Leveraging Research and Innovation for the Post COVID-19 Era: Lessons Learned and Future Plans Towards Economic Resilience

Abstract

Since its dawn, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges in the Arab world, and across the world that have adversely inflicted unforeseen types of damage upon the traditional notion of globalization. This has, inherently, resulted in the initiation of several new pathways for research and innovation by local government agencies in various Arab nations. Spillovers from government and industry-specific research and investment to combat COVID-19 may yet prove to be beneficial to several of the sectors involved. In view of such opportunities and growing demand, research and innovation systems in the Arab world may need to rethink and reorient research priorities to align them with imminent needs. Furthermore, the Arab world is facing daunting challenges in research and innovation due to the deep scarcity in the human capital and material resources needed to shore up economic prosperity. It is therefore imperative that Arab countries start to recognize and appreciate all genuine efforts tallied by researchers in the ways of advancing the wellbeing of the communities, and along the way help the underlying economies move in progressive pursuits. To help the various sectors of the economy go about the various activities suggested in this chapter, one can readily surmise that an all-out effort would require some concerted activities involving the concerned government agencies, participating academic institutions, first-tier researchers, various components of the industrial sector, together with funding agencies that would take up much of the expenses involved in the process of research and innovation so as to keep pace with the rest of the knowledge-based societies around the world. Indeed, this would necessitate that the various sectors (medical and health, agricultural, industrial, information and communications technology, and the educational sectors) leverage existing infrastructures and embark upon new capital investments that are ready to shoulder the responsibility of effectively moving the Arab world into the post-COVID era rapidly and successfully.

To do that, we must be able to identify sectors and institutions that can be potential partakers in the various activities of the processes involved. This would readily lead us to identify a few national organizations, which would offer access to their infrastructures to researchers and the various participating industries involved. Furthermore, the process must occur in piecemeal fashion, starting with the vital segments of the economy and transcending gradually to other segments, while observing health-directed practices in all phases, until the economic lifecycle would kick into a normal setting. The effects of the pandemic on these sectors and industries, as well as natural market forces and regulations are discussed in this chapter. These effects must be identified for policymakers to be guided toward more evidence-based planning to address the challenges that are inherently associated with them. This chapter also addresses ways and efforts of helping the various sectors go about the recommended research priorities in preparation for an era of reconstruction to build resilient national economies that are readily amenable for pan Arab integration in the post COVID-19. We finally recommend avenues and policies whereby the Arab world could levy some of the great benefits that have accrued because of the COVID-induced drawbacks in restricting global trade and economic integration.