Projects
Review
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The Regional Learning Seminar of ANQAHE and DAAD
"Improving the Management of Quality Assurance in the Arab Region”
Agencies and Universities Working Together
In continuation to the fruitful cooperation between the Arab Network for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ANQAHE) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the field of Quality Assurance and Accreditation, ANQAHE and DAAD organized a joint Workshop under the title "Improving the Management of Quality Assurance in the Arab Region” Agencies and Universities Working Together” from 17th to 19th October 2009 at Cairo, Egypt.
The main goal of this workshop was to bring the Arab Region’s key players in the field of Quality Assurance in Higher Education Systems together with European Experts to discuss their current challenges in Quality Assurance in Higher Education, to exchange information and create a cooperation or link between the European and Arab Region in the field of Quality Assurance in Higher Education.
Derive from this objective; following topics were tackled in the Workshop Sessions:
- External and Internal Quality Assurance Systems for Agencies
- Internal Quality Assurance Systems in Higher Education Institutes
- Experience of the UNDP Quality Assurance project in the Arab region
Prestigious keyplayers in the field of Quality Assurance in Higher Education and Agencies from the Arab Region and other foreign Experts participated in the workshop to achieve the above mentioned goals and objectives.
The speaker’s Power Point presentations are now available!
Workshop on "The New Era of Stem Cells”
The Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University and the Cologne University, Germany organized a workshop on "The New Era of Stem Cells” under the patronage of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) on 17th of October, 2009 at Cairo University.
Since the year 2006, a very fruitful cooperation exists between the Department of Pediatric Cardiology of the University of Cologne and the Department of Pediatric Cardiology of Cairo University. Clinicians from Cairo University are enrolled in an exchange program between Cologne and Cairo funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) since 2008.
In the context of the current conference, eight scientists from Germany have been invited to present the state of their work and their recent findings in the field of stem cell research. Together with renowned Egyptian scientists they provided an overview about the current research in this field.
In 13 presentations, the audience of 120 people has been informed about the current state of stem cell research in both Germany and Egypt. Therefore, ethical questions have also been discussed.
The conference furthermore strengthened the Egyptian scientific capacity, reinforced the existing partnership between Germany and Egypt and rapidly integrated the Egyptian research entity into the international stem cell research area.
Award Ceremony for the DAAD and Sawiris Foundation Scholarship holders 2009
On June 3rd 2009, the awarding of the annual scholarships of the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development and the German Academic Exchange Service took place in the DAAD Cairo office in Zamalek. On the German side it served as a genuine contribution to the Federal Foreign Office initiative "Schulen: Partner der Zukunft".
Among the attendees were, in addition to the scholarship holders, their families and friends, the German Ambassador in Cairo, the headmasters and some teachers of the German schools, as well as a few members of the pre-selection committee.
During the ceremony, 6 highly talented graduates from the three acknowledged German Schools in Egypt were awarded scholarships for undergraduate studies in Germany for up to 5 years. Among the chosen fields of study are engineering and political sciences as well as German as a Foreign Language in the cities of Munich, Leipzig and Berlin.
In his welcome speech, Dr. Christian Hülshörster, the Director of the DAAD Cairo office, emphasized the excellent opportunities the students are given through these scholarships, and reminded them at the same time of the accompanying responsibilities.
Subsequently, Prof. Dr. Gannat El Samalouty, the Managing Director of the Sawiris Foundation, complimented the scholarship holders on their award. On behalf of the headmasters of the three schools Dr. Hubert Müller, the headmaster of the Deutschen Schule der Borromäerinnen in Alexandria gave a speech of congratulation.
Concluding the official ceremony, HE the German Ambassador in Cairo, Mr. Bernd Erbel, felicitated the future University students, wished them the best of luck for their studies in Germany and ceremoniously handed over the DAAD award certificates.
The event ended with a small reception for all the attendees in the garden of the DAAD premises.
Congratulations!
On May 27, 2009 the DAAD Team hosted the official awarding ceremony for the GERLS scholarship holders of 2009.
About 250 guests were present in the flower surrounded garden of the DAAD premises and turned the occasion into a festive event: a total number of 73 scientists – as many as never before – were handed their certificate for the German Egyptian Long-term Scholarship Programme, enabling them to receive a Ph.D. degree in Germany.
In their addresses, the two special guests and dear friends, the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research H.E. Prof. Dr. Hani Helal and the German Ambassador to Egypt H.E. Bernd Erbel, expressed their pride and appreciation for the scholars’ achievement, who were very honored to receive their certificate from such high-ranking officials.
The German Egyptian Long-term Scholarship Programme GERLS is one of the biggest co-financed programmes of the DAAD, a major outcome of the German Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007 and a real success story.
Our scholars will continue this success story in Germany on which the Cairo Office congratulates them cordially.
DAAD Cairo Office
Award of the Honorary PhD of Cairo University to Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, Federal Minister of Education and Research
On Sunday, 1st of March 2009, Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan, German Minister of Education and Research, received the honorary PhD of Cairo University.
Due to her strong support to a successful cooperation in the field of research between Germany and Egypt, especially during the German-Egyptian Year of Science & Technology 2007, the president of the Cairo University, Prof. Dr. Hossam Kamel, awarded her the title in a ceremony that took place in the Grand Festival Hall of Cairo University. Together with the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Prof. Dr. Hany Helal, he highlighted the contribution of Minister Schavan to the bilateral relations, by giving contacts between German and Egyptian scientists a new "push”. As a result, the first certificates were handed to German Egyptian scientific teams, which were awarded in the frame of the GESP-Program. In the frame of this program, the DAAD together with the Egyptian STDF supports the mobility between groups of German Egyptian scientists.
"Bridging the Gap between Research & Development and Private Industry in Egypt – Models of Cooperation”
On December 6th, 2009, DAAD, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and the Egyptian-German Development Programm (PSDP) hosted a conference on knowledge transfer and cooperation between R&D institutions and Small and Medium Enterprises.
150 invited guests from the fields of science, industry and the politics participated in the event which took place at the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek. Due to the close cooperation between the three organizing institutions, the participants represented a great variety of organizations within the Egyptian and German industrial and R&D community.
The opening words were taken over by Prof. Dr. Maged El-Sherbini, Vice Minister at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Ahmed Fouad Mandour, Executive Director of Food Technology Center of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and H.E. Michael Bock, German Ambassador to Egypt. Dr. Roland Steurer, Director of the gtz in Egypt and Dr. Christian Hülshörster, Head of the DAAD Cairo office, as main hosts of the conference, welcomed the guests.
It became very clear during this opening session that the cooperation between R&D and private industry is a crucial requirement for creating a "knowledge-based society" in Egypt and for increasing the competitiveness of the Egyptian science and economy.
The conference was divided into three thematic sessions which were represented by high ranking personalities from R&D, industry and the policy level. In the first session, "The importance of innovation from the policy to the company level", keynote speeches were given by representatives from gtz, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and VDI/VDE Innovation +Technik, a company supporting innovation processes at the link of policy, industry and science. In the second session, "Examples of German and Egyptian Success Stories", seven high-ranking German and Egyptian personalities provided the audience with insights into successful linkages between science and private industry. A project officer of the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) offered information about existing financing mechanism for Egyptian and bi-lateral projects linking academia and industry in the last session "Access to finance".
The concluding question and answer session was extensively used by the audience to ask critical questions and to share their comments with the speakers. Controversial aspects like the internal gaps and tensions within science and industry, the necessity of high-quality basic research and the subject of appropriate distance between industry and scientific research provoked interesting discussions.
Organizers and participants evaluated the event as a great success and the three organizing institutions concurred in continuing their joint activities in the near future.
