The Gulf Research Center (GRC) maintained its position as the second leading think tank in the Mena region in the 2011 global 'Go-To Think Tanks' survey which was released recently.

The survey which looked at 6,545 public policy organisations from 182 countries, including 329 organisations from the Mena region, is prepared by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme of the University of Pennsylvania, said a statement.

The objective fo the survey, published by the Diplomatic Courier, is to recognise the leading public policy think tanks and highlight the important contributions they make to governmental decision-making and the development of civil society worldwide.

The ranking is the result of a nomination process conducted by experts and peer institutions, the statement said.

Several criteria are considered including the rigor and relevance of research and analysis, the ability to produce new knowledge or policy alternatives, and efforts to contribute to positive change in their given region, it said.

The GRC held its annual Gulf Forum conference in Riyadh recently. Other events including the third annual Gulf Research Meeting at the University of Cambridge have been planned.

The centre successfully bid for a two-year project from the European Commission on EU-GCC public diplomacy for activities for the current year and the next. – TradeArabia News Service