Your Idea of Your Company ... Investment Initiative to Support Emerging Companies

By: Ibrahim Eldeeb, Mai Shaheen and Wafaa Fayez

CAIRO, Apr. 6 (SEE)- A seminar entitled, "Role of International Partners, the Private Sector and Civil Society in Higher Education and Scientific Research" was held during the International Education Forum.

The seminar was attended by Dr. Sahar Nasr, Minister of Investment and International Cooperation, Christian Mueller, Deputy Secretary General of DAAD, Dr. Osama Hamdy Medical Director of Harvard Medical School, Piotr Pluto, Director of Cisco for Corporate Affairs in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia, and Dr. Nermin Abu-Gazeh, Executive Director of the Millennium Foundation.

Nasr said that the cooperation initiative with the Ministry of Higher Education (your idea of your company), which aims to support and encourage start-ups, help entrepreneurs transform their ideas into fast-growing startups, provide serious investment opportunities for youth to serve the national economy, in Egypt.

She stressed that the importance of confidence in the private sector, investment in spreading the culture of education, as well as cooperation with international partners, especially in the field of technology and capacity building to rehabilitate youth and prepare them for the labor market, pointing to cooperation with the European Union.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the German Science Exchange said that there are three main areas of activities, such as grants, internationalization structures, and the acquisition of expertise through academic cooperation, pointing out the challenges facing the internationalization of higher education.

The Medical Director of the Harvard School of Medicine reviewed the activities and achievements of Global Hospital, which has centers of excellence, spends about $ 1.7 billion annually on scientific research, 538 patents, and spends about $ 345 billion annually.

Furthermore, there are about 22,000 research papers issued annually by the Medical School. During the seminar, the participants proposed the establishment of a global center for excellence in diabetes in Egypt with the aim of conducting scientific research of high quality, exporting services in the Middle East and Africa, and medical tourism. The move aims to achieve international partnership in cooperation with Harvard University, meaning that Egypt can reach the levels of international advanced, such as international institutions such as Harvard.

The Director of Cisco for Corporate Affairs in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Russia stressed the need to cooperate with Egypt in the field of higher education and scientific research, especially in light of the industrial revolution. He pointed out to the importance of partnership and cooperation between higher education and industry in order to achieve development and employment opportunities for young people.

On the other hand, Dr. Nermeen Abu-Ghazia, Executive Director of Al-Alfi Foundation, pointed out that Egypt can play a vital role in the knowledge economy because of the high human capabilities it possesses among her youth researchers reviewing the scholarships provided by the Millennium Foundation of scientific research in priority areas for achieving sustainable development.

This came within the framework of the World Forum for Higher Education and Scientific Research between the present and the future organized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research from 4 to 6 April in the new administrative capital under the auspices and honor of the President of the Republic.