A research team comprising Dr Omar Al-Ubaydli, Professor Odeh Al-Jayyousi, Head of the Innovation and Technology Management Department, and researcher Karim Sharaf, has received a certificate of excellence at the Arab Conference at Harvard 2025 (ACH25) Research Symposium, recently held in the United States.

Researcher Sharaf presented the findings of the study at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Centre in Washington, D.C., selected among three winning papers from 27 competing research posters. The award-winning research highlights a largely overlooked issue, which is the persistent lack of local post-crisis research within the Arab world, analysed through modern datasets and advanced statistical models.

The authors indicate that despite numerous major crises in recent decades, the quantity of locally conducted academic research on these events remains limited. Instead, much of the scholarly analysis comes from external entities, predominantly Western institutions.

The authors note, “This shortcoming is not merely academic. Without serious self-reflection, Arab societies risk repeating past mistakes, thereby missing opportunities for meaningful reform and long-term stability."

The study also draws comparisons to countries like post-war Germany, which invested heavily in introspective research to understand and recover from national trauma. The findings carry significant implications for policymakers, donors, and universities across the Arab world, advocating for increased investment in research capacity, safeguarding academic freedom, and fostering a cultural shift that values rigorous, locally focused research.

The symposium, themed "Transforming Today: Unity, Innovation, and Prosperity" showcased pioneering research by Arab scholars across sectors such as economics, education, healthcare, technology, and public policy.