In an era defined by the ascendancy of knowledge economies and the centrality of intellectual capital in geopolitical and developmental strategies, the establishment of the Arab Think Tank & Research Network (ARTTN) marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of Arab research ecosystems. Initiated by the Gulf Research Center (GRC) in collaboration with Bibliotheca Alexandrina, ARTTN constitutes a voluntary alliance of Arab think tanks and research institutions. More than a structural network, ARTTN embodies a normative and strategic vision aimed at reconstituting the research landscape of the Arab world by fostering integration, enhancing intellectual production, and catalyzing the influence of indigenous knowledge in public policy and strategic decision-making.
Reconceptualizing Arab Research Collaboration
The fragmentation of the Arab research scene, characterized by institutional isolation, asymmetries in capacity, and a lack of sustained policy-research linkages, has long impeded the region’s ability to respond coherently to emergent challenges and global transformations. ARTTN seeks to address this structural deficit through a model of epistemic integration, whereby Arab research institutions are brought under a collaborative umbrella to cultivate shared intellectual priorities, enhance crossinstitutional dialogue, and generate regionally grounded policy frameworks. The Network facilitates horizontal knowledge flows between institutions while simultaneously promoting vertical alignment with decision-making bodies. This dual function positions the Network as both a platform for peer engagement and a conduit for embedding research more deeply into the architecture of Arab governance and development planning. In doing so, it redefines the role of think tanks from isolated knowledge producers to strategic nodes within a regional knowledge system.
Building an Arab Think Tank Culture: Between Identity and Innovation
At the heart of ARTTN’s philosophy lies a commitment to cultivating an authentic and forwardlooking Arab think tank culture, a culture that is simultaneously rooted in the region’s intellectual traditions and responsive to contemporary global paradigms of knowledge production. This entails the deliberate development of institutional norms that prioritize policy relevance, academic rigor, and cultural contextuality.
Such a culture encourages think tanks to act not merely as observers of policy but as active epistemic agents capable of shaping national narratives, informing foreign and domestic policy, and engaging meaningfully with intellectual currents. ARTTN, in this regard, functions as an incubator for capacity-building, methodological innovation, and intergenerational mentorship, ensuring that the future of Arab research is characterized by both excellence and sustainability.
Moreover, by providing a structured space for collective strategic foresight, ARTTN enables Arab think tanks to move beyond reactive analysis and toward anticipatory policy thinking. This paradigm shift is essential in a region confronting overlapping crises of governance, economic restructuring, and geopolitical fluidity.
Think Tanks and the Intellectual Economy: Toward a Knowledge-Centric Future
ARTTN’s long-term strategic orientation is grounded in the recognition that think tanks are not peripheral institutions; they are central to the emergence of a viable Arab intellectual economy. In contrast to traditional models of economic development, which emphasize material capital and industrial outputs, the intellectual economy privileges the generation, circulation, and application of knowledge as a key driver of societal advancement.
In this context, Arab think tanks are reimagined as producers of intangible capital, ideas, frameworks, analyses, and narratives that inform national development plans, regional cooperation strategies, and global engagement. The ARTTN serves as the institutional scaffold that enables this transition by providing mechanisms for joint research ventures, policy incubation, and strategic knowledge dissemination.
Equally critical is the role of ARTTN in fostering structured engagement between researchers and decision-makers. By institutionalizing channels for collaboration, co-production of policy, and iterative feedback, the Network supports the emergence of a hybrid intellectual-policy interface wherein knowledge is not only produced for decision-makers but with them. This model ensures that policy is not only informed by research but also enriched by the strategic imagination of the region’s leading intellectuals.
Conclusion: Architecting a Knowledge Sovereignty Framework for the Arab Region
The Arab Think Tank & Research Network represents more than a convening body; it is an intellectual infrastructure project, a long-term investment in the region’s epistemic sovereignty and strategic self-determination. In an increasingly multipolar and digitally mediated global order, where the power to define problems and articulate solutions is as consequential as material capability, the ARTTN positions the Arab world to reclaim its agency through knowledge.
Through collaborative scholarship, institutional solidarity, and strategic vision, ARTTN is building the foundations of a regional intellectual economy, an economy in which ideas are not merely products of thought, but instruments of positive transformation. This vision requires sustained commitment, cross-sectoral engagement, and an unwavering belief in the capacity of Arab minds to craft Arab futures.
In this light, ARTTN is not simply a network of institutions; it is a strategic project of civilizational renewal, wherein the Arab world charts a course toward a future in which research, reflection, and reason are central to power, policy, and prosperity.
Mohammad S. Alzoubi is a Researcher at the Gulf Research Center (GRC), and Expert on Think Tanks
