Egypt's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour witnessed on Monday the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB) and global higher education consultancy QS, aimed at enhancing the international competitiveness of Egyptian universities. Under the agreement, QS will provide Egyptian universities with analytical data related to the QS World University Rankings and offer technical support to help them earn QS Stars ratings, which bolster global visibility. The signing took place during a ceremony honouring Egyptian universities featured in the QS World University Rankings 2025. In his remarks, Ashour noted that 20 Egyptian universities were included in the 2025 global rankings, compared to just five in 2017. He also highlighted the presence of 36 Egyptian universities in the QS Arab Region rankings and 26 in the QS Sustainability rankings. Among the top performers, Cairo University ranked 347th globally, followed by the American University in Cairo at 381st and Ain Shams University at 542nd. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama