Arab Scientists.. Innovation with Limited Resources

One of the most prominent of these experiments is the employment of nanotechnology to develop existing drugs, instead of bearing the exorbitant cost and long years required to discover new drugs. At the Zewail City of Science and Technology in Egypt, researchers have worked on developing a method to deliver the anti-cancer drug "Doxorubicin" using nanotechnology, with the aim of improving the targeting of cancer cells and reducing its impact on healthy cells.

Dr. Ibrahim El-Sherbiny, President of the University of Science and Technology at Zewail City, confirms that developing known drugs and improving their efficiency represents an important opportunity for Arab researchers, as it does not necessarily require the huge investments needed for discovering a new drug, which may take about 12 years to develop.

These capabilities are not limited to the medical field, but extend to the development of fertilizers, water treatment filters, and other products by improving their properties using nanomaterials.

Open Data.. A Laboratory Without Walls

Analyzing already available data represents one of the promising paths for Arab researchers, as it allows access to new scientific results without the need to collect samples or conduct costly laboratory experiments.

Dr. Tarek Kabil, a tenured professor in the Department of Biotechnology at Cairo University and a member of the international expert team at UNESCO for the Science Report, points out that re-analyzing published data can lead to new discoveries, while relying only on relatively limited computing capabilities.

An example of this is a study conducted by researchers in the UAE, during which they re-analyzed genetic data from the Middle East that was publicly available, and were able to detect tens of thousands of structural variations in the genetic material, including changes that had not been recorded before.

In Morocco, a research team from Hassan II University of Casablanca used open genetic data and machine learning techniques to search for potential genetic markers associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

The team was able to identify 1,890 candidate genetic variations, relying on a desktop computer with an "Intel Core i5" processor and 16 gigabytes of RAM, along with available analysis software, without the need to conduct new laboratory experiments as part of the study.

These experiments reveal that the value of scientific research is not always linked to the power of the equipment, but to the researcher's ability to ask new questions and extract important results from available information.

Biotechnology.. Wealth in Waste

Biotechnology offers another field in which Arab researchers can achieve tangible progress, especially since it relies on using microorganisms and enzymes to address local environmental and industrial problems.

Among the most prominent potential applications are converting agricultural waste into economically valuable products, treating polluted water and soil, and utilizing enzymes produced by local microorganisms.

In Egypt, researchers have turned to studying bacteria isolated from organic compost resulting from agricultural waste, testing their ability to produce cellulase and xylanase enzymes, which contribute to the breakdown of plant fibers.

The researchers were able to identify the appropriate conditions for enhancing the production and activity of these two enzymes, paving the way for future research aimed at using them to treat agricultural waste and convert it into useful products.

Kabil believes that this type of research benefits from locally available raw materials, but when moving to industrial application, it requires effective cooperation between universities and companies, in addition to evaluating economic feasibility and costs.

International Cooperation.. Sharing Resources

The weakness of local capabilities does not mean one must work in isolation from the world; international partnerships allow researchers to benefit from equipment and expertise that are difficult to provide within their own institutions.

Dr. Khaled Edbe, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Benghazi in Libya, emphasizes that directing research toward local problems, leveraging natural resources, and building partnerships with external scientific institutions can help overcome many obstacles.

Researchers can, for example, carry out the preparation and study stages of materials within their local laboratories, then seek the assistance of international research centers to conduct advanced analyses for which equipment is not available locally.

The benefits of this cooperation are not limited to completing research, but include training young researchers, forming specialized scientific teams, improving the quality of scientific publishing, and converting results into applications that serve the health, environmental, and industrial sectors.

However, Edbe stresses that the ability of scientists to innovate in light of limited resources does not mean that the continued lack of funding is acceptable; individual solutions and international cooperation cannot replace the existence of an integrated research system and sustainable funding.

Reverse Engineering.. Innovation from the Heart of the Crisis

In Iraq, reverse engineering has emerged as one of the solutions that helped research institutions deal with damaged infrastructure and the difficulty of importing complex equipment.

Dr. Nasser Al-Rawi, Head of the Laser and Optical Electronics Engineering Department at Dijlah University, says that Iraqi personnel have turned to maintaining damaged equipment and rehabilitating it using materials available in the local market, rather than relying entirely on importing new equipment.

These efforts have gone beyond the repair stage to developing equipment locally, qualifying researchers and students, and utilizing acquired expertise in designing more efficient and smaller equipment.

Examples include the maintenance and manufacturing of industrial laser devices, and working to reduce the size of some devices that previously required large spaces, converting them into smaller models more suitable for available resources.

This experience reflects the importance of employing engineering knowledge in facing crises and turning a lack of resources into a motivation to search for innovative solutions.

Arab Models for Building a Scientific System

Attempts to develop scientific research are not limited to individual initiatives but extend to building institutions that allow researchers to share the use of advanced equipment.

An OECD review published in 2026 indicates an increase in the proportion of Egyptian research completed in collaboration with international teams from about 25% in 2013 to 34% in 2022, which reflects the growing importance of cross-border scientific partnerships.

The "SESAME" center in Jordan highlights an important model for this trend, as it provides researchers with the ability to use synchrotron light to conduct advanced studies on materials, biological systems, fossils, and other fields that require expensive equipment.

Instead of each university bearing the cost of purchasing advanced equipment separately, qualified researchers can take advantage of the experimental lines available at the center, perform measurements in cooperation with its experts, and then complete the analysis of the results at their own research institutions.

European cooperation has contributed to developing the center's equipment and training its staff, and has also provided 6 million euros in funding to establish an X-ray imaging line.

This experience confirms that sharing research infrastructure may be more effective and less costly than trying to have every scientific institution possess all the equipment it needs.

Can Arab Research Compete with Limited Resources?

The aforementioned models agree that weak funding does not mean it is impossible to achieve scientific breakthroughs, but it forces researchers to choose fields that can achieve the best results at the lowest costs.

The most prominent opportunities lie in investing in open data, developing existing products and drugs using nanotechnology, employing biotechnology to address local problems, and manufacturing and maintaining equipment locally, in addition to expanding cooperation between universities and international research centers.

However, moving from individual successes to sustainable scientific competition requires more than just the diligence of researchers; it requires stable funding, strong institutions, an environment that encourages innovation, and real partnerships with the industrial sector.

The real bet is not just on accomplishing scientific research with a modest computer or a laboratory with limited capabilities, but on transforming these initiatives into a system capable of producing knowledge, developing technology, and achieving a tangible impact on the lives of Arab societies.