EU-Egypt Hold their 8th Joint Committee Meeting on S&T Cooperation

The 8th meeting of the EU-Egypt Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological (S&T) Cooperation took place on Thursday 25 November 2021, in the context of the EU-Egypt S&T cooperation agreement, which was signed in June 2005.

It was attended by Deputy Minister for Scientific Research Dr. Yasser Refaat, Ambassador Omar Abul Eich, Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the Egyptian side and Ambassador Christian Berger, Head of the European Union Delegation to Egypt.

Ms Nienke Buisman Head of Unit, Global Approach & International Cooperation in R&I International Cooperation, on behalf of the European Commission and Mohamed El-Shinawi, Advisor to the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research on behalf of Egypt co-chaired the meeting.

The officials exchanged information and engaged in discussions to ensure the sustainability of EU-Egypt R&I cooperation. The two sides took note of recent research and innovation (R&I) policy developments in both Egypt and the EU. They also deliberated current and future cooperation opportunities including EU-Africa cooperation and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).

Ambassador Berger reiterated the EU's strong commitment to support Egypt in the field of research and innovation through its different programs of knowledge sharing, capacity building, and financial support. He highlighted that R&I are the real drivers of sustainable growth.

The two sides discussed progress in cooperation under the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), as well as cooperation prospects under Horizon Europe, particularly under the Africa initiative. The two sides also discussed bilateral cooperation in several areas including, R&I capacity building, human capital development, technology transfer as well as blue economy.

Representatives from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Directorate-General for Education and Culture and the European External Action Service and Joint research center also attended the meeting.

Also, representatives from the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Academy of scientific research, technology and Science and Technology Development Fund.