and reports. He chaired and co-chaired 41 conferences, symposiums and workshops, participated in 84 regional & international S&T events.

The stories behind Dr. Abdalla success and achievement won’t come true without clear vision, strong belief in his nation and the dedication that he himself and his tirelessness team that S&T RDI can take them direct into knowledge generation and economy.

pg. 28

Market-Driven Research and Development: Role of the Intermediate Research and Technology Sector

Prof. Abdalla Alnajjar

Arab Science and Technology Foundation an@astf.net

Most of the research undertaken in the Arab universities or research centers would not be commercially exploited to the same extent as in the universities of USA, EU, Japan or China. This because of many factors, the most important of them is the lack of the Intermediate Sector. Which should fill a crucial role between academia and industry by enabling the transfer of ‘raw’ knowledge from academic research into a ‘problem solution’ that can be well understood by all levels of management within industry. This paper will present the Intermediate Sector and analyses ways in which its work contributes to the prosperity of the economy, how the Intermediate Sector orients research to be toward the market or to solve local problem. And, I will show how, the Intermediate Sector helps to overcome market failures that result in too little R&D being undertaken in the Arab universities despite that the strength of Arab science base not being exploited to its full potential. The economic value of the direct, indirect and induced effects or R&D is related to the total revenues of the Intermediate Sector, while the catalytic impacts are ‘spillover’ benefits for other industries, consumers and the economy in general. Finally, I will present the case of the Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) as an active Intermediate Sector player in the Arab Region.

Keywords—R&D; market; GDP; ASTF

I. INTRODUCTION

Research, Development and Innovation are crucial for long- term economic development. Knowledge has been at the heart of economic growth and the gradual rise in levels of social well-being since time immemorial. The ability to invent and innovate, that is to create new knowledge and new ideas that are then embodied in products, processes and organizations, has always served to fuel development. And there have always been organizations and institutions capable of creating and disseminating knowledge: from the medieval guilds through to the large business corporations of the early 20th century, from the Cistercian abbeys to the royal academies of science that began to emerge in the 17th century. “Knowledge-based economy”, however, is a recently coined term. As such, its use is meant to signify a change from the economies of earlier periods, more a “sea-change” than a sharp discontinuity.

On the other hand, the division between academic research and education on the one hand and industrial research on the other is probably not a functionally sensible division, but rather an expensive way of maintaining 19th Century illusions about academic freedom. It was common among directors of academic and R&D directors to claim; “One Dollar spent in basic research can drive ten Dollars in development and a hundred Dollars in application on profit”. This is badly misleading thesis. However, it is not meant to dispute the academic freedom for subjects like archaeology, comparative

literature, or philosophy, nor to dispute the need for academic freedom in basic research. Many research institutions have freewheeled attitude that expect market mechanisms to take over wherever the state has failed. `Academic freedom for, e.g., engineering subjects somehow does not seem to make a great lot of sense, nor does it make a lot of sense to expect of philosophers that they should prove the value of their work on the market. The current commonality among funding agencies is what impact that research project would make, no better impact than innovation that catches the breadth of the market. Dr Nicholson, earlier 3M VP, said; R&D is transformation of money into knowledge Innovation is transformation of knowledge into money. “Innovation” from R&D sustains more than that from public. It is not like those being plastered everywhere by marketing departments.

Over the years, America’s well-being has been furthered by science and technology. Increasing the productivity of the American workforce is the key to higher living standards and stronger economic growth in the future. Evidence indicates that investments in research and development (R&D) have large payoffs in terms of growth. R&D yields new products, improving the quality of life, and new processes, enabling American firms to reduce costs of production and become more competitive. Indeed, investments in R&D are estimated to account for half or more of the increase in output per person.[1] Maintaining or increasing this country's R&D effort is essential if we are to increase the rate of productivity growth and improve living standards [2].

The economic pressure on academic research grows, universities have to cope with their new multi-tasking environment, i.e. how should they reconcile teaching, the “exogenous” (i.e. curiosity-driven invention) and

pg. 29

“endogenous” (i.e. market-driven innovation) component of the academic research.

II. OBJECTIVES AND TYPES OF R & D

Academic and institutional R&D usually aim to obtain new knowledge, which may or may not be applied to practical uses. While Arab academic community perform research for pure promotion objectives. In contrast, the objective of industrial R&D is to obtain knowledge that is applicable to the company's business needs that eventually will result in new or improved products, processes, systems or services that can increase the company's sales and profits.

The National Science Foundation (NSF), a pillar US research funding agency, defines three types of R&D: basic research, applied research, and development. Basic research has as its objectives a fuller knowledge or understanding of the

1

subject under study, rather than a practical application thereof. Applied research is directed towards gaining knowledge or understanding necessary for determining the means by which a recognized and specific need may be met.

Research development differs from engineering. Development can be defined as utilization of state-of-the-art knowledge for the design and production of marketable goods and services. In other words, research creates knowledge and development designs, and builds prototypes and proves their feasibility. Engineering then converts these prototypes into products or services that can be offered to the marketplace or into processes that can be used to produce commercial products and services. [3]

III. EMPIRICAL RELATION BETWEEN R&D AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Generally, investment in R&D has been regarded as one of the key strategies to secure technological potential, and thereby innovation and economic growth. Research and development (R&D) includes creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications.

A. R&D and Economic Growth driving

In today’s information age, many countries have been undertaking extraordinary measures to encourage R&D, knowledge creation and advanced technological development. The world is witnessing an inevitable trend of adopting knowledge economy as a key to attaining progress and productivity. Much of the literature on market-driven R&D and

impact of R&D on economic performance is found on developed countries, where the expenditure on R&D has been relatively high and stable for many years. The long run impact with respect to R&D was estimated over 10% OECD countries and 8.1% for Singapore.

There are some good numbers of researches have been done to explain how the R&D are a vital key for economic growth for example: Endogenous growth model pioneers, Romer (1990) and Lichtenberg (1992) have pointed out that the relationship between investment in technology and R&D expenditure leads to increases productivity, and therefore growth (Bilbao-Osorio and Rodriguez, 2004). Hall (1996) is one of the researchers that revealed in his article that investment in R&D is positively correlated with country productivity and profitability, and produces a relatively high rate of return. Scherer (1982), Griliches and Lichtenberg (1984), Aghion and Howitt (1998), and Zachariadis (2003) provide strong evidence that R&D investment and growth are positively related in the US economy (Rabiei, 2011). Moreover, Griffith, Redding and Van Reenen (2004) claimed that research and development (R&D) has two faces. The first face is in stimulating innovation and second face is in facilitating the imitation of discoveries by others. They found that R&D is statistically and economically important in both

technological catch-up and innovation. Further, Wakelin (2001) analyzed relationships between productivity growth and R&D expenditures in 170 firms quoted on the UK stock market. The research findings showed that has a positive and significant role in influencing its productivity growth.

B.

Industry Spending on RDI

Research and Development (R&D) requires spending. So, who is investing the most in research and development? As it turns out, companies are spending more on R&D than ever before. The Global Innovation 1000, a list of public companies that spend the most on innovation, invested in 2014 a record $647 billion. That total represents two-fifths of all innovation spending by organizations worldwide, according to a report from Strategy&, the consultancy formerly known as Booz & Co. Where does all that money go? Over the past decade, two industries have accounted for half of all R&D spending: healthcare and computers.

In 2016, the R&D spending is being further enhanced:

• Pharma and biotech was 15% now 22.1

• Computing and Electronics was 4.5% now 24%

pg. 30

• Software and internet was 10% now 12.9%

• Automobile was 4.4% now 15.4%

• Industrial engineering was 2.8 now 10.8%

IV. INNOVATION & KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY

Today’s “knowledge economies” are seeing the emergence of new paradigms for innovation and the advance of knowledge in relation to economic production. This is not because either knowledge or innovations are new ingredients of economic growth. Rather, against a background of a rapid acceleration in the development of knowledge, a revolution in the instruments of knowledge and a necessary redefinition of some of the components of knowledge, the drivers of knowledge advance are also inevitably changing. Thus, the process of inventing, developing and bringing to users a 21st century microelectronic product is very different from the equivalent process in the case of, say, the light-bulb in the 19th century. Meanwhile, the “need to innovate” is growing stronger

2

as innovation comes closer to being the sole means to survive and prosper in highly competitive and globalized economies. It is not easy to distinguish between absolute novelties (“under the sun”) and innovations that are new only to the companies that adopt them, or more complex adaptations of existing products or ideas to a new market. The fact remains that companies and society in general are spending more time and energy on producing and adjusting to change. Formal research may remain the cornerstone of knowledge production in many sectors (for the simple reason that it provides a more or less sheltered domain in which to carry out experiments that would not otherwise possible in real life). But the knowledge production system is becoming more widely distributed across a host of new places and actors. More and more “innovators”

tend to be appearing in unexpected situations: users as the source of innovation, “lay people” involved in the production of scientific knowledge within such realms as health and the environment. [5].

V. MARKETING VS R&D

The debate of Marketing Vs. R&D has been raging on since the dawn of the capital world. The R&D group is engaged in creating novel solutions / products that directly solve a problem or satisfy a customer need. Traditionally, the marketing group is engaged in enhancing the acceptance rate of an already existing product. The R&D division is product focused whereas marketing is customer focused. In other words; R&D is fixated on “things” whereas marketing is fixated on “agencies/people” (who buy things).

Marketing and listening to community needs make the biggest difference on our commercialization activities. Marketing activities (upstream activities such as market research, market analysis, voice-of-customer studies, etc...) can help researchers establish and grow. In short, it was the ingenious marketing that chose the right R&D output (patent, product/service) and helped the research agency to secure funds and sustain progress.

A.T. Kearney surveyed (2016) more than 100 executives of large international organizations to assess their perspectives on global innovation management. Their key findings are:

• Innovation is expected to transform revenue

generation; disruptive innovation is key influencer.

• Innovation activities are becoming more global

• Innovation will be increasingly global and collaborative. Most companies work with external partners on their innovation agendas. Explored partners are: customers (60%), large suppliers (40%),

and research institutes or academic institutions

(34%).

• Trend in leveraging innovation partners is much

influenced on the anticipated role. That is found to

be as follows: the role of customers (78%), the role of start-ups and small suppliers (67%), and the role of research institutes or academic institutions (45%).

This illustrates the declining, yet still influential,

expectation form research institutes or academic

institutions. R&D teams

pg. 31

should put more emphasis on the identification of their target customer (industry, investors) and gear their research activities towards satisfying their intentions. Success to perform such link shall lead to real innovative products that sell much and add to economy growth. Therefore, innovation should involve contributions from both marketing and R&D groups. Unfortunately, that is not the case in majority of our universities and research centers. Especially, with the obvious weakness of TTO and mid-agencies to do their job.

VI. THE INTERMEDIATE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

The Intermediate Research and Technology Sector are positioned between academia and corporate and governmental end-users of technology. It comprises a range of entities and organizations whose activities are aimed at enhancing the development of new technologies and increasing the rate of adoption of technological innovation. As shown in the figure:

The Intermediate Sector may assist on the exchange of knowledge and technology by different means. Typically, the following formal forms are considered:

• Collaborative research, i.e. defining and conducting R&D projects jointly by enterprises and science institutions, either on a bi-lateral basis or on a

consortium basis;

• Contract research and know-how based consulting by

science commissioned by industry;

• Development of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs)and establish frameworks for licensing

technologies, materials, databases, etc.;

• Start-up of technology-oriented enterprises by researchers from the science-base generated at the

research institute;

• Others, such as co-operation in graduate education,

advanced training for enterprise staff and exchange

of research staff between companies and research

institutes. Not to mention the informal contacts, that

lie behind the formal relationships (industry-science networks on a personal base). These informal contacts and human capital flows are much difficult to quantify, but nevertheless extremely important and often a

catalyst for instigating further formal contacts.

3

These units of intermediate players are characterized by their profile on commercialization; role for spin-off activities.

VII. THE SITUATION IN THE ARAB WORLD

Most Arab countries today are striving to harvest the power of quality R&D and owning knowledge to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21st century. The World Bank continually calling for investments in innovation and education as these are fundamental to achieve greater financial growth, especially the Middle East.

Although most of the Arab countries have accomplished significant progress, much still needs to be done. According to World Bank’s report, only four Arab countries have ranked in the top 50 on the Knowledge Economy Index. The region continues to face many challenges in pursuit of its objective to transform into an information-based economy, which requires implementation of key cross-sectoral reforms in education, research and innovation, and ICT domains, among others. One notable challenge is the lack of a coherent strategy among these developing economies to promote growth based on knowledge and innovation. Most Arab Countries still rely on the exploitation of natural resources and on infrastructure development and financial markets.

When looking at the distribution by areas of science, we find a very particular mix of disciplines. We notice the especially small percentage for basic science (15%) while energy sciences (engineering mostly) occupied 47%, followed by the environment and agriculture (24%). Engineering in all senses is the dominant Arab disciplinary domain in most countries, with some notable exceptions (Tunisia and Lebanon). The research strength of Egypt, Morocco and Algeria lies in chemistry, with particular specialization in organic chemistry, chemical engineering and physical-chemical characterizations for

pg. 32

specific materials. Clinical medicine is the research strength elsewhere in the region, including in Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. Syria’s strength lies in plant and animal science, which is a result of the presence of ICARDA, an international institute belonging to the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research Centers in Aleppo, which specializes in these fields. [4]

The GCC countries comprise the 12th largest economic region in the world with a recorded Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 4.03 per cent in 2013. UAE topped the Knowledge Economy Index (KEI) among Arab countries as it ranked 42nd globally with a score of 6.94. In 2013, five Arab universities, including four from Saudi Arabia and one from Egypt, appeared on the Shanghai Academic Ranking of World Universities. The Arab States have a low ranking in research development and technological innovation. The overall spending in R&D is about 0.15 % of the gross domestic product (GDP), compared with an average of 1.4% in the world, and 2.5% in Europe. This spending is provided by the public sector to a very large extent (97%).

There is huge gap between stakeholders and R&D that hinders the success of research teams to participate in country’s development plans. Intermediate channels that can carry this mission is much lacked.

VIII. INTERMEDIATE SECTORN PLAYER

CASE OF THE ARAB SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION (ASTF) AS AN INTERMEDIATE SECTOR PLAYR

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization, was formed out of a need expressed by Arab scientists to develop practical means to advance science and technology (S&T) using Research, Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RDIE) as tools to foster socioeconomic development of the Arab region. It was called for by the Arab scientific community (425 scientists, engineers, and physicians) who participated in the first international symposium on “Scientific Research Outlook in the Arab World and the New Millennium: Science and Technology,” that was held at the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates in April 2000. They designed ASTF as a pan-Arab non-governmental, non-profit organization. Their request was formalized by a Decree issued by HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohamed AlQasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and member of the Supreme Council of the UAE.

ASTF plays the role of mediator between those who produce, develop and fund S&T on the one hand and those who benefit from it on the other. In all its activities, ASTF assumes the role

of a “catalyst, mediator, and supporter” of RDIE in S&T for the Arab world. With its Headquarter in Sharjah- UAE and Executive Office in Cairo-Egypt, ASTF fulfills its mission as a pan- Arab organization by establishing branch offices, liaison nodes and professional networks throughout the continent.

ASTF continues to execute scientific RDIE activities. It is becoming the followed model in its line of profession. As such, ASTF has 18 Years of successful initiatives and has developed large experience in:

• Designing and implementing a variety of approaches from within to exploit S&T for the development of the

region

• Developing single country, bilateral or regional S&T

programs designed to support knowledge based

economies

• Empowering less privileged groups (women, handicapped, poor and remote) to get engaged and

contribute to region socioeconomic development

needs.

• Connecting individuals and institutions of shared

capabilities and ambition, including expatriates, to

where they would serve better the advancement of the

region in S&T

• Bridging the region ecosystem gab/shortage, by assisting all parties to move their findings/resources toward a better impact; and most of all realization in

the marketplace. A total of 142 new startups were

realized from all below listed programs and

initiatives.

4

A. Connecting the S&T Community

The region is full of talent, yet that is not helping much its development. ASTF has established a network of 35,000 Scientists, Engineers and Technology Entrepreneurs, and memorandums/agreements with more than 400 entities; from and out of the region. It developed all types of networking and engaging models to bring that abundance to impact. This includes:

Meetings and Conferences:

pg. 33

In the past 17 years, ASTF organized and co-organized more than 274 events on all themes in 18 different Arab countries. That includes engaging expatriates from the region to "brain gain" them, along with community leaders/players to support the community. It developed a capable conference management team to carry out this mission.

Specialized Networks

To enhance the exchange of knowledge and resources, ASTF supported the formation of specialized networks, so the S&T can better serve their community. ASTF established FOUR scientifically specialized networks: Biotechnology Network, Microelectronics Network, Renewable Energy Sources Network and Nanotechnology Network. And, it established TWO community based networks: Arab Women Association for R&D and Arab Scientific Journalist Association, besides ONE business network which is: the Technopreneur and Investors Network.

Media to popularization

ASTF activities is well covered by the region media. By nature of its mission being a pan-Arab, media from all the Arab countries continue to publish its activities and achievements. The Foundation has tried THREE attempts to enrich the region interest in S&T. These are; Arab Scientific News Agency (Libya), ASTF Gate (Virtual), and Ghadaqa Digital Marketing. The first two attempts are facing resource shortage, while the last is quite active. ASTF is, also, active in the social media platforms. Its network extends to more than 100k connection.

B. From R&D to Impact

ASTF has been trying to show the way forward to fund and manage R&D, with a main goal to harvest innovative outputs. Many programs were launched with a total fund of $10 million. Many of the funded projects have reached advanced status by; filing and obtaining patents. A few has developed prototypes and sensible feasibility studies. Some of these did reach the market with some success. A list of funded projects and their outcome are announced in its reports (see the Foundation website).

Funding and Managing R&D (Grants)ASTF has 3 different

programs for managing R&D: 1. Abdullatif Jamil Grant: $1 million grant given every year.

ASTF manages the fund and take the applications from the start to final reporting. All reviewers are carried to international standard and execution. Funding is tied to

meeting agreed milestones. This program has funded 61 projects from 12 different Arab countries. Output was 9 filed patents, 5 prototypes and 20 potential investment opportunities.

2. Scientists engagement Program: This was the main program to support scientists and researchers living under hard living conditions. This program has started in its first phase with Iraqi scientists in living inside Iraq. The program was managed in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories in cooperation with the UNESCO. In 4 years, we funded 76 projects of 301

different researchers.

3. Prototype and Startup Support Program: this initiative was designed to assist on patent filing and feasibility study writing. The program encouraged many institutions to follow its guidelines to generate value.

C. Technology Transfer

Technology Transfer project aims to establish 10 offices for technology transfer in the Arab countries. The Offices should focus on commercialization of research activity output from the region academic institutions. A few gains from this activity, are; to train experts in intellectual property rights, to guide research contracts from industry towards Arab universities, to introduce IP and innovation culture to Arab universities and companies, to develop Arab industry technology through gaining technology from inside and outside the region and to improve IP laws and rights in region. This Program was initiated with guiding specialists from AUTM and LES and with an official support of WIPO.

D. Extraction of Innovation (competitions)

ASTF noticed that providing research fund is not sufficient to reach out to realistic outcome. Therefore, ASTF extended its programs to reach for innovation from its community including students and professionals out of academia. One main aim is to train Entrepreneurs and support Entrepreneurship This initiative became a rising model to drive research finding, innovative product/service ideas toward the market. ASTF performed 18 rounds of competitions within the region, not to mention the local (in- country) qualification competitions. Main aim of this initiative is to realize ties with local and regional marketplace and industries and provide needed training and resources.

Extraction of Innovation via Competitions

All competitions are designed to attract business like output from our community, these are:

pg. 34

1. Made in the Arab World: applicants are to present

prototypes of their work.

2. Arab Technology Business Plan Competition;

applicants are to submit business plans on their

technology ideas.

3. Industrial Business Plan Competition: applicants are

to develop an industrial process along with its

business plan.

4. El Baz Initiative for Arab capabilities: applicants are expected to present their work in all levels of its development phases, and the ASTF would help them to carry it out till final stage. This initiative is not like other competitions (which award certificate and

financial prize). The finalists meet with investors

and their prize is to realize their business idea. Our goal since the launch of this initiative is to address the community needs and establish business vehicles that apply technology to attend to actual market needs.

5. “Habdaa Be Nafsy” Initiative: this initiative is designed to encourage youth to start their own dreams without waiting for others to help them. This initiative aims to change community culture to take their ideas by their own hand and defeat disappointment within their environment. This initiative is now gaining much momentum in Egypt. Soon it will expand to other countries of the region.

E. Investing in Technology

ASTF is the first organization in the region that has such dedicated program to engage with the investment and business community. It focuses on Technology Entrepreneurship Output from all earlier listed programs are evaluated to business and investment standards and presented to regionally for investment.

Investing in Technology Program

A skilled team within ASTF work with inventors and innovators to develop their work into a viable business offer. This includes development of a full document that addresses; productization, cost-study, market study, and other elements of a prefeasibility document. It identifies the commercial value of research work. In many cases, we require matching inventor with entrepreneurs. And, in some cases matching entrepreneurs with scientists before being presented to investors. To date, ASTF organized “Investing in Technology Forums”. In the Forum, we bring inventors/entrepreneurs to present their

startups in front of investors. Entrepreneurs pitch their business idea (new technology product/service along with a prefeasibility indicators). Special meetings are then arranged for thorough checking that the investor would like to make. The ASTF organized EVEN forums where 95 startups have been presented. In total $22 million were channeled to pick up such startups.

IX. CONCLUDING REMARKS

In my occupation, I have been fortunate to support the realization of many startups (spin outs) and licensing activities of many sciences, shapes and sizes.

I witnessed how marketing and listening to community needs make the biggest difference on our commercialization activities. Marketing activities (upstream activities such as market research, market analysis, etc....) can help researchers establish and grow. In short, it was the ingenious marketing that chose the right R&D output (patent, product/service)

and helped the research agency to secure funds and sustain progress.

I found that healthcare R&D (especially, pharmaceutical) is most difficult to commercialize in Arab region. The same, relatively, applies to marketing pesticides. Such products require very intensive investment to gain regulatory approval. Investors, usually, escape such investment for being of high risk nature.

I argue that the R&D teams should put more emphasis on the identification of their target customer (industry, investors) and gear their research activities towards satisfying their intentions. I argue that the innovation should involve contributions from both marketing and R&D groups. Unfortunately, that is not the case in majority of our universities and research centers. Especially, with the obvious weakness of TTO and mid-agencies to do their job.

The Arab Science and Technology Foundation is a successful model to engage S&T human capital of the region into meaningful knowledge economy activities. Mimicking such model on local levels would lead to desired impact on each country socioeconomic development.

REFERENCES

1. GRILICHES, ZVI. "THE SEARCH FOR R&D SPILLOVERS." SCANDINA VIAN JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS. VOL. 94, SUPPLEMENT, PP. 29 -

47. 1992.

pg. 35

2. BAILY, M.N. AND A. CHAKRABARTI, INNOVATION AND THE PRODUCTIVITY CRISIS, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION,

WASHINGTON, DC 1988.

3. KADLEC, DANIEL. "A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION— BOTH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES AGREE: IT'S TIME TO MAKE THE R & D TAX CREDIT PERMANENT." FORTUNE.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2000.

4. SATTI, N. S. (2005). “SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS IN THE ARAB REGION.SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY

&SOCIETY 10(2), 249- 275

5. LUNDV ALL, B-Å. (ED.) (1992). NA TIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEMS: TOWARDS A THEORY OF INNOV A TION AND INTERACTIVE

LEARNING, PINTER, LONDON

6. WWW.ASTF.NET

pg. 36

Session Four: Role of Research and Development in supporting excellence in Higher Education

Chairperson: Prof.Esam Alawadhi

Biography: Esam M Alawadhi is the vice president for academic affairs and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kuwait University. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy in May of 2001 from Carnegie Mellon University, USA. His research focuses on thermal management of electronics devices, energy conservation for buildings, fluid flow stability and phase change heat transfer.

He Had the engineering research production award, Kuwait Foundation for Advancement Science, in October of 2010. He is the author of Finite Element Simulations Using ANSYS book published by CRC Press, and co-author of Eco-Efficient Masonry Bricks and Blocks: Design, Properties and Durability book published by Woodgead Publishing. He Published more than thirty papers in peer reviewed international journal, and presents more than thirty research outcome in international conferences.

Speaker: Prof. Abeer Al-Bawab

Biography:

General Director of The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRSF) in Jordan & Professor of Physical chemistry with almost of 20 years teaching experience & specific work interest in enhancing education & conducting research & managing scientific projects (National and International) .Prof. Al Bawab managed more than 30 projects with total budget around 3 million JD. She Published around 70 high quality papers in high standard international journals & conferences.

Oriented Leader: acted as dean for the Deanship of Academic Research (DAR) & director for a research center (HMCSR) in UJ, restructuring the center & deanship, relocating its objectives and responsibilities & initiating some mega projects as well as research groups (Nanotechnology Research Group & Management of Solid Waste Research group (through classification and recycling projects). Advisor and Scientific Manager for establishing Materials Research Labs, Animal Research Labs. & the Restoration of Manuscripts & Rare Documents Lab.

Traveling to more than 25 countries for chairing, lecturing, attending, or moderating for congress, conference, symposium, meeting or workshop or funded projects or scientific networking Social society: President of the (JCS) &Vice Chairwoman for AJWA member of the Board of Trustees for (PSUT) and member of HEREs.

pg. 37

The Role of Research and Development in Supporting Excellence in Higher Education This report aims to explain the notion of excellence in higher education and how it can be applied in research, demonstrating how it can be applied in different parts of a society and its effects can extend to them.

1. The Role of Excellence in Higher Education a. Introduction

a. Introduction

Roles of Research & Development in Supporting Excellence in Higher Education (EHE)

Figure 1: A flowchart explaining the relationship between

research and development and the factors that contribute to the

relationship.

Definition of The Term ‘Excellence’.

• Excellence is referring to very good or outstanding performance, which may be equated with the reputation & standing of institutions. It usually depends on multiple factors, including the perception of student experience and the varying missions and visions of institutions. Excellence can be considered as a social phenomenon based on theoretical and cultural considerations. As a concept, it has practical applications in the context of management and

technological development

• Excellence has been used widely by accreditation schemes to define the level of the quality of service

provided by institutions

• Excellence drives the motivation for continuous improvement

• The Different Types of ‘Excellence’

Excellence, as seen previously from the definition, is not a phenomenon strictly applied in one field. Alternatively, it is usually seen in different fields, including; management, research, teaching, and student performance (both individually and as cohorts in institutions). It is important to also note that excellence applies to management & service delivery as well as the experience of staff and

students and the outputs from study & Research From

the definition of excellence, as well as its application in various fields, it can be concluded that excellence is both an expectation and a goal

• Excellence in Higher Education Process

In a highly competitive global world, higher education

plays an important role in

• Supporting thriving economies

• Innovation and social progress

During the past few years, politicians and higher education institutions (HEIs) have discovered and developed the concept

of excellence. Rankings undoubtedly have stimulated this

concept, both in positive and negative ways

Positive effect of rankings is the latest drive for enhancement. In addition, the rankings have removed the fiction of ‘equality’

between and within HEIs.

Negative effect of the concept of excellence is the ease with which politicians use the word, applying the notion that

excellence can be quickly and easily achieved.

Universities as Institution for Higher Education

Universities play a role by asserting in their strategic plans that they strive for excellence in Research & Teaching. Thereby, universities are constantly challenging those who must evaluate them on whether they actually deliver what they promise to. Consequently, HEIs might make themselves vulnerable (at risk)

in this way if they do not deliver outstanding quality The

concept of ‘excellence’ is well established in many fields of activity, and the term is used frequently to refer to very good or outstanding performance. In higher education, it means different things in different contexts. Excellence may be equated with the reputation and standing of institutions, but much depends on the perception of student experience and the varying missions of institutions. There are numerous definitions suiting different purposes and different areas of quality assurance and stakeholders’ involvement. The concept is vague

pg. 38

enough to offer plentiful grounds for both theoretical and practical research. In the view of the working group, it is important to consider excellence as a social phenomenon based on theoretical and cultural considerations, but it is also essential that the group recognizes that the concept has practical applications in the context of management and technological

development. Furthermore, there is a need to analyze

excellence through the lens of different key stakeholders, including students, families, society, and employers. The term has been used widely by accreditation schemes in the management field for higher education, to define the level of the quality of service provided by institutions. In this context, it is possible to define standards of performance which permit the recognition of excellence. The concept involves components which can be connected, logically and operationally, to

structural and organizational issues. It is less easy to define,

in the context of academic quality and standards, where excellence relates to the quality of teaching, the capabilities of students, the scale of resource provision and the level of student

achievement. In this chapter, the use of the term ‘excellence’

is explored in several different contexts reflecting the expectations of different stakeholders; management, research, teaching, and student performance. The different approaches to excellence serve to illustrate the multi-dimensional aspects of the concept. Excellence can be identified at the level of the institution, faculty, department or individual members of staff and can be applied in the context of the many different roles and functions of higher education institutions. It applies to management and service delivery as well as the experience of staff and students and the outputs from study and research. What is clear is that excellence is an expectation and a goal. There is a general understanding that the aim is central to the culture and values of higher education and drives the motivation for continuous improvement.

b. Excellence and Research: The Interplay Between Both Elements.

Figure 2: Flowchart showing the process, in chronological

order, in which excellence plays a role in the Higher Education

Process. Excellence and Research

Why we need Excellence in research?

• Excellence in research for an Innovative &

Sustainable Society

• Excellence in research shows clearly the impact

of research and provides evidence that publicly

funded research presents a good return for all

members in society

• Excellence in research leads to innovation

c. Excellence and Innovation.

Innovation as a Tool for EHE2

• Innovation is the process of translating an idea or

invention into a good or service that creates

value or for which customers will pay • To be called an innovation, an idea must be

replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy

a specific need • Innovation involves deliberate application of

information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are

generated and converted into useful products • In business, innovation often results when ideas

are applied by the company in order to further satisfy the needs and expectations of the

customers • Continued investment in Research and Innovation

is essential to national development • Investment in research creates a range of benefits

– • improving the quality of education for all

students,

• developing a cadre of highly trained students, • producing new knowledge to address national and

international problems, • enhancing international competitiveness, and

informing public opinion

Innovation vs. Creativity

For many, the thought of being truly innovative seems an unattainable goal; most people believe that innovation takes place in a laboratory, a research facility or in the

pg. 39

garage of a “really smart” person. Despite that in many cases these claims stand true, it is important to realize that innovation is a skill that can be taught and, if managed well, can become the culture of an organization: through a process called Innovation by Design or Design Thinking (often used interchangeably) any organization can develop break-through ideas and products that provide sustaining or disruptive innovation in the market.

Education, Innovation, and Research: The case of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in

complex and changing world

The concept of sustainable development (SD) must change the general guidelines and core elements of societies. Looking at ESD from this perspective that will require to integrate topics of SD into the curriculum for many and maybe most of the subjects & topics, sparking some

lingering questions in mind, including;

✓ what are the contributions of all subjects at school?

✓ what are the training in the vocational sector?

✓ Who are the Learners and educators?

This will link the concept of ESD to many subjects and everyday practice of education, which in turn should include the educational organization or schools as an

institution.

d. Excellence and Entrepreneurship

Definition of entrepreneurship

• Entrepreneurship has traditionally been defined as the process of designing, launching, and running a new business, which typically begins as a small business, such as a startup company, offering a product, process or service for sale or

hire4 • It has been defined as the "...capacity and

willingness to develop, organize, & manage a business venture along with any of its risks in

order to make a profit". • In the 2000s, the definition of "entrepreneurship"

expanded to explain how & why some individuals (or teams) identify opportunities, evaluate them as viable, & then decide to exploit them, whereas others do not and, in turn, how entrepreneurs use these opportunities to develop new products or services, launch new firms or even new industries & create wealth. (However, Stevenson’s

definition: Entrepreneurship is the pursuit of

opportunity beyond resources controlled)

Entrepreneurship and HEIs

• Higher education institutions are now increasingly recognized to have a broader role in the economic development & entrepreneurship5

• For a higher education institution to become

entrepreneurial, it must acquire the kind of

organization that ▪ Allows it to be in a state of

continuous change & adaptiveness ▪ Allows its

members to be more effective. • This new kind of university has two key features

▪ Transforming elements ▪ Sustaining

dynamics • There are many mutual benefits to a close

relationship between a university & an

industrial firm • Firms gain access to not only leading-edge

technologies, but also highly trained students,

professors & university facilities • Involvement of the firms in the academic

programs of the universities is a major

mechanism for knowledge transfer. (Ex. Students work on corporate problems for their

theses & dissertations in many technical

universities) • Cooperative education programs, internships and

job placements for students and recent graduates provide means for knowledge transfer

• What are the roles of universities in regional

economic development with respect to

knowledge generation and transfer processes

and how are these roles changing?

pg. 40

Figure 3.1: Theoretical flowchart Knowledge demonstrating

the process of exchange between University and Industry.

Figure 3.2 (right): Theoretical flowchart manifesting the

problem-solving knowledge starting from home to school to

university, within society.

Problem solving knowledge – Starting from Home, To School, To University – all within the medium of society6

This topic connects back to the previous point discussing Education for sustainable development

• ➢ A prerequisite for this is that sustainable development should not be seen as a closed

concept with given solutions.

• ➢ It must be considered as an on-going process,

finding new and the best solutions.

• ➢ That’s why WE should introduce the concept of life-long learning to everyone at school.

While children stay at school they need the possibility to

develop and realize their specific concept of life-long learning

Against this background there is a need for change within

the whole education sector.

• ➢ Teaching, learning, student’s participation and cooperation with the local community and

partners in the society all need to change

• ➢ Instruction must be replaced by co-construction between students, teachers, parents, partner and

experts from outside schools.

Figure4: Education in the knowledge triangle representation

e. Ranking: A Tool to Quantify Excellence? Definition of Ranking8

• ➢ Ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either 'ranked higher than', 'ranked lower than' or 'ranked

equal to' the second

• ➢ Rankings: is a listing of items in a group, such as schools or sports teams, according to a system

of rating or a record of performance

• ➢ Ranking: is a position in such a list.

• ➢ Rankings help maintain and build institutional

position and reputation

• ➢ Good students use rankings to ‘shortlist’

university choice, especially postgraduates

• ➢ Key stakeholders use rankings to influence their decisions about accreditation, funding,

sponsorship and employee recruitment

• ➢ In addition, rankings influence the willingness

of others to partner with them or support their membership of academic and professional

associations

pg. 41

Figure 5: Different ranking systems, their criteria, and the

weighting of each.

• Ranking and Research

• ➢ Research evaluation is used for multiple purposes. First, it is used to provide accountability for analysis and learning. Second, it is used to facilitate funding allocation and call for

proposals.

• ➢ There is a growing need to show clearly the impact of research & to provide evidence that publicly funded Research presents a good return

on investment for the research funders

• ➢ This requires a conceptual understanding of how Research translates to academic, health, social & economic impacts, & how to measure those impacts through various forms of Research

evaluation

Global Universities or High-Ranking University? Factor (10-40%) depends on number of articles published by

Academic & students.

The university has at least one research center or institute that functions under the jurisdiction of the university, but as a separate entity. (35%)

➢ There are opportunities for undergraduates to participate directly in research. (35%)

➢ The university receives federal research funds. (30%)

What is Research Universities?

• ➢ Some of the world’s most famous discoveries have

been made through university research.

• ➢ From the invention of the telegraph, the discovery of AIDS, the origination of the internet, and current

advances in stem cell research, our nation’s universities are the hub of knowledge and discovery

• ➢ 56% of the US basic research is being conducted at universities.

• ➢ Students are an integral part of university research; studies show that students who engage in research are twice as likely to graduate, five-times more likely to go on to graduate school, and have more successful careers after graduation.

• ➢ These students go on to become the next generation of scientists, engineers, teachers, and leaders in government and industry.

Top 25 Best Research Universities: 2017 Rankings

➢ As their name would suggest, research universities focus heavily on research! While many of these academically-inclined institutions have undergraduate programs, a great

emphasis is put on their graduate / doctoral programs.

➢ At research universities, students can earn their PhDs and go out into the world to change it. So, we’ve come up with a list of the best of the best. Here are College Raptor’s Top 25 Best

Research Universities of 2017!

➢ Each of these rankings is based on an analysis of data about the school’s selectivity, financial health, academic rigor, and student success.

List of Research Universities 2017

1. 25. Georgetown University

2. 24. University of California—Los Angeles

3. 23. Johns Hopkins University

4. 22. University of Michigan—Ann Arbor 5. 21. University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill)

6. 20. Rice University

7. 19. Cornell University

8. 18. University of California–Berkeley

9. 17. Vanderbilt University

10. 16. Dartmouth College

11. 15. Washington University in St. Louis

12. Northwestern University

13. University of Virginia

14. Duke University

15. 11. University of Notre Dame

pg. 42

16. 10. Brown University 17. 9. Columbia University in the City of New York

18. University of Pennsylvania 19. California Institute of Technology 20. University of Chicago

21. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 22. Stanford University

23. Yale University 24. Harvard University

25. Princeton University

f. The Role of Accreditation

Definition of Accreditation

• The term ’accreditation’ means to prove something creditable and publicly acknowledge its worth in relation to external criteria. It usually refers either to an official approval of HEIs and their programs or to the awarding of different quality labels to HEIs and their programs

(FINHEEC’s Definition) • Accreditation is: the process of external quality

review used in higher education to scrutinize colleges, universities, & higher education programs for quality assurance & quality improvement. Success results in an accredited

institution and/or program. • In some countries, it conveys institutional

authority to offer specific programs (CHEA

glossary) • Provides a method for systematic, high level

assessment • Applies accepted standards of organizational

excellence • Highlights strengths and priorities for

improvement

• Create baseline measures • Facilitates comparison with other organizations

• Provides a framework for sharing effective

practices • Asks questions, does not prescribe methods or

strategies

• Broadens participation in leadership and problem

solving

Accreditation and Research

Figure 6: Flowchart showing the divisions and considerations for accreditation aims in improving.

A New Model for Universities: Case Study Example From

the UK

In the UK, the Entrepreneurial University of the Year Award is a recognition of HE excellence in demonstrating how institutional leadership and a strong entrepreneurial culture can create the policies and practices that are conducive to the development of enterprising and entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviors throughout the organization.

The criteria used in the assessment include:

1. Institutional Environment

a. How has the university transformed its culture to provide environments conducive for supporting student enterprise and graduate entrepreneurship?

b. How is institutional leadership for driving enterprise and entrepreneurship throughout the institution demonstrated?

2. Student Engagement

• How are students and graduates demonstrating their ability to apply the enterprising and entrepreneurial mindsets and behaviors learnt through their university

experiences?

• How has the student experience enhanced a positive attitude towards enterprise and entrepreneurship as a

career and life choice?

3. Innovative and Entrepreneurial Staff

• How have staff demonstrated innovation and growth in their approach to the design and delivery of the institution’s enterprise and entrepreneurship

offerings?

• How are staff incentivized and rewarded for developing excellence in enterprise and

entrepreneurship practice?

pg. 43

4. Entrepreneurial Impact

• What impact has the institution had on the entrepreneurial outcomes of staff, students, and

graduates?

• What step-change has been achieved in the delivery of

regional and national entrepreneurship goals?

• What enterprise and entrepreneurship good practice

and effectiveness has been demonstrated?

• In what ways has the institution’s experiences influenced policy and practice in the wider

environment?

What about Arab World? Where are We from All these terms? Case Example: Jordan

4. There are many Higher Education institutions in

Jordan (10 public, 13 private)

5. There is an accreditation for Higher Education in

Jordan (Accreditation and Quality Assurance

Commission for Higher Education Institutions)

6. Who is Responsible for Scientific Research Policies,

Strategies & Coordination in Jordan?

7. The Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific

Research (Council of Higher Education) and The Higher Council for Science & Technology (HCST)

Figure 7.1 (left): Jordan Science and Technology Structure, demonstrating the relationship between private sectors, government institutions, and universities/research centers. Figure 7.2 (right):

Funding parties in scientific research in Jordan.

Figure 7.1: Jordan Science and Technology Structure, demonstrating the relationship between private sectors, government institutions, and universities/research centers.

Figure 7.2: Funding parties in scientific research in Jordan.

Jordan Science and Technology Structure

Who is Responsible for funding research and innovation? Scientific Research Support Fund (SRF)

• ➢ Established in 2007 as a financially & administratively independent government institute, responsible for encouraging & supporting scientific

research in Jordan.

• ➢ The Fund plays a key role in the implementation of the higher education & scientific research national strategic plan:

✓ Advance scientific research & development.

✓ Develop higher education.

✓ Strengthen the private sector role in developing scientific

research especially transformational scientific research that

national continuous development plans require

Who is responsible for Innovation in Jordan and, most

importantly, who develops it?

1. Innovation centers inside Universities

2. Transfer Technology Offices inside universities

3. Business / Technology Incubators 4. The Royal Scientific Society - Technology Transfer

Center (TTC) 5. Queen Rania Centre for Entrepreneurship (QRCE)

Still a long way to go!

pg. 44

What is needed to Achieve Excellence in Higher Education?

Which is more important Basic Research or Applied Research?

Do we need more Funding to promote Research Excellence?

How to Improve Knowledge Transfer Between Research Institutions and industry

The Pros of early stage development:

More Excellence Innovation Creating Entrepreneurship Culture

Concluding Remarks: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward

Universities are the main players in Research, Transfer of Knowledge, and Innovation.

Final Questions

• ➢ Are Ranking & Accreditation ways to improve

Research (Quality and Quantity?)

➢ Is Excellence in Higher Education the best Way to

achieve Research ongoing and improving?

• ➢ Can High Quality of Research lead to MORE .......

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

References

• European Association for Quality Assurance in higher

education, 2014, The concepts of excellence of higher

education (ENQA)

• "What Comes after Those Ellipses?"

BusinessDictionary.com. Business Dictionary

Directory, n.d. Web. 05 July 2017.

• White, Nancy. "Thoughts on Defining Innovation in

Education." Innovations in Education. Writings in

Innovation, n.d. Web. 03 July 2017.

• Research and Innovation in Education for Sustainable

Development, CoDes, 2016, Enviroment and School

Initiative-ENS/zvR-zal 408619713, Vienna, Austria

• "Entrepreneurship Definition - What Is Entrepreneurship."

Shopify. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2017.

• Irina Purcarea, Entrepreneurship and Higher Education: An

Outlook on Some Best Practices in an Education.

Jel: A2, I2, I25, M13

• Education in the Knowledge Triangle, DG Education &

Culture Framework Contract 02/10-Lot2 Final

Report, 2012

• "Rank." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 08 July 2017.

<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rank>.

• Malara, Zbigniew; Miśko, Rafał; Sulich, Adam. "Wroclaw

University of Technology graduates' career paths".

• OECD, How Do Ranking Impact on Highr Education, 2007,

Programme on Institutional Management in Higher

Education

• Guthrle, S., Wamae, W., Dlepeveen, S., Wooding, S., and

Grant, J. 2013, Measuring Research: A Guide to

research evaluation Frameworks and tools, RAND

EUROPE.

• "The 50 Top Research Universities." Best College Reviews.

N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2017.

<http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/top-research-

universities/>.

• "Get College Matches Based on GPA, Majors, Location,

Culture and Test Scores." College Raptor. College

Raptor Institution, n.d. Web. 06 July 2017.

• TEMPUS LEBANON HERE, Qualit Assurance in Higher

Education, Basic Concepts

• Ruben, B. Excellence in Higher Education Workbook and

scoring Instruction, 2007, An Integrated Approach

to Assessment Planning and Improvement in Colleges

and Universities

pg. 44

What is needed to Achieve Excellence in Higher Education?

Which is more important Basic Research or Applied Research?

Do we need more Funding to promote Research Excellence?

How to Improve Knowledge Transfer Between Research Institutions and industry

The Pros of early stage development:

More Excellence Innovation Creating Entrepreneurship Culture

Concluding Remarks: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward

Universities are the main players in Research, Transfer of Knowledge, and Innovation.

Final Questions

• ➢ Are Ranking & Accreditation ways to improve

Research (Quality and Quantity?)

➢ Is Excellence in Higher Education the best Way to

achieve Research ongoing and improving?

• ➢ Can High Quality of Research lead to MORE .......

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

References

• European Association for Quality Assurance in higher

education, 2014, The concepts of excellence of higher

education (ENQA)

• "What Comes after Those Ellipses?"

BusinessDictionary.com. Business Dictionary

Directory, n.d. Web. 05 July 2017.

• White, Nancy. "Thoughts on Defining Innovation in

Education." Innovations in Education. Writings in

Innovation, n.d. Web. 03 July 2017.

• Research and Innovation in Education for Sustainable

Development, CoDes, 2016, Enviroment and School

Initiative-ENS/zvR-zal 408619713, Vienna, Austria

• "Entrepreneurship Definition - What Is Entrepreneurship."

Shopify. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2017.

• Irina Purcarea, Entrepreneurship and Higher Education: An

Outlook on Some Best Practices in an Education.

Jel: A2, I2, I25, M13

• Education in the Knowledge Triangle, DG Education &

Culture Framework Contract 02/10-Lot2 Final

Report, 2012

• "Rank." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 08 July 2017.

<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/rank>.

• Malara, Zbigniew; Miśko, Rafał; Sulich, Adam. "Wroclaw

University of Technology graduates' career paths".

• OECD, How Do Ranking Impact on Highr Education, 2007,

Programme on Institutional Management in Higher

Education

• Guthrle, S., Wamae, W., Dlepeveen, S., Wooding, S., and

Grant, J. 2013, Measuring Research: A Guide to

research evaluation Frameworks and tools, RAND

EUROPE.

• "The 50 Top Research Universities." Best College Reviews.

N.p., n.d. Web. 08 July 2017.

<http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/top-research-

universities/>.

• "Get College Matches Based on GPA, Majors, Location,

Culture and Test Scores." College Raptor. College

Raptor Institution, n.d. Web. 06 July 2017.

• TEMPUS LEBANON HERE, Qualit Assurance in Higher

Education, Basic Concepts

• Ruben, B. Excellence in Higher Education Workbook and

scoring Instruction, 2007, An Integrated Approach

to Assessment Planning and Improvement in Colleges

and Universities

pg. 45

pg. 46

Sessions Moderator: H.E Prof. Adnan Badran

Biography: Dr. Adnan Badran is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Jordan, the Chancellor of University of Petra, biologist with 120 publications, including 22 books and 4 patents. Awarded honorary doctorates from, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul (1981); an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Michigan State University, (2007); West Watkins distinguished Lectureship Award (2009) and the Hall of Fame Alumni Award from Oklahoma State University, USA; Honorary Professorship from L.N. Gumilev Eurasian National University Kazakhstan (2012); an Honorary Doctorate in Business, from Yarmouk University, Jordan (2014).

Awarded the Arab Thought Foundation for best Arab Scientist in higher education research 2005; TWAS Regional Prize for "Building Scientific Institutions", 2009; the World Education Asia award for Outstanding Contribution to education 2011 and the Shoman award for Peer review of young Arab scientists.

Badran is a former Prime Minister of Jordan (2005), former Minister of Agriculture and former Minister of Education. Joined UNESCO as Deputy Director-General of UNESCO (ADG) (DDG) 1990 - 1998; Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Science, Education and Culture, and President of the National Centre of Human Rights of Jordan, and President of the Asia-Pacific Forum on human rights, Sidney (2009-

2011). He is a Fellow and vice-president of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), and fellow of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences and the Arab Thought Forum President of the Arab Academy of Sciences, and President of the Board of AFED in Beirut.

Badran received his B.Sc. from Oklahoma State University (1959), and Master then PhD from Michigan State University (1963), USA.

Role of Research and Development (R&D) in the GCC Marketplace Notes for the Roundtable Discussion on Symposium Topics

Moderated by Adnan Badran There is no doubt that the GCC region is witnessing a rapid change in the educational and the R&D sector in term of quantity and in quality.

More than 9 million students were enrolled in 35,000 schools with an average of 10 students per teacher. Kuwait scored the best figure of 8.3 students per teacher. There is more than 1.5 million in higher education with an average of 22 students per professor. The total number of scholarships exceeded 185,000 (GCC statistic center 2015).

Saudi Arabia represented the largest percentage of students in the region (73%) followed by UAE (9.3%), Oman (6.9%), Kuwait (6.3%), Qatar 2.4%, and Bahrain (2%).

On the faculty, GCC region reached 863,000 teachers; Saudi Arabia represented 74% of teachers in GCC followed by Kuwait with 70,000 representing 6.6% of GCC, followed by Oman, UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain.

Number of higher education institutions (HEIs) in the GCC has reached 860. SA holds the highest number of 678 followed by UAE with 72, Oman of 55, Kuwait of 24, Bahrain of 17, Qatar of 14.

The total number of faculty in HEIs has reached 72,333 (excluding UAE), SA represented 82% followed by Oman 7%.

The faculty/ student ratio was the highest in Bahrain of 26 students per faculty member, Saudi Arabia 20 students, Kuwait 19 and Qatar 10.9 students/per faculty member.

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Where & What R&D in Private Universities: Case of Jordan When private universities started in Jordan, their budget was allocated for teaching with no budget for research, although, faculty promotion was regulated to the same criteria of those regulations of public universities of publishing minimum number of peer-reviewed articles in accredited journals as an obligatory for promotion. Sabbaticals were part of the faculty member regulation in the public HEIs to do research, but were not in private universities.

Therefore, the national accreditation board drafted an obligatory bylaw that a minimum of 5% of university budget, whether public or private, should be geared to research (3% for research, 2% for scholarship abroad).

That bylaw changed the landscape of R&D, particularly at private universities, where they have become equipped with research laboratories and a research budget for scientists to travel abroad, to participate in conferences and present their papers, or register their R&D outcome in patents.

Some private universities as the University of Petra and Philadelphia University in Jordan went further by presenting choices to faculty members on how to make use of their 3 months summer vacation : for those who wish to spend their 3 months summer to go abroad doing full time research, will be sponsored completely by the university, in term of travel and living allowances over and above their usual monthly salaries, or a choice to stay home to do summer teaching (and research) with extra allowance for teaching summer to their monthly salaries.

Summer vacation has proven to be more effective than sabbaticals in the private university where the faculty member, can start taking advantage by using it from the start after his first year in service. The cost of summer-sabbaticals is covered from the 3% annual university budget tailored for research.

This program has evolved to be effective in the internationalization of bridging the university staff with other staff and labs abroad, at well-accredited universities, and has promoted exchange of staff and encouraged collaborative research & conferences. Such a program has opened new opportunities for some staff to go back to their alma-mater university and re-establish contacts and new collaboration in research of joint interest.

In addition, summer research work abroad has enhanced and catalyzed the faculty member to continue his research work along with his teaching load when he returns at home-campus.

Collaboration with research groups abroad is a good venue of doing research and creating knowledge and technology transfer at home between the GCC private universities. This might be the road map to excellence in the development of science, technology and innovation. The corner-stone in higher education is the faculty member, who can make or break the change in private universities toward excellence.

The Landscape of R&D in the Arab Region as Compared to other countries Science policy in the Arab Region is in a state of turmoil, due to incompatibility, instability, and most importantly an absence of the political will to capitalize on R&D for development and self-reliance.

In 2009, the Arab Economic Summit in Kuwait (Badran, 2017) proclaimed a resolution that priority of research responding to local needs with, global impact, in the Arab region is the triangle of energy, water, and food security nexus.

Investment in research and in relevant quality higher education, responding to local needs is a priority for building knowledge economy based on human capital, knowledge created by basic research to stimulate innovations, and introduce new technologies to overcome unemployment and poverty.

Delivery of a problem-oriented research by universities, research centers and corporate are strongly linked to the development and creation of wealth.

Indicators show that the UAE & Qatar are leading the Arab countries in the global competitiveness index (2016-2017). The academia in universities, research institutes and the multinational corporations led the demographics survey of global research outputs.

In addition, indicators show that investment in research is done mostly by the government in the Arab region as compared to the OECD countries where research is done mostly by the private sector. The U.S. is still leading the world in investing in science by having a 2.8% of its GDP-$465 billion/year, and 50% of world Noble laureates in science and medicine.

In the Arab world, Morocco is leading the investment in research (0.73% of its GDP), followed by Tunisia, Egypt and UAE, while Tunisia is leading in the number of researchers (FTEs per million people) followed by Morocco and Egypt.

In the number of scientific peer-reviewed papers, the U.S. is leading the world, (21% of world), followed by China, Japan, Germany and UK, while in the Arab world, Egypt is leading followed by Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, UAE and Jordan.

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Indexed publications (Scopus) intensity in the Middle East is led by Turkey, followed by Iran, Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Morocco, UAE and Jordan, while the citation is led by Israel, Lebanon, Kuwait, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.

The Arab world, particularly GCC countries need to invest more in the R&D and quality and the relevance of higher education for self-reliance and sustainability of progress and wealth.

R&D in the GCC Countries In the discussion session of the SPHERE 2017 symposium held at the Australian College of Kuwait (ACK) supported by Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), the following points have emerged around the role of research and development (R&D), in enhancing the mission of private higher education institutions (PHEI’s).

1. ACK and KFAS should continue to hold thematic SPHERE symposia to bring PHEIs in shaping higher education in the country.

2. The average expenditure on R&D in the Arab region is still very low, 0.2% of the GDP, compared to world average of 1.7%, where UAE is leading the GCC of 0.49%, Qatar 0.17%, SA 0.07% and Bahrain 0.04%.

3. The participation of the private sector in R&D is as low as 3%, while universities is 27% and government is 70%. While in the OECD, R&D is done mostly by the private sector of 70%, universities 17% and government 10% and NGO’s 3%. That is why the private sector in the industrialized countries is highly competitive.

4. Higher education in Kuwait and the Gulf, should promote the delivery of the entrepreneurs, the innovators, who can make the paradigm shift to creating knowledge and technology transfer to build the human capital based on smart intellectual human resource.

5. There are development in quality of higher education in the GCC countries as shown in Shanghai, Times-Warner, QS world universities ranking, which indicate the growth of peer-reviewed published papers in high-indexed journals and citations. But the transfer of research-delivery to technology, innovations and development of startup companies is lacking. Bridging with industry is weak, need to be strengthened.

6. Strategies of R&D put by governments of the GCC lack implementation to deliver innovation and technology. They still consume the technologies imported from abroad.

7. R&D should meet the market-need in the first place and introduce new demands of delivering new innovation and technology in the marketplace.

8. Participants agreed that quality and relevance of higher education is the start to build endogenous R&D.

SPHERE 2017 on R&D was fruitful in bringing participants to share their experience and find ways and means to elevate progress toward excellence in higher education.

R&D and Business Linking universities to business environment is expanding. South Korea has been visible in its success of linking industry to well-established universities. SungKyun Kwan University which was founded in the 14th country stands in the top ten universities of the world for industrial collaboration most importantly through R&D alliance with Samsung and sometimes referred to as “Samsung University” due to the amount of R&D collaboration.

Pohang University of Science and Technology which was established in 1986 by Korean steel company Posco, where R&D of the university made Posco one of the most competitive steel companies in the world.

There is no doubt, S.Korea investment in R&D has contributed to the rise of the country as an economic powerhouse in the world, S.Korea invest in R&D 4.23% of its GDP, one of the highest in the world, and also owes much of its success to the collaboration between universities and industries.

Norwegian University of Science and Technology is topping the Times Higher Education league table of universities producing the highest proportion of R&D collaboration with a single partner-SINTEF.

The evolution of higher education is leading universities to produce more quality and relevant research, and it’s expected that universities will capitalize on their research and scholarly activity to their commercial advantage and to the enhanced prosperity of the state. Universities are expected to exploit their delivery of research for creativity knowledge and cultural integrity, and for commercial gains. No conflict here since prosperity would promote culture of more resourceful society.

The debate continues by academia and industry how to define the lines between basic research, applied, and experimental research development. As put by Frascati definition basic discovers the underlying resource of events as sheer of curiosity to create knowledge for its own sake (Newton), applied is to produce knowledge with practical outcome, and experimental is to draw on existing knowledge to enhance a product or a process for commercialization.

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Thomas Edison (1879) creation of the light bulb is an applied and experimental development relied on previous basic research by Alessandro Volta, who discovered that current would make wire glow in 1800.

Intellectual property is recognized for protecting inventions and teaching materials. However, some universities have made their educational material publically available at no cost, and made possible through internet. This was embraced by MIT and other outstanding world-class higher institutions.

Private universities are not bound by the bureaucracy of public (governmental) universities. They are flexible and business-minded in doing things efficiently and effectively. They are the right institutions to lead in linking R&D through contractual research with industry as a win-win collaboration for the benefit of all.