REGIONAL SCIENCE CONFERENCE SEEN AS SUCCESS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DAMASCUS 005419 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR OES, AMMAN FOR WHITTLESEY E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/19/2016 TAGS: TSPL ECON EU SY SUBJECT: REGIONAL SCIENCE CONFERENCE SEEN AS SUCCESS FOR ASAD, SYRIA Classified By: CDA William Roebuck, for reasons 1.4 b/d ¶1. (U) Summary. Syria hosted from December 11-14 the fourth biannual Scientific Research Outlook (SRO-4) meeting of the UAE-based Arab Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) in Damascus. In attendance were a handful of Americans, including Dr. Osman Shinaishin from the National Science Foundation and Dr. Norman Neureiter, former Science Advisor to Secretaries Albright and Powell. Several Syria-specific initiatives were discussed, ranging from IT projects to incubator funds for entrepreneurs. Attendees lauded Syria's work in organizing the meeting, which seems attributable to President Bashar Al Asad's renewed commitment, first announced when he took office in 2000, to scientific advancement in Syria and the region. End Summary. -------------- OVERVIEW -------------- ¶2. (U) Founded in Sharjah, UAE, in 2000 on the model of the U.S. National Science Foundation, ASTF holds biannual conferences to bring together scientists from around the region to share ideas and network for collaboration on future projects. ASTF focuses on funding and outreach rather than research. The SARG Ministry of Higher Education offered to host the conference, on short notice, after the original Egyptian venue fell through. About 1,100 people attended the conference from around the region. Especially well represented were Iraq, the UAE and Egypt; the Syrian contingent was larger than it ordinarily would have been due to the location. Several U.S. citizens served as panelists on various topics across all disciplines. ¶3. (U) The conference included plenary sessions on broad topics and smaller, more targeted panels and workshops during which scientists presented papers, discussed methodologies and shared experiences in their fields. The main areas covered for these smaller sessions were Agriculture, Energy and Water, Medicine/Biotechnology, Information Technology, and Engineering. There were also breakout groups to discuss the role of international organizations and cooperation in Arab scientific efforts. Women scientists were well represented, and there were two special sessions devoted to the successes of women in science and technology in the Arab world. -------------- ;EMERGING THEMES -------------- ¶4. (U) Common themes that emerged included: a lack of education and employment opportunities in the region; ineffective management of science research and development efforts; and the failure thus far of Arab nations to collaborate both intellectually and financially on scientific work. Mohsen Tawfik, of Ain Shams University in Egypt, stressed in his remarks that if these issues are not addressed the brain drain from the region will continue and could lead to future economic depression as the Arab world falls farther behind. Osama Al Ansari, member of the Network of Syrian Scientists, Technologists and Innovators Abroad (NOSSTIA),and Director of the Dubai International Financial Exchange, said that a functioning money market, one that will mobilize savings and spread financial risk, and that incorporates checks and balances, is a key component for an economy to thrive on a global level. Innovation and growth, IPR considerations and corporate trust are also required elements to compete in today's global climate. Allowing for foreign ownership, the repatriation of profits and other financial incentives could help bring much-needed venture capital, incubators and other investment to science in the Arab world, he added. Finally, he said, first-class science requires proximity to a first-class university, something that especially needs to be addressed in Syria as well as the broader region. ¶5. (U) There were some Syria-specific initiatives discussed, including a few being run by women scientists. NOSSTIA is keen to establish exchange programs with universities in the U.S. and Europe, and currently works with UNDP and several groups within Syria (Syrian Computer Society, Syrian Arab Airlines and the Syrian Telecom Establishment). They hope to learn from the experiences of other scientists and improve the chances for Syrian students to obtain science/technology jobs within Syria rather than remaining overseas post-graduation. An effort called Reefnet, aided by UNDP and DAMASCUS 00005419 002.7 OF 002 the SARG Ministry of Communication, is working to connect rural Syrians with the rest of the world by building and staffing small community centers and interactive community portals and discussion fora. Ten training centers in towns and villages help physically disabled Syrians to train for IT jobs, with women comprising 44 percent of the enrollees. Reefnet also includes centers for the visually impaired to use computers, and plans to build more in the next three years. Finally, a young Syrian woman is heading up a technical incubator to fund entrepreneurs as agents of change. Ms. Rima Shaban commented that the lack of business knowledge and teamwork skills among science students sorely needed to be addressed. Her goal is to develop this first Syrian incubator organization and eventually engage with international NGOs and universities. -------------- OVERHEARD -------------- ¶6. (C) As in any gathering in this region, many discussions revolved around political matters. EconOff was frequently asked about U.S. visa policy, as many scientists are reportedly now having trouble getting visas due to clearance issues. One scientist complained about what he described as discriminatory U.S. border enforcement procedures, claiming many Arabs are singled out unfairly for extra scrutiny simply because they are Arabs. A journalist from Egypt asked the group if perhaps the cooperation between the Arab world and the EU is increasing because of all the problems Arab scientists are having with the U.S. ¶7. (C) Comment. In a meeting at the Embassy, Drs. Shinaishin and Neureiter highlighted the SARG,s successful effort to organize and host the conference, and attributed it to Asad,s desire to be seen as promoting science not just in Syria, but in the region. His remarks upon taking office in 2000 noted that he was intent upon improving and advancing science, but those efforts have borne only modest results thus far. Some attendees expressed a hope that this conference signals a re-emergence of Asad's interest in scientific endeavors. EconOff attended this event as it fell naturally into line with increased Post efforts to develop a broader range of contacts as the SARG increasingly tries to restrict embassy access to our more traditional civil society contacts. Given Syrian scientists' current greater freedom of access to the outside world, science will hopefully emerge as a sector through which Post can have more engagement with the broader Syrian civil society. ROEBUCK