Trends Research & Advisory To Participate In Seventh Derasat Forum In Manama

TRENDS Research & Advisory is joining the Seventh Annual Forum of the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), held from 22-23 December in Manama. The event, organised with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, gathers Arab research centres to discuss sustainability, development and how think tanks can influence policy across the region and beyond.

The Forum examines how research institutions move from producing studies to shaping public policies. Sessions and workshops look at strengthening institutional capacities, refining organisational tools and turning research findings into executive programmes. These efforts aim to support comprehensive development paths that address pressing economic, social and environmental challenges in Arab countries and internationally.

Participants at the Derasat Forum also study how future policy tools work in practice, especially big data and artificial intelligence. The programme reviews advanced analytical applications that help build flexible scenarios and guide adaptive planning. This approach supports think tanks across the Middle East in securing a stronger role in regional development agendas and improving institutional performance and delivery speed.

Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory, said that the Derasat Forum represents a vital platform for unifying visions and combining efforts among the most essential and prominent think tanks and research institutions, in pursuit of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab region and the world.

Dr. Al-Ali explained that TRENDS’ engagement in this Forum reflects a firm belief in an expanded role for research centres. The task no longer stops at knowledge generation. The objective now includes influencing future strategies and converting studies into action plans that respond to urgent development priorities across Arab states and wider global contexts.

Dr. Al-Ali pointed out that the Forum is an ideal opportunity to exchange advanced institutional experiences and build analytical tools that enable us to transform research outputs into tangible contributions on the ground. The Forum focuses on a critical issue: employing future tools, such as artificial intelligence, to anticipate scenarios and analyze policies. He explained that TRENDS considers these technologies a fundamental pillar of solid scientific research, producing flexible and adaptable policies capable of confronting the rapidly evolving complexities in regional and global landscapes.

The CEO of TRENDS stated that TRENDS’ role is not limited to diagnosing the reality. Still, it has extended to proposing scientific, practical, and strategic solutions that enhance comprehensive and sustainable development paths, through research and studies that focus on economic, social, and environmental axes, in addition to providing proactive scientific visions that contribute to drawing up more efficient and effective policies, and accelerate the pace of development achievement in Arab countries. He explained that the centre seeks, through its active, periodic participation in the forum, to enhance cooperation and build partnerships with leading think tanks worldwide, thereby strengthening collective action that supports the Arab regional and international development landscape.

With inputs from WAM