Amman, Nov 22 (Petra) -- Jordan is steadily forging ahead toward a knowledge economy with a national vision embracing innovation, research, and development as key pillars of growth, according to academics and experts.

In interviews with Petra, they pointed to progress in the innovation system with a growing awareness of technology and research to promote competitiveness, along with enhanced cooperation between universities and the industrial sector and rising entrepreneurial initiatives.

The Kingdom's upward trend in the Global Knowledge Index is practical evidence of the success of supportive reform policies and the Kingdom's steady progress towards a more sustainable and value-added economy, they pointed out.

Jordan remarkably make headway in the 2025 Global Knowledge Index, capturing 73rd place among 195 countries, compared to 88th in 2024 and 97th in 2023, according to the annual report on the Economic Modernization Vision 2023–2025.

The Global Knowledge Index is a strategic tool to measure countries' ability to produce and utilize knowledge for sustainable development, a key benchmark to assess economies' capacity to enter the innovation era, commended Professor Baraa Awajan of Al-Balqa Applied University.

Jordan's advance in this index reflects a successful approach aligning its policies with digital economy demands, which is achievable through implementing royal directives and applying the economic modernization vision that places knowledge and innovation at the heart of the transformation strategy, he said.

The Kingdom had begun a gradual shift from traditional sectors to higher value-added sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and technology services, utilizing a constant development of digital infrastructure and robust investment in human capital, he argued.

Awajan pointed to about 25% improvement in Jordan's ranking over three years, which buttressed its attractiveness to quality investments and augmented an ambition to become a regional innovation and entrepreneurship hub.

The challenge lies in translating progress into tangible outcomes through accelerating digital transformation, deepening partnerships between universities and the private sector, and encouraging companies to adopt modern technologies, he added.

Murad Abu Al Adous, Director of the Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Center at Al-Balqa Applied University, commented that the the Global Knowledge Index figures are a significant knowledge-based turning point for Jordan, reflecting a fundamental shift in the structure of the economy towards a more competitive and sustainable model.

Institutionalizing innovation within the higher education system through directly linking innovation centers and business incubators to national vision drivers, providing them with the necessary resources and authority, and adopting performance indicators linked to applied projects, patents, and startups, will turn universities from degree-granting institutions into entities offering practical solutions, said Adous.

Jassim Gasawneh, Digital Marketing Professor at Petra University, said the national research, development, and innovation landscape points to a progressive strategic direction toward creating a knowledge-based system that backs up economic transformation and achieves sustainable added value.

Recent years have seen a growing momentum in this field, driven by a modern vision adopted by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, who prioritized innovation and technology as key drivers of growth, he said.

As a result, the research system priorities have been restructured to enhance investment in high-impact sectors, such as digital technologies, renewable energy, and pharmaceuticals, through competitive funding mechanisms and performance- and impact-based evaluation models, he added.

Jordan is currently at a stage where the research, development, and innovation system is being reshaped to become a pillar of the modern national renaissance and a key axis in building knowledge-based capabilities, commented Bilal Al-Wadi, Jordanian Association for Entrepreneurship CEO.

The Kingdom, he said, is entering a new phase in which ideas acquire investment value, research becomes a productive force, and human capital transforms into an engine that reshapes the economy according to the logic of innovation, rather than imitation, he said.

//Petra//SS

22/11/2025 15:30:12