Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and Lieutenant General Kamel Al-Wazir, Minister of Transport, on Monday morning, witnessed the opening of the activities of the International Smart Cities Conference 2023 entitled "Future View", which is organized by the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, in cooperation with the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. higher education and scientific research, in the presence of Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, Major General Staff Ashraf El-Araby, representative of the Engineering Authority of the Armed Forces, and Prof. Omar Al-Husseini, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University, and Prof. Dr. Ayman Farid, Assistant Minister for Strategic Planning, Training and Qualification for the Labor Market, and Prof. Dr. Ahmed Al-Sabbagh, Advisor to the Minister for Technical and Technological Education. The opening was also witnessed by a group of former Ministers of Transport, Higher Education and Scientific Research, and a number of university presidents, in the presence of Prof. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President for Education and Student Affairs, Prof. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Shahira Samir, Executive Director of the International Relations and Academic Cooperation Sector, Prof. Nagwa Badr, Dean of the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Prof. Muhammad Raga, Dean of the Faculty of Science, and Prof. Huwaida Al-Gebali, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies for Childhood.

In his speech, Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed the importance of the conference, which discusses the development of a future vision for smart cities, which witnessed a great development during the last period and since the beginning of its idea in 2015, pointing out that the scientific and technological development that occurred in the design of smart cities makes it a promising model in serving citizens in terms of providing services and infrastructure. Infrastructure and overcoming challenges facing citizens, such as climate change and water shortages, solving transportation problems through smart transportation technology, protecting the environment and providing innovative solutions; To get rid of all the problems facing the old cities, and facilitate access to government services through smart governance and e-governance, noting the positive role of the idea of smart cities in facing disasters and emergency conditions that residents may be exposed to, such as the Corona pandemic, and dealing with terrorism, as the communication and communication system allows Smart has the highest standards of security, protection and flexibility in facing changes and challenges, based on artificial intelligence and modern technology.

The Minister of Higher Education referred to Egypt's vision to expand the design and implementation of smart cities, praising the selection of the Administrative Capital to host the activities of the conference, which is the first smart city in Egypt. He thanked the Administrative Capital Company, which is a pioneer in implementing smart cities, stressing that the conference represents an opportunity to exchange Scientific visions and ideas on ways to invest modern technology in various fields, and employ it to achieve a better quality of life for new generations, and implement the state's development plans to expand urban planning, indicating that smart cities are the technical arm of the new republic.

Dr. Ayman Ashour pointed out that smart cities are a model for applying the interdisciplinary thought adopted by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, which is based on linking all scientific disciplines from different branches of science, and benefiting from the overlap of sciences. To find innovative creative solutions, and raise efficiency and ability to face various challenges.

The Minister of Higher Education praised the size of the distinguished attendance of former ministers, university presidents, deans of faculties, and Egyptian and foreign researchers in all relevant disciplines, especially engineering majors, expressing his wishes for the conference’s activities to be successful and that the discussions and dialogue sessions would yield fruitful results and come up with useful recommendations.

Dr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, the climate pioneer and the United Nations Special Envoy for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in his recorded speech thanked Ain Shams University for organizing this important conference, referring to the university’s recognized scientific excellence, especially in the branches of medicine and engineering, stressing the importance of smart cities in addressing climate challenges, which pose a challenge He made great efforts in front of ancient cities to preserve the environment and achieve progress in getting rid of environmental problems, pointing to the success of the Cop27 climate summit organized by Egypt, which was organized in an honorable manner that reflects Egypt's interest in development issues, and the follow-up of its efforts to confront the consequences imposed by climate change.

For his part, Dr. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, affirmed that smart thinking is the motto of all scientific disciplines in medicine, engineering, and others, noting the interest of Ain Shams University in following up on recent developments in technological applications in various scientific fields, stressing the interest in exchanging visions and experiences with different countries through scientific meetings, stressing the interest in exchanging visions and experiences with different countries through joint scientific meetings.

Dr. Omar Al-Husseini, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, pointed out that the conference represents the interdisciplinary perspective adopted by the College of Engineering, and brings together specialists in all engineering branches, which participate in the design of smart cities, explaining that the conference adopts several axes: construction, transportation, green environment, communication and information technology, and management. Smart for cities.

It is worth noting that the conference will discuss 100 scientific papers published by several researchers representing 40 local universities and 30 Arab and foreign universities.

The conference activities are also witnessing an international competition in the field of smart cities, as about 183 teams submitted to it, which were filtered into 12 teams, and the winners will be announced and prizes presented at the end of the conference.