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Scientists are not employees.. Scientific research is an imperative

Sami Al Riyami

reyami@emaratalyoum.comsamialreyami

August 16, 2021

There is no development or progress without the development of scientific research, as it is the basis of every development, every success, and every achievement of countries, no matter how large or small, whether it is in medical sciences or technology, or in the industrial or agricultural fields, you name what you like, all of these Science and others cannot develop and provide better solutions to humanity, unless they are accompanied by development, financing and spending on scientific research.

It is noticeable, especially in this part of the world, and by which I mean the entire Arab world, that there is a severe weakness in the field of scientific research, perhaps even a lack of conviction in the importance of scientific research. While it is an important and independent sector that serves education and is not associated with it, and focuses on achieving scientific achievements that achieve the sponsoring state a prominent place among nations, and when thinking about reducing budgets, it is usually the first victim of this reduction. And we can say that scientific research is not considered a necessity for many!

The Gulf countries in general are trying to attract scientists, especially Arab scientists, who preferred to live in the diaspora, after they despaired of having a glimmer of hope for interest in them and scientific research in their countries, but so far they have not succeeded in attracting these scientists in the required manner, and the reasons behind that Many, but the most important of them is that the Gulf countries, like other Arab countries, do not care much about scientific research and the appreciation of scientists.

The Arab countries in general are mind expelling countries, and it is not the West that steals minds from them, as some believe. If Arab scholars had found what they wanted in their countries, they would not have left them for whatever reason, and the examples of this are many, and the Gulf states, despite their qualitative superiority over the rest of the Arab countries in this field, do not have a strategy for scientific research, and they do not have the will to do so, and they do not seek to provide a climate The necessary research and production, and if we do not see the adoption of such a strategy soon, we will undoubtedly spend our money in vain, and we will lose our way again, which means the migration of more brains in the region, and then they will never return!

We have to be aware that the real world is not an employee, and he does not want to look for a job, rather he is the owner of a dream, and he wants someone to prepare the conditions for him to achieve his dream in scientific research and achieve achievements without rushing results, and so far we are dealing with scientists as if they were employees, but we discount From the budgets of scientific research, and we end the services of scientists in cases of austerity, while a country like Switzerland guarantees the world a pension from the federal government, and provides a special budget for scientific research with which the researcher can do whatever he wants, contact any research center he wants, and risk projects that may fail. In the end!

Reducing scientific research budgets does not happen in the West at all. In the first year of his presidency, Donald Trump tried to deduct from the medical research budget. All members of Congress objected to this requirement. They even increased the amount allocated to the research budget. Last year, the European Parliament approved an increase in The budget for scientific research in the amount of 4.1 billion euros!

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