Gulf Research Center Moves Up in Latest Global Think Tank Survey The Gulf Research Center (GRC) has moved up in the 2010 Global ‘Go-To Think Tanks’ survey of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania to rank as the second leading public policy research organization in the Middle East and North Africa and the first in the Gulf region. The new survey results were pre-released on January 18, 2011 in New York. The survey included 6,480 think tanks worldwide and 333 in the Middle East and North Africa. The Gulf Research Center was also nominated for the first time as one the 75 leading think tanks worldwide. The ranking confirms the commitment and dedication of the Gulf Research Center to contribute to the policy process in the Gulf region and the Middle East. The fact that the nomination and selection process was undertaken by fellow think tanks, journalists, public and private donors and policy makers from around the world makes the latest ranking a particular honor. Read more..

GRC Annual Report 2010 Established in 2000, the Gulf Research Center(GRC) is now widely acknowledged as a respected think tank in the Middle East. For academics, researchers, diplomats, opinion leaders and others looking for scholarly information on the Gulf and Middle East affairs, the Center has been a valuable source. Through research and analysis, the Center continues to provide an in-depth look at the political, economic, security, environment and other issues affecting the Gulf, thus contributing to comprehensive knowledge about the region. The year 2010 has been another active one for GRC. The GRC Foundation (GRCF) now operates from its main office in Geneva and the GRC Cambridge (GRCC) office has been established at the University of Cambridge, UK, in cooperation with the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Read more..

The Faculty of Economics and Administration At King Abdulaziz University and the Gulf Research Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding The Faculty of Economics and Administration at King Abdulaziz University and the Gulf Research Center have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to organize the first scientific conference on "National Economy: Challenges and Ambitions" to be held from 7-9 May 2012 under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. The Memorandum was signed by the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Hussam Bin Abdulmuhsen Al-Angari, and Dr. Abdulaziz Sager, Chairman of the Gulf Research Center. Read more..

Gulf Africa Conference 2010 The two-day Gulf-Africa Investment Conference 2010 organized by the Gulf Research Center and the Council of Saudi Chambers concluded on Sunday, December 5, 2010 with a series of recommendations to strengthen the economic relations between the GCC and the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The event was held under the patronage of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and included the participation of the Presidents of the Republic of Mozambique, the Republic of Senegal and the Republic of Benin. The Republic of Ghana was represented by its Vice-President. Read more..

Moving Forward on EU-GCC Relations Dr. Christian Koch, Director of International Studies, gave a briefing to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament on the status of relations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The public hearing was held as part of a process whereby the parliament is drafting a report on how to improve relations with the strategically important Gulf region. Read more..

The 1st meeting of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network Discussion Groups The 1st meeting of the EU-GCC Clean Energy Network Discussion Groups was held in Dubai, UAE and attracted stakeholders from European and GCC countries who actively participated in 5 workshops addressing Renewable Energy Sources; Energy Efficiency and DSM; Clean Natural Gas; Electricity Interconnections and Market Integration; and Carbon Capture and Storage. The EU-GCC Clean Energy Network Project aims at strengthening energy cooperation between the European Union (EU) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. It also aims to facilitate cooperation and joint research activities as well as joint pilot projects on different levels, including research, technology, industry and policies. Read more..

The Gulf Research Meeting 2011- Call for Papers now Issued The Gulf Research Center is pleased to announce the Call for Papers for the 2011 Gulf Research Meeting. The 2011 GRM will be held from 6-9 July at the University of Cambridge. Building on the success of the 2010 GRM, the 2nd annual Gulf Research Meeting aims to provide an academic environment to foster Gulf studies and promote scholarly and academic exchange among scholars. The GRC, in association with the GRCC (Gulf Research Centre Cambridge), hopes to expand the scope of the meeting and offer deeper insight into the issues facing the GCC, thereby adding to the scholarly research on the region. Read more..

Building Sustainable Peace and Security Dr Mustafa Alani the Director of Security and Defense Department at the GRC with Mr. Shinzo Abe, Former Prime Minister of Japan and leader of the opposition party speaking in the International Study Group workshop held on October 26, 2010 in the Japanese Parliament building Read more..

China’s Growing Role In the Middle East: Implications for the Region and Beyond For a short period in the fifteenth century, China was the dominant power in the Indian Ocean, but over the centuries that followed, it had little to do with the Middle East. This only began to change in the 1980s, with arms deals between China and some countries in the region. But it is China's rapidly growing demand for energy, fueled by economic growth rates of 9% and more over the past 30 years, that piqued the country's interest in the Middle East, and China now gets about half its oil imports from the region. Read more..

Knowledge Creation and Diffusion: The Role of UAE Universities Universities are central to building the innovative capacity of societies, the economy or industries alike because they provide access to basic science, the experience and knowledge of their researchers and learning opportunities to understand and adept knowledge. Hence, exploring the structure and capabilities of the higher education institutions allows the appreciation of their contributions in the transfer of knowledge or technology from the research community to those sectors of the economy which apply that knowledge for enhanced productivity or commercial innovations. It also allows the understanding of the human efforts and resources engaged in learning, adapting or creating new knowledge for local needs and how these concepts are linked to the production, transmission and transfer of knowledge within local higher education institutions. The present paper seeks to explore the role leading universities play in the national innovation system of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).. Read more..

Understanding the Institutions, Agencies and Policies of the European Union The Al-Jisr project on EU-GCC Public Diplomacy and Outreach began a one-week training program on the institutions and policies of the European Union on Monday with a series of lectures at the Center for European Policy Studies. The program which includes a group of journalists from the GCC states focused on its first day on the institutions of the European Union, the development of the European single market, the EU as an international actor, how policies are enacted within the EU and the recent crisis in the Eurozone and its wider implications. Read more..