It is not necessary for Jordan to establish another university with the term “technology” in its name. Rather, it requires a national institution that can transform the field of science into deliverable solutions, products, companies, and skilled human resources addressing the nation’s most challenging issues.

 

The aspiration to found a Jordan Institute of Technology “JordanTech” should start with a disclaimer: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology did not become what it is by building a beautiful campus, adopting an already existing curriculum or enrolling students with high Tawjihi scores. Its impact is a result of an integrated scheme combining high-quality education, state-of-the-art research, innovations, business connections and long-term support from the government.

 

The definition of the mission of MIT is to advance knowledge and educate students using sciences, technology, and other disciplines that help society. Caltech has defined its mission as research integrated with education. Georgia Tech is a university of research funded by the government aimed to apply technology while Virginia Tech is a university that incorporates technology into research and service.

 

These examples are not the same. Caltech is small and focused on research. MIT combines science, engineering, and management with several other fields. Georgia Tech is a large public technological university that is tied to city economy. Virginia Tech is even broader since it includes agricultural studies, medicine, humanities and other fields. The key issue with this conclusion is that there is no strict definition of a technology university, since it will vary depending on the concentration of scientific knowledge and the systems used to transform research into any practical use.

 

Teaching technology in modern times is different from producing technology. Graduate employability is important, however, a world-class technology institute must produce new knowledge, attract large research funding, develop intellectual property rights, launch deep technology firms, and have an impact on industries.

 

JordanTech should not replicate or compete with these universities for the same pool of undergraduate students. Instead, it needs to occupy the gap in the national system. It has to be a research-based educational institution for graduate students which will create strong connections between the universities in Jordan, industries, authorities at national level and international scientific environment.

 

The primary condition will be to have a very clearly defined national mission. JordanTech cannot cater to all fields. The focus should be on the five most important areas where Jordan has urgent needs or prospects that can bring in revenue: artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, semiconductors and advanced electronics, water technology, climate technology and agricultural technology, renewable energy and energy storage, and advanced manufacturing, robotics, and medical technology.

 

Each area should be organized around major interdisciplinary laboratories rather than departments operating in isolation.

 

In the second place, JordanTech will require outstanding governance. It must consist of an independent Board comprised of people from scientific, industrial, investment, and Jordanian expatriate communities. Academic appointments and promotions, procurement processes, and international recruitment need to be insulated from short-term politics and bureaucratic interventions. The president of the university should be appointed from different countries and given enough power to create a successful institution.

 

The third element is long-term investment in funding, rather than yearly existence. Pioneering research needs costly instruments, specialists, Ph.D. scholarships, and funding for a long period of time. Jordan should create an earmarked endowment and pledge ten years of public financing, in addition to industry contracts, charity, international grants, and profits from intellectual property rights.

 

A university expected to invent cannot be financed as though it were merely delivering classroom hours.

 

Fourth, JordanTech needs to start off on a small but focused scale. A small school with great teachers, PhD students and undergraduate researchers would be far more convincing than a big university that has been created in quick time. The courses it offers should combine mathematics, science, engineering, design, business, ethics, and public policy. Each student should take part in research, product development or industry competitions.

 

Fifthly, the industry must be encompassed in the institution instead of remaining outside its gates. Enterprise must sponsor laboratories, have researchers present on the institution's premises, identify technical problems, and recruit students through the co-operative pedagogy method. There should also be a technology park, a prototype plant, an intellectual property office, and a venture fund run by professionals.

 

Success should be measured not only through publications and rankings, but also through patents, licenses, start-ups, industrial productivity, exportable technologies and solutions adopted by Jordanian institutions.

 

Ultimately, Jordan Tech should become a national platform instead of a place exclusively for the elite. HTU could offer practical engineering education and industry-based learning. PSUT could support computer studies, digital innovation, and entrepreneurship. GJU could provide practical science education and links to German industry.

 

The Yarmouk University, the University of Jordan, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Hashemite University, and many others are able to provide faculty, post-graduate students and specialized laboratories. Scientists of Jordan abroad should be given opportunities of joint appointments and practical means of coming back home.

 

The Jordan Economic Modernization Vision emphasizes innovation, productivity, and new economic opportunities as key areas for national development. A true JordanTech will turn that aspiration into a reality, but it can’t just be decreed in a charter or created in a new university campus.

 

The fundamental question is not if Jordan can establish an institution known as JordanTech. It can. The fundamental question is whether or not Jordan is ready to provide the institution with the necessary independence, talent, resources, patience, and high standards of quality so that it can transform itself into a leading force in national technology.

 

MIT and Caltech were built over generations. JordanTech should be judged not by how quickly it opens, but by whether it can still be transforming Jordan fifty years from now.

 

The writer is a professor of computer engineering and a former vice president at Yarmouk University