CAIRO - The role of science and technology in democratic reform in Egypt was the theme of a two-day workshop that closed Saturday in Cairo. The purpose of the workshop, organised by the German Egyptian Research Fund, the Egyptian Science and Technology Development Fund and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, was for Egyptian and German researchers to jointly define the role of research at large in the transformation process. The purpose was also for these researchers to pinpoint the areas of research they ought to pursue in the field of social sciences and to discuss how to support democratic reform and economic development. According to George Schutte, Secretary of State, Federal Ministry of Education and Research, human and social sciences, related to democratic change in Egypt, will receive more attention in this post-revolutionary phase, especially after the dissolution of the much-hated State Security Agency. He said that something similar happened in Germany when the two parts of the country became one. Maged el-Sherbiny, President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, stressed that German-Egyptian scientific research co-operation has been very successful, adding that Egypt is committed to all the agreements they have signed. El-Sherbiny also appreciated the participation of the German side at this critical time, stressing that science and technology are the keys for stability and a good economy and democracy.
