Education and Research: Challenges and Opportunities in the Muslim World

By Sherazur Rahman
October 8, 2026


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 standing. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has demonstrated that no country, whatever its level of development (advanced, developing or low-income), can afford to be left behind in the development of its technological capabilities.


The leading countries recognised this reality a long time ago and have been making strategic investments in education, research and innovation. Through sustained planning and funding, they have progressed in robotics, space science, nanotechnology, aviation, motor vehicles, AI and medical technology. That has in turn enhanced their global competitiveness.


In the Muslim world, there have been some significant advances in countries like Iran, Malaysia and Turkey. There are still many Muslim countries that are very much behind in terms of science, research and innovation. The problems are quite clear, really: insufficient funding, poor education systems, very limited opportunities for doing research at a higher level, and the brain drain.


On the other hand, you can absolutely create world-class research opportunities with very limited R&D spending. Iran has done this to the world. Iran has developed its own technological capabilities despite decades of Western economic sanctions and trade restrictions. If you set aside the ongoing wars, then Iran is at the level of the leading nations in nuclear, medical, and nanotech research. A very impressive example of what can be achieved.


To deal with the challenges of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Muslim countries need to have long-term strategies in place and make significant investments in high-quality education, research, and innovation. They need to set up research environments that are of the required standard and work in partnership with the more developed nations.


The US and China are by far the two biggest spenders on R&D globally. The US National Science Foundation puts US R&D spending in 2023 at around $937bn. CGTN reports that China's R&D spending in 2025 was $550-568bn (nearly 2.8% of GDP). Both countries are massive spenders on defence tech, robotics, AI, nuclear, aviation, semiconductors, space, nanotechnology, vehicles, medical science, and energy.


India and Russia (both spending less) have established quite good research infrastructures. ANI reports India's R&D spend in 2023-24 was around $25.61bn (0.84% of GDP). Interfax reports that Russia has allocated $9.3bn in 2025 to civilian science and research (total R&D spend is still less than 1% of GDP).


In the Muslim world, Turkey spent some $16bn on R&D in 2025 (1.4% of GDP) and Saudi Arabia $7.87bn in 2024. That's a good start, but the vast majority of Muslim countries still don't have a sustainable base from which to grow a technology sector.


To close the gap, we need Muslim countries to be investing in semiconductors, electronics, defence, space, nuclear, AI, aviation, marine tech, energy and advanced manufacturing. Just as important is the need for cooperation and technology transfer between the Muslim countries themselves.


Investment in finance alone will not deliver success. High standards in education are a prerequisite, and so is close working between academia and industry. Research only delivers value when it is translated into industrial production. Research programmes in turn should be driven by the needs of industry in order to generate tangible long-term benefits for the economy and society.


Historically, during the Islamic renaissance, we had cities like Baghdad, Cordoba and Cairo which were absolutely world centres of knowledge and science. Today, with a population of nearly two billion, we are still very far behind in science, technology, and industry. That gap is absolutely there, and it is a gap that needs to be closed.


Conclusion:
To get a foothold in the global knowledge economy, the Muslim countries need to adopt sustainable strategies and make big investments in education and research. Education, research, and industry need to be seen as the three legs of the innovation stool.


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


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


Author's note:
This is an original article. The information has been sourced from reputable references; the analysis and conclusions are entirely the author's own. Digital and AI tools have been used solely for translation and language polishing.