CAIRO - After long decades of lukewarm enthusiasm, Egyptian scientists are expecting to get a pat on the back from the Government in thanks for all their hard work in their laboratories. The despondency which overwhelmed these homegrown brains was dispelled, when Prime Minister Essam Sharaf confirmed that scientific research is a top priority for his Government. He also stressed that his Government is fully aware of the huge challenges facing scientific research and creativity in Egypt. “The Government is committed to offering political and financial support to the scientific sector to help develop the country,” the Premier asserted. Sharaf stressed his Government's appreciation of the pioneering role of Egyptian scientists in post-revolution Egypt at the opening of the second stage of the Research, Development and Innovation Programme, being sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology. The PM attributed the State's change of heart to the recent revolution. “Scientific research has been acknowledged [by my Government] as vital for development,” he told a big gathering of optimistic scientists and researchers, led by the Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology Amr Ezzat Salama. “The Government is giving special attention to stimulating international co-operation to build a healthy Egyptian society, based on strong scientific and IT foundations,” Sharaf added. The Premier stressed that scientific research in Egypt is important for national security, for which everybody should be responsible. “The growing challenges and new circumstances in Egypt should encourage us [the State] to suggest the thorough development of this vital sector,” Sharaf said. The second stage of this 20 million euro programme was praised by the Minister of Scientific Research and Technology for stimulating economic growth and boosting Egypt's competitiveness overseas. In recent decades, Egypt has witnessed a brain-drain, prompted by the State's questionable attitude towards its scientists and researchers. Egypt's scientists packed their bags and left the country, when successive governments under Hosni Mubarak refused to give their projects enough money. Former governments only allocated about 1.2 per cent of the State Budget for providing laboratories and scientific centres with modern equipment and facilities. The salaries of the hard-working scientists were also embarrassingly small, so it's no wonder they were tempted by well-paid jobs overseas.
