SCImago announces a new ranking of research centers in the Middle East and North Africa

Egyptian National Research Centre, the Qatar Foundation and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (Saudi Arabia) lead the rankings

SCImago Lab, a leading editor of academic rankings in collaboration with Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics, and in partnership of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific research in Egypt has released a new ranking dedicated to Research Centers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The inaugural ranking was officially launched today through an online event with the participation of the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Elsevier, SCImago representatives and stakeholders from the region.

The ranking spans 391 research centers representing the 22 countries in the region.

This ranking is a new development aiming at highlighting the key role research centers play in advancing research for the benefit of societies. Rankings are based on the examination of 16 indicators, from across three dimensions: Research, innovation and society. For instance, special consideration is given to research activities related to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs).

The top three research centers are the Egyptian National Research Centre (1st); the Qatar Foundation (2nd); and the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (3rd) from Saudi Arabia.

Félix de Moya, SCImago's founder, said: "It is a pleasure to participate in such a prestigious project. As a leading ranking provider, we are well equipped to deploy our expertise and methodologies for the unique characteristics and objectives of the research centers. We were able to create a rich and diverse scenario where, for the first time, all the research centers of the region are represented."

M'hamed el Aisati, Vice President of Research Analytics and Data Services at Elsevier, stated: "Our relationship with SCImago goes a long way back. They have always been a great partner, which gives us confidence in working together to deliver an innovative ranking. We hope such a ranking will stimulate a healthy environment to drive better research outcomes for the benefits of societies in the MENA region and beyond."

Prof. Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, congratulated all of the research centers in the MENA region for being included in this world-class ranking, and emphasized the need of this kind of services for increasing the cooperation among the research centers. "We see this new ranking as a very important tool, as for the first time all research centers from all countries of the MENA region are included. Moreover, the missions related to their activities are considered, so it is not only the results of their research, but also every institutions' commitment to technological development and the SDG objectives." He invited the MENA research centers to increase the collaboration with Egyptian partners with the full support of his Ministry.

The ranking web portal is available for public access and can be accessed here.

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About SCImago
SCImago, a network of research groups working in several Spanish and Latin American academic institutions, performs specialized research in scientometrics, scientific publishing and web visibility. Born as a spin-off from research groups located at the University of Granada and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the company, is now a world leader in the generation of indicators and methodologies for evaluating research activity, the creation of popular metrics portals and innovative tools such as SJR indicator and journal quartiles, which have been adopted by Elsevier Scopus.

Through its consulting arm, SCImago Lab, it is a key partner for institutions, local and national governments and international organizations, providing innovative solutions to improve scientific visibility and manage knowledge through a set of actions that includes setting up institutional political frameworks, strengthening of human capacities, development of infrastructure necessary to carry out research and strategies aimed at giving visibility to the research outputs pre- and post-publication.

About Elsevier
As a global leader in information and analytics, Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. We do this by facilitating insights and critical decision-making for customers across the global research and health ecosystems.

In everything we publish, we uphold the highest standards of quality and integrity. We bring that same rigor to our information analytics solutions for researchers, health professionals, institutions and funders.

Elsevier employs 8,700 people worldwide. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years. Growing from our roots in publishing, we offer knowledge and valuable analytics that help our users make breakthroughs and drive societal progress. Digital solutions such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath support strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and health education. Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on our over 2,700 digitized journals, including The Lancet and Cell; our over 43,000 eBook titles; and our iconic reference works, such as Gray's Anatomy. With the Elsevier Foundation and our external Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, we work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusion and diversity in science, research and healthcare in developing countries and around the world.

Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. www.elsevier.com.