Aligning university research with national development priorities: a drive for sustainable solutions for water sector in Jordan

Aligning university research with national development priorities (NDP) is key to ensure science-based sustainable solutions for arising challenges. This study investigates the alignment of water research at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) with NDP and its impact on Jordan's water sector development. By analysing 86 water-related projects funded internally and externally, between 2010 and 2020, this study maps the objectives of these JUST projects to Jordan's 10-year NDP for the water sector set by the higher council for science and technology (HCST). The results show that 73% of these projects aligned with NDP with internal funding demonstrating stronger adherence (80.6% of internal funds vs. 49.5% external). Although conducted researches were to a good extent in agreement with NDP, their final outcomes were restricted to scientific publications and capacity building activities. This study can be a driver for deanships of research to conduct similar studies to evaluate the alignment of their funded research in all sectors with their NDP and adopt a funding mechanism that awards researches according to their adherence with priorities of the society.