Sustainable Investment in Education and Research: Challenges and Opportunities in the Muslim World

By Sherazur Rahman

In the 21st century, sustainable investment in education and research is the foundation of a nation's economic strength, its technological leadership and its global influence. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has demonstrated that no country—no matter what its level of development, whether it is advanced, developing or low-income—can afford to lag behind in developing its own technological capabilities.

When it was recognised that this situation existed, the major countries began many years ago to make strategic investments in education, research and innovation. Through continuous planning and financing, they have achieved progress in robotics, space science, nanotechnology, aviation, automobiles, artificial intelligence and medical technology. Because of these investments, they have been able to develop new technologies and improve their global competitiveness.

In the Muslim world, countries such as Iran, Malaysia and Turkey have attained a considerable level of progress. Yet generally speaking, a great many of the countries which are predominantly Muslim are still behind in the areas of science, research and innovation. The main problems include insufficient budgets for education and research, the lack of good education systems, limited opportunities for carrying out advanced research, and the fact that capable people are moving to other countries (brain drain).

If Muslim countries are to meet the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, they must quickly introduce long-term and sustainable strategies, which will require large investments in high-quality education, research, and innovation as well as in the establishment of research environments that conform to international standards. Furthermore, collaborating with more developed countries could also help to accelerate progress.

The United States and China are ahead of all the other countries when it comes to spending on research and development. According to the US National Science Foundation, in 2023 the United States invested about $937 billion in R&D in both the public and private sectors. Meanwhile, CGTN claims that China's spending on R&D in 2025 was about $550 to $568 billion, which corresponds to nearly 2.7 to 2.8% of its GDP. 

Both the United States and China have allocated vast sums of money to defence technologies, robotics, artificial intelligence, nuclear research, aviation, semiconductors, space exploration, nanotechnology, automobiles, medical science, and the modernisation of energy.

India and Russia have both managed to build up considerable research infrastructures even though their spending is less than that of the United States and China. According to ANI, India's expenditure on R&D in 2023–24 was about 2.45 lakh crore rupees (roughly $25.61 billion), which is 0.84% of its GDP. Interfax says that Russia has allocated 792.1 billion rubles ($9.3 billion) from its 2025 federal budget to civilian science and research, an increase of 5.3% on the amount from the previous year; nevertheless, total R&D spending is still under 1% of GDP.

In the Muslim world, many countries such as Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, and Indonesia have recently increased their investment in research and development. According to Turkish Today, Turkey invested approximately $16 billion in R&D in 2025, equivalent to 1.4% of its GDP. GASTAT in Saudi Arabia shows that the Kingdom devoted $7.87 billion to R&D in 2024. Although these are encouraging developments, the majority of Muslim countries still lack a firm and sustainable foundation for research and technological progress.

To bridge this gap, Muslim countries should boost their investments in such key fields as semiconductors, electronics, defence, space, nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, aviation, marine technology, energy and advanced manufacturing; it is just as important to promote cooperation and the transfer of technology among the Muslim countries themselves.

It should be emphasized that simply making financial investments does not guarantee success; rather, high standards in education and close cooperation between research institutions and industry are required. Research only achieves its true value when the innovations produced in the laboratory are successfully applied to industrial production. In the same way, the practical importance and effect of innovation are enhanced when the problems met with in industry have an influence on research programmes—thus leading to long-term benefits for economies and societies.

In earlier times, at the height of the Islamic Renaissance, cities like Baghdad, Cordoba and Cairo were global centres of knowledge and science. But today, even though the Muslim world has a population of nearly two billion, it is still a long way behind more developed countries in science, technology, and industrial development. The fact that this gap persists proves that there is an urgent need for a new commitment.

To conclude, if Muslim countries are to secure their place in the global knowledge economy, they must adopt long-term and sustainable strategies and make significant investments in education and research, viewing education, research, and industry not as separate fields but as closely interconnected pillars of innovation.

Sources: Wikipedia, CGTN, Turkey Today, Interfax, ANI, US National Science Foundation, GASTAT, personal thought and analysis.

Author: Sherazur Rahman, Teacher & Science-Technology Writer, Singra, Natore, Bangladesh

Author’s Note: Research and fact-checking were conducted by the author. Digital and AI tools were used only for translation and language refinement.