CAIRO – The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in cooperation with the EU mission in Egypt, on Sunday launched the EU–Egypt Research and Innovation Week.
Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education Ayman Ashour, Minister of Planning Rania el Mashat, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat, and EU Ambassador to Egypt Angelina Eichhorst, together with senior officers, specialists, teachers, college presidents and ministry leaders from either side attended the launching.
The launch marks the biggest occasion of its form since Egypt joined the Horizon Europe program as a accomplice nation, coinciding with the twentieth anniversary of the Egypt–EU Cooperation Agreement in science and know-how—representing a brand new milestone in bilateral scientific collaboration.
Abdel Ghaffar stated Egypt’s experiment lately has proven that investing in individuals via schooling, healthcare and abilities improvement is the true basis of nationwide progress.
He added that cooperation applications with the EU, equivalent to Horizon Europe, PRIMA, Erasmus+ and MSCA, have performed a significant function in supporting Egyptian researchers and linking them to world analysis networks.
He famous that the world is dealing with fast challenges in well being, power, local weather change and synthetic intelligence, making a robust analysis and innovation system a nationwide necessity aligned with the state’s imaginative and prescient.
The authorities, he stated, is working to hyperlink data to decision-making and translate analysis outputs into sensible functions that enhance providers and meet residents’ wants.
Abdel Ghaffar stated the Research and Innovation Week supplies a sensible platform to deepen cooperation via specialised periods, proposal-writing workshops, experience-sharing between Egyptian and European universities, and area visits to help efficient partnerships in analysis and innovation.
He stated the subsequent section of cooperation will prioritize public well being, digital transformation in healthcare methods, biotechnology and precision medication, meals and water safety, renewable power and local weather adaptation, synthetic intelligence, sensible business and community-driven innovation.
He additionally emphasised the central function of younger researchers, whose creativity and ambition drive progress, including that EU partnership opens broad alternatives for capacity-building and worldwide publicity.
Higher Education Minister Ayman Ashour stated the presence of specialists, researchers and policymakers from Egypt and the EU displays sturdy dedication to strengthening the analysis and innovation ecosystem.
Over the previous 20 years, he famous, Egypt has participated in additional than 300 EU-funded analysis and innovation tasks—significantly in well being, environment-climate, water and clear power—demonstrating sturdy alignment on scientific priorities.
He highlighted Egypt’s lively participation in Horizon Europe tasks in public well being, medical applied sciences, local weather resilience, superior water remedy, renewable power methods and cultural heritage, in addition to the social sciences and sustainable mobility.
Ashour famous that Egypt has taken half in 92 PRIMA tasks between 2018 and 2024, involving greater than 100 nationwide establishments and receiving over €17 million in funding. These tasks addressed agricultural methods (36%), agri-food worth chains (34%), water sources and innovation (23%), and the water–power–meals–local weather nexus (7%).
Mashat stated the sustainability agenda displays Egypt’s dedication to scientific analysis and innovation because the cornerstone of constructing the longer term. Investing in youth, researchers and entrepreneurs, she stated, is the inspiration of real financial improvement.
Mashat highlighted efforts to strengthen universities and analysis establishments, develop worldwide cooperation and create an surroundings supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, policymaking reforms, and help for startups and entry to know-how and finance.
She famous that the Egypt–EU partnership is constructed not solely on technical and monetary help however on a shared imaginative and prescient for human and industrial improvement.
Electricity and Renewable Energy Minister Mahmoud Esmat expressed confidence within the success of the EU–Egypt liaison workplace for analysis and innovation, noting that the partnership aligns with Egypt’s imaginative and prescient to develop into a regional hub for innovation and scientific analysis.
Esmat highlighted Egypt’s efforts to advance renewable power tasks and guarantee sustainable power provide, stressing quite a few alternatives for joint cooperation in attaining secure power entry and selling renewable-resource use throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
The EU official stated the gathering displays the depth of EU–Egypt strategic ties, which have produced greater than 300 profitable cooperation tasks in well being, local weather, renewable power and water—supporting improvement and driving innovation.
She praised the participation of a whole bunch of Egyptian researchers and reaffirmed that data alternate stays central to the increasing partnership.
Eichhorst stated the launching of the analysis week coincides with celebrations of the twentieth anniversary of the Egypt–EU science and know-how cooperation settlement, noting that Egypt turned the primary absolutely related accomplice in Horizon Europe following the signing ceremony in Brussels on 22 October—describing it as a pivotal milestone.