Abstract

Information and telecommunication revolution plays an important role in the new era. Universities are the keystone in scientific research. Only, 0.27% of GDP is allocated to the scientific research in Arab countries (3% in developed countries). 1.4% of scientists are working in research and applied sciences (36.6% in Europe). Statistics demonstrate a leakage of 30-50 thousand researchers from arab countries. In 1999, Internet subscribers approximate 200 thousand in these countries; whereas, they are 520 thousand in Israel.

High education budget is limited in Syria; it represents 2.8-3% of the public budget.

The article takes Damascus University as a case study. During the last five years, the university realized 1462 researches (masters, PH.D, and professors).

Researches are hampered by lack of funds, infrastructure stagnation, absence of research methodology, bureaucracy, and low financial motivation etc.

The article suggests some solutions to encourage scientific researches. It focuses on factors taking in consideration syrian particularities. It proposes to strengthen the ralation between scientific research and education, to transfer and to implement advanced technologies etc. It suggests to adopt an economic approach of research, to head for applied researches serving development, for researches having economic feasibility and oriented to high tech control, and for strategic researches etc. The article proposes to avoid pyramidal organization to simplify the decision taking, to centralize the planning and to decentralize the executive work etc.

The paper aspires to put an organizational hierarchy for scientific research in syrian universities, to attach research centers to production units, to adopt the economic point of view within a decentralized structures.

The suggested hierarchy includes three levels: Central administration, research activity in the university and the external environment. The article explains the tasks of the main entities in the proposed hierarchy (scientific research council, committee of scientific research assessment, bureau of planning, bureau of marketing, bank of scientific research development, center of scientific cooperation, center of enterprises incubation, research institutes, administration of scientific research and bureau of studies and information services).

The lecturer explains the relation between scientific research hierarchy and the educational hierarchy in the university. The suggested hierarchy necessitates reforms in organizational and administrative procedures (amendment of the university law, special financial rules for the suggested bank…).

Syrian Universities can contribute to research in several activities (developing technical and administrative industrial systems, improving productivity, studying soil erosion, heightening the efficiency of water resources exploitation, water desalinization, exploiting shale stone, improving the efficiency in the usage of energy, recycling etc.

Finally, the lecturer suggests programs planning to modernize educational system, to encourage the activity of computer sciences, to encourage the arabic language usage in technical and scientific domains. Syrian introduction to the information era may be achieved through a strategy of scientific research, the transfer and the implementation of technology, the attraction of arab experts, the achievement of the relevant infrastructure, and the reform of laws.

In his comments, DR.M.B.ALMOUNAJED thinks that albeit its high profitability, investment in scientific research is very risky. He presents statistics of 1999 showing the mediocre budget of Damascus University ($400 per student) comparing with UVA and MIT in US ($39234 and $124785 per student respectively). This figures highlight the important financial resources supposed to be invested in research domain.

Scientific research is an innovative activity necessitating reforms in all levels of the educational process. This activity is not a procedure to increase the university teachers’ salaries.

Dr.ALMOUNAJED suggests a high committee for scientific research (in relation with the highest authorities) in order to establish the integration among all scientific research units in the country. He thinks that the mission of the suggested bank of development must be clarified. He disagrees the focusing on the relation between technical research and the product (the product is not obvious in economic and strategic research), the laboratories of engineering and technical development should be in firms beside the production lines.