Under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of ALECSO, a consultative meeting was held on September 3, 2025, at ALECSO headquarters in Tunis, to discuss the structuring of the ALECSO Fund for Scientific Research, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship. This is part of the implementation of the Arab Strategy for Scientific Research, Technology, and Innovation, approved by the 28th Arab Summit, which emphasized the priority of investing in scientific research and innovation as a cornerstone for sustainable development in the Arab world.
This Fund, the first of its kind in the Arab world, serves as a key tool to support regionally impactful research and innovation projects. It aims to encourage youth entrepreneurship, empower Arab women researchers, and strengthen integration between the industrial/service sectors and universities, thereby contributing to the transformation of research outputs into practical applications in the service of development.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Mohamed Sanad Abu Darwish, Director of Science and Scientific Research at ALECSO, started by conveying the greetings of the Director-General and his best wishes for the success of the meeting. He indicated that the Fund constitutes a qualitative leap in supporting scientific research in Arab countries, and a strategic step toward building a competitive Arab human capital. He also emphasized that the Fund will provide an innovative and sustainable financing mechanism, thereby elevating scientific research in the Arab region to match leading international experiences.
For his part, Dr. Farraj Al-Ajmi, Director of Education and Scientific Research Department at the League of Arab States, stated that the Fund serves as a platform to enhance cooperation among Arab countries in the fields of research and innovation, and contributes to unifying efforts to address common challenges.
The meeting brought together experts and academics from several Arab countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Qatar, and Tunisia, alongside representatives from international institutions, research centers and universities, such as the Cassandra Foundation (Spain), the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities, the Ministry of Culture and Local Governance of Malta, and the British Council.
Key discussion points included:
- The preliminary structure of the Fund
- Financing mechanisms, investment, and partnership with donors
- Development of an organizational plan for the upcoming Donors’ Forum
- Practical outcomes to be submitted to relevant authorities for approval
This meeting marks a fundamental step in the preparation for the Donors’ Forum, scheduled for early 2026, which will serve as a key platform for launching new partnerships and mobilizing significant funding resources for the Fund; thereby enabling the concrete implementation of the Fund’s programs and reinforcing ALECSO’s leading role in supporting scientific research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
