Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud, Vice President of Ain Shams University for Education and Student Affairs, inaugurated the first sessions of the ninth scientific conference of the university, which is being held under the title "Fourth Generation Universities between Reality and Aspirations", under the patronage and chaired by Prof. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of Ain Shams University, in the presence of Prof. Ayman Saleh, Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Research, and Vice President of the Conference, and Prof. Dr. Taya Abdel Latif, Adviser to the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Where Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud, activities of the education sector and students throughout the first day of the conference, which includes 12 various discussion sessions, pointing out that the sector participates in the university conference this year with a different vision that puts the student in the first rows to be an active and influential party in all the activities to be held within the conference activities, For the first time, several competitions are held for students through the University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, I hub, aiming to mobilize the energies and creativity of university youth in a way that contributes to creating a unique academic environment capable of positively influencing one way or another on the nature of the educational process and making the university stage a step on the road towards entering strongly For the labor market and working life, it also stimulates the university’s efforts to shift towards a fourth-generation university.

He pointed out that the competitions that include three tracks, namely (the medical competition which deals with the simulation model of the World Health Organization, the Innovation Competition, and the Educational and Social Sciences Competition). Students participating in each of the three tracks of the competition present a simulation of the role that each Faculty can play in the university’s transformation into a fourth-generation university, and the jury consists of directors of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center offices in each faculty and institute of the university.

Prof. Dr. Abdel Fattah Saoud said that huge prizes were allocated to students who won the competitions, with total prizes reaching 70 thousand pounds.

Prof. Dr. Sherif Hammad, a former Minister of Scientific Research and the former Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, spoke at the session where he reviewed the "concept of fourth generation universities", referring to the development of the nature of universities since the first generation, which was concerned with education only with funding from governments or churches.

Then the second generation, which gave more attention to scientific research, passing through the third generation universities, which was based on thinking about the needs of society and linking education with community service and sought to implement the slogan of universities without walls until we reached the fourth generation universities that work on interest in industry, which helps in the development and progress of countries and communities.

Prof. Dr. Maged Ghonima, Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Ain Shams University's vision to support the university’s innovation and entrepreneurship system and the full care the university takes for this approach, including allocating a building equipped at the highest level to be a headquarters for innovation and entrepreneurship at a cost of 10 million pounds.

The first session concluded with a comprehensive tour inside the innovation exhibition held on the sidelines of the conference.