The number of scientific publications grew 20% between 2019 and 2022, reads a booklet published by the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry. Tunisia took the 12th spot in world rankings. The average of scientific co-publications with foreign countries saw a 58% rise over the same period. 23.5% of these co-publications involved France. In 2022, the research attracted 25,803 members of research structures, including 13,802 researchers and over 11,000 PhD students and holders. 59% of these members are women. In 2023, the number of research laboratories also rose to 501 from 491 in 2022. These laboratories mainly specialise in engineering and technology (58%), agricultural and veterinary sciences (36%), exact and experimental sciences (3%) and humanities (3%). However, the number of research units attached to higher education institutions and research centres fell sharply, with only 21 research units in 2023 against 92 in 2022. Likewise, the 2022-2023 academic year saw a fall in the number of P hD students which reached to 10,559, or around 4% of the total number of students enrolled in higher education institutions (260,000). The number of PhD theses presented in 2022 also dropped 14% to 1,865. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse