The innovation deficit in the GCC

Despite significant efforts to foster innovation, none of the GCC nations made it to the top 10 worldwide.

Why is scientific research critical to innovation? How does it contribute to reducing the innovation deficit? Does it even matter to businesses and organizations?

Consider this: Scientific research is not just about creating knowledge, but also about disseminating it. When a paper is published, it signifies that its arguments have withstood peer review scrutiny, reflecting the quality, relevance, and novelty of the research. This in turn enhances a nation's international reputation and influences policy and economic development.

Moreover, each publication is a testament to rigorous research, writing, and persistence over months, even years. When scaled up, this process has profound positive impacts on the nation producing these scientific publications.

Now, let's look at the numbers...

In 2020, the number of academic publications in the GCC were:

🇸🇦KSA: 17,321

🇦🇪UAE: 4,443

🇶🇦Qatar: 2,347

🇰🇼Kuwait: 1,150

🇴🇲Oman: 1,083

🇧🇭Bahrain: 493

When compared to worldwide numbers:

🇨🇳China: 669,744

🇺🇸USA: 455,856

🇮🇳India: 149,213

🇩🇪Germany: 109,379

🇩🇪UK: 105,564

🇯🇵Japan: 101,014

🇷🇺Russia: 89,967

🇷🇺Italy: 85,419

🇰🇷South Korea: 72,490

🇧🇷Brazil: 70,292

When we normalize these figures to per 1M population, we see a slightly interesting picture.

For the GCC

🇶🇦Qatar: 814

🇸🇦KSA: 498

🇦🇪UAE: 449

🇧🇭Bahrain: 290

🇰🇼Kuwait: 269

🇴🇲Oman: 212

Compared to the top 10 Worldwide

🇨🇭Switzerland: 2,666

🇩🇰Denmark: 2,645

🇳🇴Norway: 2,446

🇦🇺Australia: 2,388

🇸🇪Sweden: 2,167

🇸🇪Singapore: 2,089

🇫🇮Finland: 2,045

🇮🇸Iceland: 2,004

🇳🇱Netherlands: 1,948

🇳🇿New Zealand: 1,863

So, what's the missing link here? How can your organization contribute to bridging this innovation deficit?

Let's open up the discussion. Your thoughts and insights are welcome in the comments below.