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Between Aspiration and Reality: A Researcher’s Voice from a Resource Limited Environment
Scientific research in Syria has long faced structural challenges, challenges that existed even before the war and continued afterward. The crisis did not create the problem; it merely exposed and deepened it. As a researcher working in poultry nutrition, I have witnessed firsthand how the absence of infrastructure, funding, and institutional support shapes not only the quality of research, but also the mindset of those working in the field.
Before and After the Crisis: A Reality That Has Not Changed
Even before the war, Syria struggled with limited laboratory capacity, outdated equipment, and scarce analytical kits. After the crisis, very little changed. Electricity gradually returned, but the essential tools of research- reagents, instruments, and fundingremained inaccessible. The world moved forward, but our research environment remained frozen in time.
In fields like poultry nutrition, traditional indicators such as growth performance, blood parameters, and digestibility are no longer sufficient. Modern research requires advanced tools to study gut health, immunity, genomics, and the microbiome. These areas depend on precision, standardized protocols, and sophisticated equipment, none of which are available locally.
Even globally, the field suffers from the absence of unified research protocols, such as standardized numbers of replicates or consistent methodological frameworks. But in resource‑limited environments, this gap becomes a barrier rather than an inconvenience.
I once proposed to an international organization the idea of establishing a small research center dedicated to poultry and avian studies, an affordable, practical solution. The proposal was well received, but funding never materialized. This is the reality: the ideas exist, the expertise exists, but the support does not.
The Absence of Laboratories: A Barrier to Original Research
The most significant obstacle facing Syrian researchers is the lack of laboratories capable of supporting original, high‑quality research. We have ideas, experience, and the ability to design strong studies, but we lack the infrastructure needed to turn ideas into data.
This is why collaboration with external laboratories is not a luxury; it is a necessity. We possess real, locally grounded research questions, while others possess the tools. Bringing these two elements together can produce meaningful scientific contributions.
A Personal Experience: When Science Meets Resistance
Throughout my career, I have preferred working at the intersection of research and commercial poultry production. Applied research, when supported, can transform productivity and animal health. But in Syria, poultry production is often described as a “sector” without having the characteristics of an actual industry: no standardized protocols, no monitoring systems, and no culture that values scientific development.
I once worked with a poultry company as a nutrition consultant. I hoped to apply structured, data‑driven methods, weekly measurements, performance monitoring, and systematic data collection. Instead, I faced resistance. I was expected to make decisions based solely on verbal descriptions such as “there is some diarrhea today” or “the birds look fine.”
Many people working in poultry production are experienced in daily operations, but lack exposure to modern nutrition science, gut‑health strategies, or immune‑support approaches. As a result, feed formulations often rely on two or three basic ingredients, with little interest in optimization.
This experience reinforced a difficult truth: without data, without protocols, and without a culture that respects scientific input, meaningful improvement becomes nearly impossible, even when expertise is available.
Promotion Policies: When Collaboration Is Unintentionally Discouraged
Another challenge rarely discussed in the Arab region is the way academic promotion systems unintentionally discourage collaboration. The system does not explicitly “punish” teamwork, but it indirectly devalues it by dividing the promotion points among co‑authors. A collaborative paper, no matter how strong, earns each researcher fewer points than a single‑author publication.
This creates a subtle but powerful message: working alone is more rewarding than working together. Over time, this shapes the behavior of researchers, often without them realizing it. Instead of encouraging collective scientific progress, the system fosters competition over authorship order.
I have seen situations where researchers argue over whose name should appear first, almost like actors competing over whose name appears first in the opening credits of a TV series. The focus shifts from the quality of the work to the visibility of the individual.
This dynamic does not arise from ill intentions, but from a structural design that unintentionally prioritizes individual output over collaborative scientific advancement.
A Global Perspective: Resources Alone Do Not Guarantee Strong Research
It is important to note that weak scientific output is not exclusive to countries with limited resources. Even in nations with well‑equipped laboratories and generous funding, research productivity can remain surprisingly low. The issue is often not the availability of resources, but the absence of:
- a research culture
- openness to innovation
- collaboration between generations
- standardized methodologies
Progress is slowed not by technology, but by mindsets that resist change.
A Vision for the Future
When I look at the future of scientific research, both in Syria and globally, I often feel that progress is slower than it appears. Technology advances rapidly, but human systems do not evolve at the same pace.
One of the biggest obstacles is the reluctance of some senior academics to give space to the younger generation. Many early‑career researchers possess strong technical skills and digital fluency, yet they are often held back by traditional hierarchies and the familiar phrase: “We are your teachers.”
This is not a universal rule; there are exceptional mentors, but the pattern remains concerning. The future of research depends on creating an environment where generations work together, not in competition. If we can bridge this gap, especially in countries like Syria, we can accelerate scientific development far beyond what we see today, resource-limited.
Keywords
Syria scientific research poultry nutrition resource-limited environments laboratory infrastructure research collaboration academic promotion research culture capacity building developing countries
Zelal Alsaftli is a lecturer in poultry nutrition at the Faculty of Agriculture, Hama University. His work focuses on gut health, feed innovation, and the challenges of conducting research in resource‑limited environments. He combines field practice with evidence‑based approaches and advocates for fair collaboration and greater research opportunities in developing regions.
View All Posts by Zelal AlsaftliDisclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of their affiliated institutions, the Asian Council of Science Editors (ACSE), or the Editor’s Café editorial team.
