Jordan of Its Geography to Its Position in a Historically Turbulent Geopolitical Region, Jordan Is a Place Where to Survive and Prosper Requires Considerable Effort
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From a dearth of natural resources, water scarcity and the aridity of much Jordan of its geography to its position in a historically turbulent geopolitical region, Jordan is a place where to survive and prosper requires considerable effort. Unlike many of its oil-rich neighbours, Jordan has limited natural resources. As a result, Jordan’s future prosperity depends upon its ability to harness its human capital and relatively young population to support future economic growth. The development of a national ‘ecosystem’ that stimulates science, technology and innovation (STI) offers Jordan an excellent opportunity to ensure future economic development and the welfare of its citizens. This report analyses the state of STI in Jordan, and provides an assessment of how effectively the existing national innovation system (NIS) develops and supports the country’s innovative capabilities. The research for this report was conducted as part of a multi-partner project entitled the Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation. Bringing together partners from across the Islamic world, Europe and North America, the Atlas project is exploring the changing landscape of science and innovation across a diverse selection of countries with large Muslim populations. The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation Science and Islamic-World of Atlas The Jordan The Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation Country Case Study Dr Sami Mahroum, Dr Jaber M. Al-Bdour, Elizabeth Scott, Suha Shouqar and Eng. Abeer Arafat The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation is supported by an international consortium of partners listed below. The views outlined in this report do not necessarily reflect the policy position of these partner organisations. Each country report within the Atlas project importantly draws on in-country partners. In the case of Jordan, special thanks go to the Royal Scientific Society (the National Focal Point) and the Princess Sumaya University for Technology (the National Research Partner). Cover image: Astrolabe from the workshop of Regiomontanus, the 15th century mathematician and astronomer. An astrolabe is a scientific instrument used to work out the time of day using the sun or the stars. It could also be used for astrological horoscopes and mathematical calculations. Astrolabes were first made around 150 BC in Greece. They were further developed by Islamic scholars and were often used for determining the exact direction of Mecca. (Description (c) BBC website. See bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects) Jordan The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation Country Case Study Dr Sami Mahroum Director INSEAD Innovation & Policy Initiative, INSEAD Abu Dhabi Campus Dr Jaber M. Al-Bdour Chairman of Management Information Systems Department, The King Hussein School for Information Technology, Princess Sumaya University of Technology, Jordan Elizabeth Scott Research Assistant, INSEAD Abu Dhabi Campus Suha Shouqar Research Assistant to HRH, President of the Royal Scientific Society, Jordan Special thanks also go to: Eng. Abeer Arafat Knowledge Management Officer, Royal Scientific Society ISBN: 978-1-78252-005-4 NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA. Contents | 5 Foreword from His Excellency Professor Dr Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference 7 Introduction and summary 8 STI and the national innovation system in Jordan 9 The Atlas of Islamic-World Science and Innovation 10 1 Mapping 11 1.1 Economic overview of Jordan 11 1.2 The imperative of developing STI in Jordan 15 1.3 The NIS in Jordan 16 1.4 Key inputs to the STI system 29 1.5 Key outputs from the STI system 40 1.6 Bright spots of innovation in Jordan 46 2 People 62 2.1 The Jordanian people: a youthful asset 62 2.2 An influx of refugees 64 2.3 Developing the national education system 64 2.4 Jordan’s diaspora 72 2.5 Retaining and attracting talent 74 3 Places 75 3.1 STI in Jordan’s regional centres 78 3.2 Regional innovation policy 85 4 Business 86 4.1 R&D and innovation in the private sector 86 4.2 Entrepreneurial innovation 89 4.3 Access to capital 90 4.4 Home-grown heroes 94 5 Culture 96 5.1 A ‘tribal society’? 96 5.2 A highly educated nation 97 5.3 The Jordanian entrepreneur 98 5.4 The gender factor 100 5.5 Good governance 101 5.6 Political climate 101 6 Sustainability 103 6.1 The pressures of immigration and resettlement 103 6.2 Energy mix 104 6.3 Water sufficiency 106 6.4 Food security 109 6 | Jordan 7 Collaboration 112 7.1 Collaboration within Jordan’s NIS 113 7.2 Local collaboration 114 7.3 Regional collaboration 116 7.4 International collaboration 118 8 Prognosis 120 8.1 Assessment of the Jordanian STI system 120 8.2 Recommendations for the future development of STI and the NIS in Jordan 125 Appendix 1 133 Appendix 2 134 Acknowledgements 138 Foreword | 7 Foreword Foreword from His Excellency Professor Dr Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, Secretary-General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference The completion of the Jordan Case Study marks another milestone in the Atlas of Islamic World Science and Innovation project. The study is an effort to analyze the status of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), the related policy framework, governance structures, roles of various stakeholders and key science and innovation inputs and outputs. I would like to convey my appreciation for the keen personal interest and support of Her Royal Highness Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan in the preparation of the Jordan report which reaffirms Her Highness’s strong patronage and commitment to supporting education and science and technology in Jordan. I am pleased to note the recent steps by Jordan for the promotion of STI including programmes for strengthening R&D, scientific research funding, technology transfer and fostering industry-research collaboration. Efforts to develop the national education system at all levels from primary and secondary education to higher education are an important contribution towards building a knowledge- based economy in Jordan. With its strong education system, well-educated young population, a rapidly developing ICT sector and well-established medical services industry, Jordan can make up for its deficiency in terms of natural resources. I am hopeful that the recommendations contained in the report will be given due consideration by all the stakeholders in Jordan including scientists, researchers, policy makers, educators, industry and investors and will prove to be useful in terms of strengthening STI in Jordan. I congratulate the project managers for their dedication and hard work for the finalization of the study. I thank all the partners in the Atlas project including the British Council, Qatar Foundation, COMSTECH, IDB, the International Development Research Centre of Canada, ISESCO, Nature, the Royal Society, and SESRIC for their contributions in the Atlas project. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu 8 | Jordan Introduction “First, don’t give up. … Don’t take ‘no’ for an answer. There are members of my society that when I say: ‘let’s do something’, or, ‘let’s move this sector of society’, say, ‘tsch, that’s never going to happen’, or, ‘tsch, we can’t find the money’. And I think the major challenge I have had over the past 10 years is not to be intimidated by the ‘tsch’ [attitude] that I get from society. We move forward. Sometimes you get knocked down. Sometimes you just have to dust yourself off and just keep trying.” His Majesty King Abdullah II Interview with Fareed Zachariya of CNN, Davos 2010 This was His Majesty King Abdullah II’s response to a question posed by Fareed Zachariya of CNN at Davos 2010, when asked what he believed to be the lessons he has learnt for creating growth in countries such as Jordan. It demonstrates the desire of Jordan’s leadership to drive forward its agenda for economic development while caught in the midst of a region challenged by political upheaval and military conflict. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is essentially a hard place, presenting many challenges for those mapping the path to its future economic development. From a dearth of natural resources, water scarcity and the aridity of much of its (nearly) landlocked geography, to its position in a historically turbulent geopolitical region, Jordan is a place where to survive and prosper requires considerable effort. For over 60 years, this small country has received millions of refugees from Palestine, Kuwait, Iraq and most recently Syria. During the same period it has been either at war or surrounded by it. The consequent influx of refugees has exerted enormous pressures on the limited natural and physical resources of the country. With every wave of refugees, the demand for water, food, land, housing, schooling, transportation and energy has risen sharply, straining the country’s resources. And yet, surprisingly, Jordan has emerged from these crises with expanded infrastructure, increased economic prosperity, improved education and expanded agricultural land. It is as if the ‘refugee influxes’ have constantly reminded the country of its shortcomings and weaknesses and kept those high on the political agenda. Today, while the country is relatively stable in the region, the same challenges remain: water, food and regional security. While it could be argued that these represent the most constant and threatening challenges for Jordan, other pressing challenges also exist, namely tackling the issues of unemployment, poverty, demographic growth, brain drain and Introduction and summary | 9 economic development. Unlike many of its oil-rich neighbours, Jordan has limited natural resources. As a result, Jordan’s future prosperity depends upon its ability to harness its human capital and relatively young population to support future economic growth.