2 November 2026
Ahead of the THE Arab Awards on 3 November, Hugh Martin has been speaking with those shortlisted for the AQ-sponsored Leadership and Management Team of the Year Award, hearing the stories behind their submissions and learning more about the people, ideas and achievements making a real difference across higher education. It’s been a great opportunity to hear directly about their work and share the impact they’re having across the sector.
In this interview, Hugh spoke to Prof. Waleed M. Sweileh of An-Najah National University about their shortlisted submission; developed in a challenging financial and political environment, the initiative has helped transform the university’s approach to research while creating a model that other Palestinian universities can learn from.
For Waleed, the starting point was a recognition that universities need to do more than deliver teaching and manage financial pressures. Having previously served as an adviser to the Palestinian Minister of Higher Education, he had visited universities across the West Bank and Gaza and seen the challenges facing the sector. He believed universities needed to develop their research, strengthen their social responsibility, improve governance and embrace entrepreneurship and innovation. The ambition was to move towards a more sustainable model of higher education, with research and international engagement playing a central role.
When he returned to An-Najah National University as Dean of Scientific Research, he began building a team to turn that ambition into reality. The university established a Deanship of Scientific Research and a department focused on rankings, bringing research development, internationalisation and sustainability together within a coordinated approach – the RISE project grew from this work.
Rather than treating research as a separate academic activity, the team set out to make it a central part of the university’s development, using international benchmarks to identify priorities, measure progress and direct effort towards areas where the university could make a greater impact.
Combining data, funding and a shared vision
Two factors proved particularly important: access to reliable research data and the funding needed to encourage change. Waleed describes SciVal, a research analytics tool, as transformative for the university, it helped the team understand its starting point, identify areas for improvement and track progress against the measures used in international rankings. These indicators then became key performance measures for the research strategy.
However, data alone was not enough. With limited funds available to support research and reward academic achievement, Waleed sought support from Palestinian businesspeople and members of the Palestinian diaspora, particularly in the Gulf. Their contributions enabled the university to introduce ten research prizes, recognising achievements such as research relating to sustainability, international co-authorship, publication in leading journals and interdisciplinary work.
The combination of a clear vision, meaningful incentives, supportive university leadership and a committed team began to deliver results, with the university’s research output growing by more than 22% annually, alongside improvements in research quality and publication in highly ranked journals. The approach has also helped change attitudes across the institution; researchers have become more motivated to publish, collaborate internationally and explore opportunities beyond their own disciplines. For Waleed, this progress reflects the importance of aligning ambition with the practical support academics need to succeed.
International collaboration as a route to growth
A central aim of RISE has been to build stronger international research connections. The university has developed a broad network of collaborators, spanning Europe, the United States, Southeast Asia and other regions. These relationships have created opportunities for joint research, academic exchange and knowledge-sharing. An-Najah has also developed more than 500 memoranda of understanding with universities around the world, covering areas including research collaboration, student and faculty exchange, and online learning.
The benefits extend beyond An-Najah itself. Waleed believes internationalisation is particularly important for Palestinian higher education, where political and practical constraints can make it difficult to welcome international students and academics onto campus. Partnerships offer another way to maintain connections, giving students opportunities to study abroad and enabling researchers to work with colleagues in other countries.
The team has also invested heavily in sharing knowledge internally, with Waleed delivering regular awareness sessions across the university, covering research quality, sustainability, rankings, international collaboration and citation metrics. The team holds more than 50 seminars each year, helping academics understand how research is evaluated and how they can strengthen their work.
This focus on collaboration has also shaped relationships with other Palestinian universities. Rather than treating them simply as competitors, An-Najah has shared its experience and provided guidance on research development, sustainability and rankings. Waleed argues that the future of Palestinian higher education depends on institutions working together, rather than each university operating in isolation – building trust has been essential to this effort, supported by his longstanding relationships across the sector and his previous work within the Ministry of Higher Education.
The university has also helped strengthen the research infrastructure available to academics. In 2019, three journals published by An-Najah were indexed in Scopus, creating additional opportunities for researchers in Palestine and beyond to publish work that meets the required standards.
Supporting the next generation of researchers
Developing a sustainable research culture means ensuring that early-career academics have the time, resources and encouragement to participate. At An-Najah, financial incentives have helped make research a more attractive part of academic life. The university has introduced a Young Researcher Prize worth $10,000, recognising contributions to research quality and output across disciplines, from medicine and engineering to humanities and social sciences.
It also provides opportunities for younger academics to spend time at partner universities, particularly in Jordan, to develop their skills, work with colleagues in their fields and take forward collaborative projects. These opportunities sit alongside a longstanding mentoring programme, where new academics are paired with experienced colleagues who can advise them, observe their teaching and support their professional development.
