Changing Perceptions

Perception is often Oman’s greatest enemy. Many Westerners perceive the Sultanate on the Arabian Peninsula as an oil-rich anachronism, conjuring images of decadent sheiks keeping scores of wives and courtesans. Some may even know it as the birthplace of Sinbad the Sailor, the favorite destination of the Queen of Sheba and a high-end vacation spot.

But none of those images reflect the reality of modern Oman. Since H.M. Sultan Qaboos bin Said took office in the 1970s, he has been working hard to change both the way Oman is perceived and the way it perceives itself. With the aid of oil revenues, the Sultan has focused on educating the Omani population, building a network of more than 1,000 schools and 30 colleges and universities.

With interest in biotech and scientific research growing, the Sultan also established the Research Council of Oman in 2005. The council’s mission, according to its secretary general H.E. Hilal Al-Hinai, is “to provide public funding for high-quality research projects in order to foster innovation and scientific capital in Oman…. Ours is a country that has positioned itself well as a high-end tourist destination, [and] now we desire to be known as a country where science is created and scientific research is welcomed.”

Some biotech research is already producing results. For example, Bassam Soussi—who holds the UNESCO chair in marine biotechnology at Sultan Qaboos University—found that a component from a fatty-fish species works as a potent antioxidant in human cells. “The findings may explain why fish and seafood, as a whole, are healthy, and thereby support the development of value added seafood and marine bioactive compounds,” Soussi explains. Moreover, another study at the university revealed the anti-oxidative effect of laser light on cells. This research showed that laser light can be used for the preservation of perishable food without affecting its quality or nutritional content.

In placing greater emphasis on developing a research culture, Oman is far from alone among the Persian Gulf states. Through such projects as Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Qatar Science & Technology Park, the region is heavily investing their petro-dollars in the creation of science. The goal for Oman and its neighbors is to ensure their future prosperity as sustainable, knowledge-based economies. In order to achieve this, Oman has laid out its framework for a scientifically advanced and economically diverse society in its Vision 2020—a blueprint for providing the scientific workforce and international technological expertise necessary for Oman’s development. This blueprint, paired with Soussi’s vision to create a state-of-the-art research park, aims to build a perception of Oman as a country where science is both taught and created.