The European Union (EU) Delegation to Egypt, in collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, organized a workshop on Thursday entitled “Women Empowerment through and for Science”. The event brought together scientists, policy makers, academics, innovators, diplomats, women organisations, and gender experts, within the framework World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD) and the EU Gender Champion Initiative. “We have a long standing cooperation with Egypt in research, higher education and innovation through our programmes Horizon 2020 and Erasmus plus. This year also marks 11 years since the EU-Egypt science and technology agreement came into force,” said Ivan Surkoš, the EU ambassador to Egypt. “Women scientists, academics and researchers have had invaluable contribution to our cooperation with Egypt. We have the pleasure today to acknowledge those remarkable women who coordinated EU funded projects and acted as national contact points for EU programmes, contributing to pushing forward our bilateral cooperation and to the sustainable development of their societies,” he added. Under Horizon 2020, Egypt is currently a partner in 40 projects with an overall budget exceeding €140m. The projects cover collaborative research in various areas inducing food security, environment and inclusive, innovative and reflective societies, space and research infrastructure. Additionally, more than 166 Egyptian researchers have benefited from training and fellowship opportunities in Europe under the programme so far. In the area of higher education, Erasmus+ has become a successful and popular way to cross border study and training and to foster cooperation between educational institutions. Since 2014, the EU has funded 2,410 mobility opportunities from Egypt to Europe and 1,087 from Europe to Egypt. The 2019 selection will bring more than 1,200 new participants in both directions. In relation to capacity building in the field of higher education, 45 projects involving Egypt have been contracted since 2014 with a total budget of €44m and more than 180 Egyptian students have been awarded Erasmus Mundus scholarships in order to undertake full master degree studies in Europe.
