FNC seeks increase in research spending

MEMBERS CALL FOR SETTING UP FUND TO BOOST SCIENTIFIC WORK

Members of the Federal National Council ( FNC) have decried poor funding for research and weak institutional linkage, demanding that research budgets and spending on facilities be pumped up, a report revealed.

A report prepared by the FNC’s committee on education, youth, media and culture said the UAE spent no more than 0.2 per cent of its GDP ( gross domestic product) on research in 2012.

The report, a copy of which was obtained by showed the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s funding for scientific research decreased by 15 per cent in 2012, which negatively affects the National Authority for Scientific Research.

Members of the committee found that universities across the country, including the UAE University, Zayed University and Higher College of Technology, contributed just one per cent of their budgets for scientific research.

Contributions

They called for setting up a fund for boosting scientific research, to which the federal budget, institutions and private companies can contribute.

Led by Dr Mona Al Bahar, the committee suggested boosting government spending on sci- entific research to match international levels, pumping up the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s budget for the Scientific Research Authority.

The report, which will be discussed today, said five per cent of each ministry’s budget should be allocated for salaries of experts and scientists.

“The allocation should be given to the National Scientific Research Authority to finance scientific research at universities and help ministries reduce reliance on foreign experts and consultants,” the report said.