The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research confirmed that the aim of establishing centers of excellence in universities is to develop higher education and scientific research, conduct joint scientific research with international scientific bodies, train and qualify scientific cadres, establish joint scientific programs and advisory centers in national priority areas for the State Sustainable Development Plan (Vision 2030) especially in the fields of agriculture, energy and water. This came during his meeting last Sunday with Prof. Dr. Abdul Wahab Ezzat, President of Ain Shams University, and a delegation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) headed by Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, Director of the Center for Energy Excellence at the Institute, at the ministry's headquarters.

During the meeting, the minister praised the Center for Energy Excellence of Ain Shams University, which is a model of the partnership between the University and the Massachusetts Institute, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

The minister pointed out that the center will contribute to linking Egyptian universities and leading universities in the United States of America, and works to establish channels of communication between Egyptian and American experts.

The two parties also discussed the role of the ministry in supporting centers of excellence in Egyptian universities. The centers also provide projects in the fields of higher education and scientific research, in addition to providing jobs in the fields of energy, exchange of students and faculty members between Egyptian universities and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the establishment of companies for entrepreneurship in the fields of energy in cooperation with the public and private sectors.

For his part, Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim said that the Center for Energy Excellence at Ain Shams University is an alliance that includes the universities of Mansoura and Aswan, adding that the center offers research projects in all areas of energy, such as wind, solar and other.

Dr. Ayman Ashour, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Dr. Mohammed Al-Shenawi, Minister's Advisor for International Relations and Agreements, attended the meeting.

It is worth mentioning that the Center for Energy Excellence at Ain Shams University was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Faculty of Engineering at the University.