Research priorities must serve all the world's people

I want science for all, not just the elite, says Princess Sumaya of Jordan, president of her country's Royal Scientific Society

Are there problems with how science is viewed in the Arab and Islamic world?
Sometimes science is perceived as just a lot of academics sitting in an ivory tower. There hasn't been an understanding of the power of science, its ability to protect lives and put bread on the table. That's why it is so important for people to understand the connection between science and social development.

You claimed recently that too much research is driven by the needs of elite consumers. Could you explain?
I have come to respect how science improves the quality of people's lives on a daily basis, but there has been a lot of focus on problems that might not be global issues. When you think of the money spent on obesity-related research in comparison with the money spent on researching energy, water, environment and food, I'm not sure we have prioritised our research properly.

We are facing a planet without enough water and with a rapidly warming atmosphere: we owe it to the world's population to start looking more carefully at these crucial elements. We need a global research alliance to start plotting research priorities. The link between science and society is very important - you can't just be researching for research's sake. If there isn't an impact on people, what is the point?

How can you make sure that scientists serve the people?
By nurturing a new generation of scientists in emerging nations. I have been looking back at Arab/Muslim contributions to science and asking why we are not able to make the same kinds of contributions now. There has been an Arab scientific diaspora: we have been good at developing talent but didn't capture what we had raised. That may be because a large part of what we have been doing recently in the Middle East is imitation rather than innovation.

In Jordan we are now developing a mentorship programme for our young scientists. We have a number of Jordanian-American scientists who are mentoring our young scientists. This seems the best way forward to establish Jordanians and Arabs in the culture of good scientific research.

With the Arab Spring, will we see a resurgence in Arab science?
I don't know whether there is such a thing as Arab science and western science. In the US, more than 70 per cent of advanced degrees in science and technology are earned by non-Americans. Many of those are Arab scientists, and many of these are very much leaders in their fields.

Have you experienced any problems by being a princess who speaks her mind?
As long as what you're saying makes sense, and you can back it up, I don't think people object. Our royal family tries to be very in touch with the people, and part of that duty is to help discuss things that will make people's lives better. Science is certainly one of those things.

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