By Essam Mitwally Nations of the world are divided into two distinct classes: developed and developing, and the gap is getting wider with time. So what makes a country developed rather than developing? The list is long, but one salient feature is the ability to carry out scientific research at various levels with one common view: solving the problems that face the society in its effort to develop. Scientific research will serve the community when certain elements are made available. Ranked by their importance in this writer's opinion, these elements are knowledgeable human resources; well equipped scientific research centers or institutions; and the will to link scientific research with the problems of the community. There is no doubt that Egypt is endowed with scientists of the highest caliber. The proof is in the success stories of Egyptian scientists everywhere outside Egypt. We all know about the "brain drain" and how developed countries are luring scientists from the developing countries to work for them. The incentive could be monetary, but mostly it is the sense of achievement experienced by those migrating scientists. Unfortunately, most scientists in Egypt are working at the various national universities where research facilities are lacking in quantity and quality, due to budgetary constraints. In the developed countries (as well as in some developing countries such as South Africa, Brazil, India and China), scientific research is not necessarily funded by the government. The private sector in industry, agriculture, medicine and a host of fields provides the extra-budgetary resources for the research centers and academic institutions. In return, these centers or institutions provide solutions to the problems that face those providing the funding. The results are synergetic: the research facilities get equipped, the researchers are well remunerated and enjoy self-satisfaction, and of course, the community problems are solved. Obviously, Egypt has a host of community problems that need to be solved via scientific research. Then why doesn't the private sector seek the help of the various scientific research facilities in solving their problems ? There are inherent problems and multi-tier impediments. To start with, there is a lost confidence in the ability of the scientists, who are resident in Egypt, to solve the problems faced. There is a claim by some that if these scientists were capable, they would have left the country long time ago seeking better working conditions in the developed countries. The second reason for the lagging state of scientific research in Egypt lies is the scientists themselves. Somehow, many of Egyptian scientists seem to have lost the drive to do research except for the purpose of getting promoted to the rank of professor. Much of that , of course, is due to the lack of facilities at the universities. There is more than one remedy to address this unhappy situation. But each of such remedies will require time, effort, and funds. Every effort needs a catalyst and the best catalyst here is currently the Government. Egypt has a new Cabinet with a new Minister for Higher Education who is also Minister of State for Scientific Research. The new minister, Dr. Hani Helal, having been a senior official of UNESCO, is well equipped to make a dent in this intertwined domain by driving forcibly and fast into the thicket of the scientific research jungle in Egypt. Holding both the portfolio of Higher Education and that of Scientific Research provides the Minister with a good chance to create a virtuous interaction between them. The suspicion and lack of confidence of the demand sectors (agriculture, industry, health, etc.) in the abilities of Egyptian scientists needs to be challenged and reversed. In this respect, Dr. Hilal will need the cooperation of other concerned cabinet ministers, notably the Ministers of Industry and Trade, Agriculture, Health, etc. A resource mobilization strategy (for national and external financing, also from the private sector) is possible on condition that there are viable and well designed short-term, intermediate and long-term plans and programmes based on well founded capacity-needs assessments and national commitment. Realistically, the positive long-term results targeting the upgrading of Egypt's scientific research base are not expected to be achieved during the tenure of one Cabinet, but things must be put in the right direction now. * The writer, a retired senior UN Advisor, was a research scientist for NASA in the US.
