Comparative analysis of research quantity, quality, and impact in MENA research centers

Research performance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is often assessed using national aggregates that mask substantial institutional variation. Evidence on how output, quality, and excellence relate to economic resources and institutional capacity across the region remains limited. Data from the SCImago Research Centers Rankings were used to analyze 321 non-university, non-health research centers across 22 MENA countries. Indicators included research output, Quality, Excellence, collaboration, innovation, and Institutional Citation Impact per researcher (ICI/T). Analyses were conducted at both country and institutional levels using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and clustering. The analysis reveals extreme heterogeneity within and across countries. National income is strongly associated with research Excellence but shows a much weaker relationship with baseline Quality. ICI/T is strongly associated with Excellence and displays reduced variance at higher values, indicating increasing stability of elite performance. Clustering identifies multiple tiers of research systems that cut across income categories. A small group of countries exhibits disproportionately high Excellence relative to weak institutional impact, consistent with structural decoupling. International collaboration supports Quality but does not predict Excellence, while regional and industry collaboration remain limited. Economic resources accelerate elite research performance but do not guarantee high baseline quality. Long-term research performance in the MENA region depends primarily on institutional alignment, governance, and sustained capacity building rather than output expansion alone.