First activity report
From the summary
Project objectives
The ESTIME project (Evaluation of Scientific and Technological capabilities in MEditerranean countries) aims at the description of the scientific and technological capabilities in 8 research partners countries of the Mediterranean (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestinian Territories).
The investigation concerns all of scientific activities, including the social and human sciences. It is funded by the European Union for a whole period of two years and a half (September 2004 to February 2007).
The project would like to draw a synthetic vision on science and technology in these countries by proposing:
A statistical overview based on bibliometrics analysis of the scientific production (publications in all fields of science on a ten years period);
A description of the research institutions, higher education institutions and science and technology policies ;
An analysis of the dynamics of research activities in a choice of disciplines, based on interviews with laboratory and research personnel previously identified by the bibliometrics analysis;
An analysis of the uses of science and scientific results (relations of research centres with enterprises, development of innovation projects, activities of R&D in enterprises, NGOs activities that work with public sector researchers);
An analysis of the social sciences. They need a specific treatment because of methodological problems. World bibliographic databases cover poorly the production in these countries, specifically the non-occidental social sciences.
Work performed
Leaflets: Information leaflets by country and comparative analysis on specific aspects of the S&T activities were produced. See : http://www.estime.ird.fr/article159.html
Bibliometrics on a more detailed level is on-going. Identification of research institutions in the PASCAL database, cleaning, coding and analysis. This material serves for field work.
Identification of research teams. Teams have been identified in Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan. These do not cover all fields of the project. Further teams are to be located in Syria, Jordan, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia and Egypt. Sub-Contracts were signed wit CREAD (Algeria), CNRSL (Lebanon), Demographia (Lebanon), IFPO (Social sciences in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria), Abdul-Azziz Foundation (Morocco). A second sub-contract on innovation in Morocco is scheduled. Discussions still on-going in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria with national authorities.
Capabilities Meeting in Amman (April 2005). The first meeting was held in Amman the 25th of April, and a presentation was offered to the MoCo Adhoc committee in Amman meeting, the next day.
An internet web site has been created (http://www.estime.ird.fr/). The web site will contain all processed material, information on the project, information on events and activities. The site is in three languages (French, English, Arabic). An additional effort will be made to have local teams enter the data directly. The site is to be kept on-line after the end of the project.
Results achieved so far and expected end results
An important work needs to be done for the presentation of the data and in the information dissemination on the role of research in the Mediterranean countries. All countries have not yet been involved in the process of gathering information. Missing information concerns mainly input data (funding, budgets, number of S&T personnel, number of researchers, data on university population, and data on investments in industries related to technological development).
The participation of each country is different in the project. Research teams have been identified virtually everywhere. But national authorities’ participation to the project is still under construction. This reflects differences in the way research is organized in each country. Without hiding these differences, it seems to me that we need to understand their meaning by answering some simple questions: what is the social, economic and political role of research? Who defines this role? What forces are at work influencing the research systems? These questions cannot be answered just by gathering information that is more or less in the hands of official entities. Interviews with actors involved in policy-making and S&T activities are needed. Also, national authorities need to be more actively involved in the process. A different type of link with the project needs to be designed.
Thirdly, an important work of reflection still needs to be done. It is evident that most of us will interpret differently the ESTIME project results and data. The best we can offer in the ESTIME framework is to organize the questions, and document them in a precise way. Input from Moco members and European Commission members would be very fruitful.
Four priorities are emerging:
The interpretation of quantitative data, whenever they exist, on resources and research outputs. We must construct indicators that are meaningful, robust, validated by fieldwork and that can be updated in the future;
Understanding the formation of scientific communities in the eight countries of the project. This is a historical process that we need to document precisely.
Respond to the query on the role of social sciences in relation to other scientific disciplines. Here, we need to show concretely and materially how scientists work in the social sciences, as we will have to do in the exact and natural sciences.
Engage the discussion on the “system of innovation” in Mediterranean countries and the participation of Mediterranean partner countries to the European research space and the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean innovation space.
In order to respond to these questions we have only one solution: empirical work. It is the meaning we give to our objective of promoting “science studies” in the Mediterranean countries.
The following is taken From the activity report (sections 3 and 4):
Objectives, work performed, contractors involved and main achievements for the reporting period
Activities performed during reporting period and main achievements
In the reporting period the following activities have been performed.
Country information leaflets
OST, as main contractor of the project, has designed and created country information leaflets for the eight countries of the project and four additional countries (Israel, Malta, Cyprus and Turkey). These leaflets contain macro-bibliometric indicators and their format and presentation have been discussed, as was initially planned, in the Institutional Capability Meeting, held in Amman (April 2005). They are posted on the website of ESTIME.
Network of local partners
An active network of teams has been set up in the various countries. Its composition is given in 3.2 below.
Methodological guidelines
An important effort has been made to devise methodological guidelines fro fieldwork and information gathering. The following guidelines have been issued:
Study guide for the review of the national research system
Indicative plan for the report on institutions
Interview guidelines for research institutions, laboratories and researchers
Interview guidelines for the social sciences
Study guide for the social sciences
Methodological guidelines for innovation and uses of research
General plan for the final country report
A general article on the social sciences in the Arab world has also been produced.
All documents are available on the website.
Institutional capability meeting
A first meeting has been held in Amman in April 2005. The meeting gathered 28 members from the various countries. At that time not all partners were identified. It has discussed the main bibliometric results, the uses of micro-bibliometric data and methodological guidelines. See details and participants in the description of work package 6, section 3. The meeting has been instrumental in showing the possibilities for local teams and general coordination. A strategic assessment has been issued. Some priorities have been issued and are posted on the website:
Some priorities for the future of ESTIME:
The interpretation of quantitative data, whenever they exist, on resources and research outputs. We must construct indicators that will are meaningful, robust, validated by fieldwork and that can be updated in the future;
Understanding the formation of scientific communities in the eight countries of the project. This is a historical process that we need to document precisely.
Respond to the query on the role of social sciences in relation to other scientific disciplines. Here, we need to show concretely and materially how scientists work in the social sciences, as we will have to do in the exact and natural sciences.
Engage the discussion on the “system of innovation” in Mediterranean countries and the participation of Mediterranean partner countries to the European research space and the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean innovation space.
Micro-bibliometric work
A large effort has been devoted at using an alternative database, PASCAL, in order to identify the scientific production by cities and institutions and serve as guides for interviews in the eight countries. This effort is divided in the following activities:
Coding of the institutions and cities, based on address field in the database;
Coding of disciplines along a simplified coding system.
Presentation of data by specialisation indexes and concentration in sub-disciplines
A list of probable authors in each country (this is not straightforward since the database does not assign a specific name of author to a specific institution in the address field).
Most of the coding is finished. Presentation of data is on-going. List of authors are currently sent to local field teams. .
Diffusion of results
A website has been designed using a simple posting system (SPIP). This permits to have easy authoring for each member in the countries. The site is multilingual, English, French and Arabic.
Co-ordination with ASBIMED
As part of the project dynamic, it has been found that it is necessary to have a more co-ordinated work done with the ASBIMED project. A joint meeting is planned in Barcelona in October 2005. Moreover, some fieldwork can be done through the local work teams.
Partners to the project, work teams
GENERAL COORDINATION
Rigas ARVANITIS (IRD)
Anne-Sophie BOISARD (IRD)
ESTIME IRD TEAM:
Roland WAAST, scientific policies, bibliometrics (IRD)
Ali EL KENZ, social sciences (IRD)
Mina KLEICHE, scientific policies, main report author for Morocco (IRD)
Pénélope LARZILLIERE, scientific policies, social sciences, coordination for Jordan (IRD)
Pascal RENAUD, Coordination for New technologies of information (IRD)
SCIENCES BIBLIOMETRICS
Françoise LAVILLE and Jean THEVES (OST)
Pier Luigi ROSSI (IRD)
For each country, the « country coordination » means the main author of country report.
MOROCCO:
Main author of country report: Mina KLEICHE (IRD)
Institutions: Ilham LAAZIZ. She also assumes the coordination in Morocco. (Ministry of research)
Social Sciences Survey and social sciences bibliometrics: Rita AOUAD (independent researcher) and Jillali EL ADNANI (University of Agadir)
Uses of Science: Kamal MELLAKH (University of Agadir)
Other persons involved in the project on uses of Sciences : Mohamed SMANI (RD Maroc) and Noureddine EL AOUFI (university of Rabat)
Official Correspondents: Ilham LAAZIZ and Sanaa ZEBAKH (Ministry)
ALGERIA:
Main author of country report: Ali EL KENZ (IRD)
Institutions: Mohamed Yassine FERFERA (CREAD)
Social Sciences Survey and social sciences bibliometrics: Mohamed BENGUERNA (CREAD)
Uses of Science: Hocine KHELFAOUI (Associate researcher to CREAD)
TUNISIA:
No team identified yet
EGYPT:
The team in Egypt is virtually stopped because of the answer that is expected from the ASRT. The proposed team was as follows:
Official Correspondent: Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (proposed)
Many researchers identified that would have participated in the ASRT, and other institutions on all aspects.
LEBANON
Main author of country report: Rigas ARVANITIS, Jacques Kabbanji, Mouïn Hamzé and Franck Mermier (IRD)
Official Correspondents: Mouïn HAMZE (CNRSL)
Institutions: Mouïn HAMZE
Social Sciences Survey: Jacques KABBANJI (Lebanese University)
Social sciences bibliometrics: Elsa ZAKHIA + Franck MERMIER (IFPO)
Uses of Science: KABBANJI/HAMZÉ pro parte (to be decided).
SYRIA:
Country Coordination: To be decided.
No official correspondents.
Institutions: Not identified.
Social Sciences Survey and social sciences bibliometrics: Hassan ABBAS, in coordination with Franck MERMIER ans Elsa ZAKHIA in Lebanon
JORDAN:
Main author of country report: Pénélope LARZILLIÈRE (IRD)
Official Correspondents: Khaled EL SHURAYDEH (HCST)
Institutions: Khaled EL SHURAYDEH + Isam MUSTAPHA (HCST)
Social Sciences Survey: Abdel Hakim AL HUSBAN (Yarmouk University)
Social sciences bibliometrics: IFPO in coordination with Lebanon team
Uses of Science: Isam MUSTAPHA (in discussion)
PALESTINE:
Main author of country report: Pénélope LARZILLIÈRE (IRD)
Institutions: Abaher EL SAKKA and Pénélope LARZILLIÈRE. Local correspondents are actively sought.
Social Sciences and uses of science: To be decided
Uses of Science: Abaher EL SAKKA (Gaza)
Most important problems encountered during the reporting period
Below will be described the most important problems encountered during the reporting period and the corrective actions undertaken
Relations with authorities in some countries
We have found some difficulties in establishing specific relations with local authorities in some countries, namely Syria, Tunisia and Egypt.
In Syria, there are no clear signs of unwillingness, rather we have found that local authorities consider the research topics to be politically sensible and thus persons in the state apparatus are not willing to act before having a clear statement of interest from the European Commission. After this formal demand –which to our knowledge has been answered by the INCO programme– there still remains a difficulty in contacts.
In Tunisia, difficulties have been more clearly due to a wish formulated by the Ministry of Research to have an official invitation from the European Commission. A change in the new political context might also change the nature of the relations with ESTIME. Up to a certain point we feel that the situation in Tunisia is mainly due to a difficult relation with the European Commission and to France.
In Egypt, the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology has asked to be the sole and unique coordinator for the ESTIME project. Since this was not the initial architecture proposed by the ESTIME coordinator, some negotiations has still to be done, but the outcome of these negotiation is far from certain and it appears that the ASRT is letting too much time to undergo, as if a certain degree of pressure was necessary in order to make the project impossible to be realized in Egypt. A misunderstanding about the scope and uses of ESTIME by the European Commission is also clearly visible.
In the initial project ESTIME, these difficulties were predicted:
“We might find at a specific level in the local authorities of a specific country unwillingness to co-operate with us or provide adequate information. Up to a certain point this is inevitable since we deal with policy and information. (…) Total blackout due to political unwillingness of course may occur, but only in conflictive situations. They will be reported in our project if they appear.”
With the experience of this first year we have so far, there is no “black-out” situation, but there is a clear problem of understanding by local authorities on the reasons why ESTIME has been funded. A possibility to change this state of affairs might be to set-up a steering committee comprising MoCo personalities and the ESTIME core team. This solution which was proposed in the initial proposal up to now has not been created. It is not sure either that this would be an efficient mechanism, but it might be necessary to implement the structure even though we have no clear signs of a real interest from Med partner countries.
Incomplete local teams
Local teams have been partially identified but not on all aspects of the project and not in all countries (see 3.1.2 above). Except Tunisia where no partners or local teams have been identified, the main difficulty consists in identifying experts in the various domains of the project in the ESTIME project.
In Palestine, the project has been delayed mainly due to visa problems for one person engaged in the project as responsible for Palestinian Territories. Additional partners are actively sought.
Difficulties in accessing data
Our main sources of information on the S&T institutions are policy documents and descriptions of institutions, statistics on the inputs to the S&T system (human resources, financial resources). Most of these documents are difficult to gather. In some countries, where relations have not been engaged, this is practically impossible to have access to documents.
Difficulties in coordination work
Due to the above difficulties it seems the project is not intensive enough in going to visit local teams. Coordination difficulties arise mainly from this incomplete exchange of information between local teams and core team. Also, additional travels should be engaged in seeking local contact partners.
