What Scientific Research Support Fund does

Scientific Research Support Fund (SRF) — صندوق دعم البحث العلمي والابتكار — is a Jordanian government fund operating under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Headquartered at the Higher Council for Science and Technology in Amman, it was originally established in 2005 under Article 13 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Law No. 4 of 2005 and reorganized in 2018 under Law No. 17 of 2018, when it was merged into the ministry and renamed to broaden its mandate to include innovation and entrepreneurship. The fund operates with a lean team of approximately 10 employees, overseen by a board chaired by the Minister of Higher Education.

SRF's core offering is a portfolio of grant programs and digital infrastructure supporting Jordan's research and innovation ecosystem. Programs include research project funding (399 projects supported with approximately 26 million JOD since inception), graduate student scholarships (614 grants totaling 7.49 million JOD across Master's and PhD students from 2007–2018), innovative projects support with retained IP and investment return rights, scientific journal support (26 journals across 9 universities), distinguished researcher awards, and the Centennial Hackathon. Digital platforms include the electronic Research Project Proposal Submission System (rce.mohe.gov.jo), the National Researchers Database (app.srf.gov.jo/SRFresearchersApp), and the PRIMA bilateral program with the EU. Recent funding cycles align with the National Research Priorities 2026–2035 framework and the Economic Modernization Vision, and the fund has signed an MOU with Germany's DFG to expand international research collaboration.

Name

Scientific Research Support Fund

Legal name

Scientific Research Support Fund for Innovation (SRF) - صندوق دعم البحث العلمي والابتكار

Website

https://srf.gov.jo

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jordanian government fund under the Ministry of Higher Education that finances scientific research projects, graduate scholarships, innovation initiatives, and scientific journals at Jordanian universities, supporting 399 projects and 614 graduate students since 2007.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Scientific research funding
• Research grants
• Graduate scholarships
• Innovation funding
• Scientific journal support

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Grants: The fund provides financial support for research projects, innovation projects, and graduate student scholarships. It operates as a non-profit government fund that redirects returns from successful investments back into supporting new research projects.
2. Investment Returns from Innovation: The fund generates sustainable revenue from commercialization of supported research outputs, including returns from patent exploitation and intellectual property rights, which are reinvested in new research projects.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRF) is a Jordanian government fund that provides financial grants and scholarships for applied scientific research projects, innovation and entrepreneurial projects, graduate student scholarships (Master's and PhD), and scientific journal support across Jordanian universities. It operates under the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and reinvests returns from commercialization of funded research (including IP and patents) back into new research support.

Product overview

The Scientific Research Support Fund (SRF) operates as a comprehensive platform offering multiple interconnected programs and services for Jordan's research ecosystem. The core offering includes the Research Project Proposal Submission System for electronic grant applications aligned with national priorities. Supporting infrastructure includes the National Researchers Database for researcher networking and expert referral, plus the PRIMA international collaboration program for EU-Jordan research partnerships. Financial programs encompass Graduate Student Grants (614 grants totaling 7.49 million JOD), Distinguished Researcher and Research Awards (78,000 JOD), and Innovative Projects Support with investment rights. The Scientific Journals Support Program assists 26 journals across 9 universities with international classification. Special initiatives include the Centennial Hackathon with 107 project applications and 5 signed agreements worth 252,819 JOD. The fund's recent focus emphasizes applied research contributing to the Economic Modernization Vision, intellectual property policies for higher education institutions, and startup ecosystem development through incubators and accelerators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Project Proposal Submission System (Research Project Funding) An electronic system and funding program for submitting initial and detailed research project proposals, aligned with national research priorities and the Economic Modernization Vision. Available to researchers and research teams at Jordanian universities.
• National Researchers Database (قاعدة البيانات الوطنية للباحثين) A national database platform of Jordanian researchers used for networking, expert referrals for committee formation, research project evaluation, and supporting 26 journals hosted in Jordanian universities.
• PRIMA Program (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) An international research cooperation program between Jordan and the European Union focusing on Mediterranean area research and innovation in water management, farming systems, and Mediterranean agriculture.
• Centennial Hackathon (هاكاثون المئوية) A national initiative celebrating Jordan's centennial (1921-2021), directing financial support to entrepreneurial and innovative projects across four tracks: education technologies, science and technology for water/energy/food security, industry with fourth industrial revolution technologies, and tourism technologies.
• Graduate Student Grants (منح طلبة الدراسات العليا) Annual financial support for graduate students (Master's and PhD) at Jordanian universities, with 614 grants totaling 7,490,910 JOD provided from 2007/2008 to 2017/2018.
• Distinguished Researcher and Research Awards (جائزة الباحث المتميز والبحث المميز) Annual awards for distinguished researchers and distinguished research across various scientific fields, totaling 78,000 JOD in researcher awards and additional funds for thesis research.
• Innovative Projects Support (دعم المشاريع الابتكارية والريادية) Financial and advisory support for innovative and entrepreneurial projects aligned with national priorities, including investment support that grants the fund rights to returns and intellectual property.
• Scientific Journals Support Program (دعم المجلات العلمية) Annual support for 26 peer-reviewed scientific journals hosted across 9 national universities, including assistance for international classification.

Quantifiable outcome

• 399 research projects supported with approximately 26 million JD
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• German Research Foundation (DFG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2024Memorandum of understanding signed to strengthen scientific partnership between Jordan and Germany. Includes joint research funding, training programs, conferences, and workshops. Signed by Minister of Higher Education Azmi Mohanna and DFG representatives.
• Center of Excellence in Office Services for Jordanian UniversitiesminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2021Cooperation agreement for providing global research databases to government universities and researchers, funded with 500,000 JD.
• Platform for Integrating Academia with Industry LLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Memorandum of understanding for collaboration between the fund and the industry integration platform.
• PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018EU-Jordan scientific cooperation program enabling joint research projects between Jordanian and European researchers. The fund serves as the national contact point for PRIMA, supporting researchers in water management, farming systems, and Mediterranean agriculture.
• Egyptian-Jordanian Joint Research ProjectsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Bilateral research cooperation between Jordan and Egypt, supporting 6 joint projects in 2015 covering medical, pharmaceutical, energy, and agricultural research with total funding of 63,900 JD.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF): Qatar's national research funding entity administering competitive grants across disciplines, supporting graduate students, and managing international co-funding programs. Closest regional peer to SRF in scope and operating model.
• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's central public research funding organization supporting universities and researchers. SRF has an active 2024 MoU with DFG and DFG's grantmaking role mirrors SRF's at national scale.
• Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS): State-funded Arab foundation that finances scientific research, innovation, and graduate scholarships in Kuwait. Highly comparable to SRF in mandate, structure under a national higher-education/scientific research mandate, and grantmaking focus.
• Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT): Egypt's national funding and policy body for scientific research under the Ministry of Higher Education. Comparable Arab government grantmaking body with bilateral ties to Jordan (Egyptian-Jordanian joint research program).

Broad incumbents

• National Science Foundation (NSF) - USA: U.S. government agency that funds basic and applied research via competitive grants. The international benchmark for national competitive research grantmaking of the kind SRF administers in Jordan.
• UAE Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC): UAE's umbrella research council that funds advanced R&D including through ASPIRE. Comparable in being a state research-funding authority, though operating with substantially larger capital scale.
• King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST): Saudi Arabia's national science and technology agency, a much larger entity that combines research funding, applied R&D labs, and national innovation programs. Comparable in mandate, far broader in scale.
• European Research Council (ERC): EU body funding frontier research through investigator-driven grants. Comparable in funding model; SRF is the Jordanian node that taps ERC-adjacent funding via PRIMA.

Others

• PRIMA - Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area: Euro-Mediterranean R&D funding program in which SRF acts as Jordan's national contact point. Adjacent program/partner that defines SRF's international co-funding pipeline.
• Higher Council for Science and Technology, Jordan (HCST): Jordan's apex policy body for science and technology that houses SRF's headquarters and sets national research priorities. The parent/administrative layer above SRF and a key policy counterpart.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mohegovjo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXq1ZfZ_bYIifMdhsPik5mg
• Facebookfacebook.com/mohejordan
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scientific-research-support-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Scientific Research Support Fund