The Fund for Supporting Scientific Research and Innovation constitutes one of the most influential national pillars in redefining the role of scientific research in Jordan, by serving as an effective tool in shaping the future rather than just a parallel academic activity. This importance is further deepened by integrating the fund into the Higher Council for Science and Technology, where scientific research moves from traditional funding to a space of national strategic planning, becoming an integral part of the decision-making system, and aligned with the developmental and economic priorities of the state.
Integrating the fund within the Higher Council for Science and Technology should not be seen merely as an administrative or organizational measure, but as a qualitative shift in the philosophy of managing research and innovation. The Council, by virtue of its national position and coordinating role, acts as a liaison between knowledge, public policies, and productive sectors, which enhances the fund’s ability to direct financing towards specific national issues with tangible economic and social impacts. This institutional positioning strengthens the unity of reference, reduces the dispersal in programs and initiatives, and establishes the concept of need-based directed research over isolated individual interests.
This role directly integrates with the economic modernization system based on innovation, productivity enhancement, and transforming the economy into one based on knowledge and added value. Through its mechanisms and programs, the fund acts as an execution tool to translate modernization pillars into applied research projects targeting vital sectors, seeking practical solutions to national challenges in energy, water, health, food, technology, and industry. In this sense, research is not an end in itself, but a well-considered means to improve economic performance, enhance sector competitiveness, and create high-quality job opportunities based on knowledge.
From a broader perspective, the fund's work aligns with the objectives of sustainable development as a global framework for balancing economic growth, social justice, and environmental sustainability. The fund's focus on economic and social impact places it at the heart of this agenda, whether through supporting applied research that improves the quality of education, enhancing industrial innovation, or contributing to resource efficiency and responsible utilization. The funded research projects become practical tools to support sustainable development, not just slogans tied to public discourse.
The expected impact in the coming years is likely to emerge gradually and on multiple levels. At the governance level, localization is expected to enhance the integration of research and economic policies, improve resource allocation efficiency, and build a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. At the content level, the weight of applied research and innovations that can be transformed into products, services, or public policies is expected to increase, along with an expansion in partnerships between universities and the public and private sectors. At the result level, a cumulative impact is likely in the number of practical solutions, maturity of technology readiness, increased chances of establishing startups based on scientific research, and improved management and investment of intellectual property.
These outputs are based on a clear scientific methodology followed by the Higher Council for Science and Technology in managing the fund, starting with identifying approved national priorities, directing research invitations within these priorities, then subjecting the proposals to precise stage-based evaluation processes that balance scientific quality and application feasibility. The methodology does not stop at funding but extends to implementation monitoring, institutional capacity building, intellectual property rights organization, and preparing the necessary environment for technology transfer and marketing results. This extension of the support cycle reflects a profound understanding that innovation is a holistic process that starts with an idea and ends only with an impact.
The real leadership of the Fund for Supporting Scientific Research and Innovation, under its localization with the Higher Council for Science and Technology, is embodied in its ability to redefine the relationship between the university, the community, and the economy. As the clarity of the national research question increases, partnerships are strengthened, and roles are integrated, scientific research transforms from an elitist activity into a driving force for comprehensive development. In this trajectory, the fund is viewed not just as a financier, but as a national engineer of an innovation system capable of transforming knowledge into value, ambition into achievement, and planning into sustainable impact.
