Abu-Ghazaleh Welcomes Partnership with the Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research and Technology

CAIRO - The Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) - the Egyptian National Scientific & Technical Information Network (ENSTINET). The MOU was signed at the headquarters of ASRT in Cairo after thorough discussions on the pillars of cooperation and how to meet challenges at both the national and the regional levels.

The MoU was signed by Prof. Mahmoud Sakr, President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology and Yousef Torman, Executive Director of the Arab States Research and education Network

The MoU included agreement on cooperation in various dimensions related to scientific research and education, with particular focus on infrastructures, open science and capacity building.

ASRT will be the official beneficiary partner in Egypt for the European Union’s co-funded projects AfricaConnect3 and Medusa, which are delivered locally by ASREN, to provide high-capacity international internet connectivity for academic and scientific collaborations and to connect the research and education communities in Egypt with the pan-European GÉANT network and the rest of the world.

Studies and plans are also underway to establish a regional open exchange point in Egypt, which will be hosted and operated by the Academy, to serve as a connectivity hub for the Arab NRENs, and among the many other world research and education networks accross the Mediterranean Sea.

The Academy will additionally encourage Open Science, Open Access and LIBSENSE activities in Egypt and the region, through its experience in serving as a host and an operator of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank project initiative, the largest digital library in the world.

Furthermore, the Academy has agreed to host e-AGE22, ASREN’s flagship conference, to be held during the second week of December 2022 in Cairo in cooperation with the regional partners.

In welcoming this important step Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazleh, Chairman of ASREN said: “ASREN is pleased to formally welcome ASRT as a project partner. Serving as Egypt’s national house of expertise in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation ASRT is a partner of choice for ASREN in its quest to benefit the R&E communities in Egypt and to support the Arab region as a whole especially in infrastructures and science cooperation.”

For his part Dr. Mahmoud Sakr, President of Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research and Technology comments: “In light of its leading role in supporting the scientific research and education community in Egypt, the Academy, through its constructive cooperation with ASREN, aspires to develop its services, cooperate in support of Arab and regional scientific research, cooperate in linking Arab researchers and students, and urge research cooperation amongst them in order to achieve renaissance and prosperity for the Arab world and beyond.”

He added: “The Academy contributes to the creation of a supportive environment for scientific research and education, through a set of initiatives and contributions to national projects that support Open Science and dissemination of scientific culture. It will provide management services for the unified network for scientific research and education as well as International linkage with international scientific research networks for all universities, research centers and secondary schools. It will also support the advancement of scientific publishing through many agreements with international publishing houses and through its cooperation with the Egyptian Knowledge Bank in managing and operating the national platform for scientific publishing, which includes about 820 Egyptian scientific periodicals Today.”