Enhancing Capacity-Training

All ACSS activities aim to contribute to capacity building and professional development, especially of the upcoming generation of social scientists. The ACSS will initiate specialized programs for training and capacity building to address specific needs based on demand or professional needs assessment, including methodology and training workshops and a fellowship program.

The ACSS will organize training workshops especially geared towards the professionalization of social sciences. It will encourage and assist academic institutions to develop a code of ethics in research, including procedures for the protection of human subjects; developing regional mechanisms for peer review and quality control; commissioning reviews of social science curricula; and conducting evaluations of particular programs, projects and institutions.

Strengthening the infrastructure of social science

A favorable environment and an appropriate infrastructure are prerequisites for the flourishing of the social sciences in the region and their contributions to Arab societies as well as the larger global research community. Beyond supporting its individual and institutional members, the ACSS undertakes programs to conduct needs assessments, to identify the barriers to social science research, to strengthen the environment for independent scientific inquiry and to develop essential resources (such as translations to and from Arabic, electronic databases and the digitization of research archives) for use by its regional constituency. In addition, the ACSS works on curriculum development and the strengthening of university departments and centers through strategic institutional partnerships.