On the economics of knowledge, innovation and scientific research... Jordan is a model

Writer: Rania Ghazi Abu Ghosh

For Jordan to advance to 60th place globally among 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index for 2026 is a sign worthy of appreciation. But the most important number is not the overall ranking alone, but rather the paradox that reveals the actual position of the Jordanian knowledge economy.

Jordan came first globally in the index of scientific and technical articles per billion dollars of GDP according to purchasing power parity. This does not mean that it is first in the absolute number of research papers, but rather that it achieves a high intensity of scientific production compared to the size of its economy. On the other hand, its ranking in patents by origin came in behind, at 110th globally.

This comparison does not diminish scientific achievement, but rather puts it in its rightful place. Jordan has a wealth of knowledge and research capacity worth building on, but it still needs to accelerate the transformation of knowledge into intellectual property, products, companies, and technical exports.

The problem is neither with the Jordanian researcher nor with the universities' ability to publish. The problem begins with the distance between the laboratory and the market. The researcher works within a system that rewards publication and academic promotion, while the investor looks for a protected patent, a prototype, a potential market, a team capable of implementing it, and a measurable return. If there is no party to connect these parties, the idea remains scientifically successful but economically incomplete.

This gap appears in the innovation report itself; Jordan's ranking in innovation outputs was lower than its ranking in its inputs. This means that part of the cognitive effort and investment in innovation is not sufficiently transformed into a tangible commercial and production impact. This is the challenge that economic policies should be concerned with, not just celebrating the arrangement.

In contrast, Jordan is not starting from scratch. It has important strengths in creative exports, economic cluster development, and mobile application creation, and university-industry R&D cooperation appears in a relatively better position than other indicators. But they remain scattered points unless linked to a clear policy for the commercialization of scientific research.

What is needed today is not additional conferences on innovation, but rather executive decisions. The first is for universities to become responsible for a measurable economic impact, not just for the number of published research. Every research center should be asked: How many patents have they registered? How many technical licenses were granted? How many startups came out of it? How many partnerships has it achieved with industry?

Second, Jordan needs structured financing for the most vulnerable stage of the innovation journey: building the prototype, testing the product, protecting intellectual property, and entering the first market. Traditional finance does not risk an incomplete idea, and venture capital does not wait long before commercial indicators emerge. Specifically here the value of the partnership between the state and the private sector appears.

Third, the government can be the first customer of Jordanian innovation. Water, energy, health, education and digital services solutions don't need to look for a problem; The problem exists in the local market. When public institutions provide a controlled experimentation opportunity for the local product, they do not support just one company, but rather give it a commercial record that allows it to expand and export.

The Jordanian knowledge reserve is real, but it will not turn into a stronger economy unless research becomes a project, a project becomes a patent, a patent is a product, and the product becomes exports and jobs. Ranking first in articles is an achievement we are proud of, but economics is not satisfied with what we write; Rather, it is with what we own and convert it into value in the market.