TRENDS Research & Advisory is participating in the 7th “Derasat” Forum, held under the theme “Arab Research Centres Consortium for Sustainability and Development.” The event is organized by the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies (Derasat), in collaboration with the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, and will take place on June 23–24, 2025 in Manama, Bahrain.
The forum aims to explore ways for Arab intellectual integration regarding sustainability issues and to present a balanced vision on the opportunities available to Arab countries in implementing their ambitious development plans. It comes amid rapid regional and global transformations that pose challenges while also offering new prospects that require accurate analysis and strategic foresight. Think tanks are expected to play a pivotal role in supporting policy-makers in this respect.
A Strategic Research Partnership
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali, CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory, said that TRENDS’ participation in the 7th Derasat Forum reflects the ongoing strategic research partnership between the two centers. This collaboration has led to joint participation in numerous conferences, symposiums, panel discussions, and workshops, which produced scientific recommendations and outputs that have strengthened scholarly research and supported knowledge dissemination.
Dr. Al-Ali noted that the 7th forum will explore the expanding role of think tanks and research institutions in supporting policy-makers by delivering informed, data-driven insights grounded in comprehensive strategic evaluations. These insights help map the development landscape, identify resources, and anticipate future aspirations and challenges.
Policies that Advance Sustainability
Dr. AL-Ali added that the forum will underscore the growing responsibility of think tanks to present strategic visions for sustainable development. These efforts are built on enduring research partnerships that help formulate holistic intellectual frameworks for sustainability goals and their implementation mechanisms. The forum will also address how think tanks can translate research into actionable policy, promote evidence-based planning, and harness foresight and data analytics to design adaptive and forward-looking development strategies.
Supporting Development Governance
Panel discussions will cover the role of think tanks in supporting development governance and shaping public policy. Key topics include tools for measuring and evaluating the impact of research outputs in the context of sustainability, institutional and funding challenges facing think tanks, and their role in identifying local innovations and scaling them into broader development models. The forum will also examine the challenge of balancing local realities with global development agendas.
Other sessions will focus on the use of big data in evidence-based planning, strategic foresight as a mechanism for strengthening policy readiness, the integration of quantitative and qualitative analysis to inform development decisions, and building think tank capacity in artificial intelligence and predictive analytics.
