The Center of Excellence for Water, funded by the United States Agency for International Development, awarded three scientific papers worth $250,000 for research and three medium research grants worth $50,000.

The signing ceremony included Prof. Dr. Ayman Saleh, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Studies and Research Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ghada Farouk, Acting Vice President of Ain Shams University for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Dr. Omar Al-Husseini, Dean of the College of Engineering, Prof. Dr. Issam Shaaban, Director of the Center of Excellence for Water, Prof. Dr. Shahira Samir, Executive Director of the International Relations and Academic Cooperation Sector at Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Tamer Al-Nadi, Director of Grants and Projects Department at the University.

It is noteworthy that the American University in Cairo received $30 million in funding from the United States Agency for International Development in 2019 to establish a Water Excellence Center at Alexandria University, in partnership with Egyptian ministries and governorates, American universities, Egyptian universities, Egyptian research centers, Egyptian and American institutions, and the private sector.

The projects selected for funding aim to provide a sustainable and low-cost solution to the decentralized sewage system in rural Egypt, improve crop and water productivity, and focus on desalination technology, smart irrigation, and industrial wastewater treatment for irrigation.

The names of the winners of the financing of their projects were: Prof. Dr. Tarek Sabry, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Public Works, Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Ahmed El-Gendy, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, The American University in Cairo, Dr. Mahmoud Khalil, Department of Computers, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Dr. Amal El-Esawy, The American University in Cairo, d. Yasser Arafa, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Dr. Peter Troy University of Washington, Dr. Sheren Al-Agroudi, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, Prof. Dr. Ayman Bahaa, Department of Computer and Systems Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams, Dr. Ehab Mina, Department of Mechanical Power Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams.