In order to promote sustainable innovation.. Signing a tripartite agreement with the United Nations Development Program

Within the framework of the national direction and the integrated efforts made by the state to consolidate sustainable innovation as one of the basic pillars of comprehensive sustainable development in an effort to build aknowledge-based economy, state institutions continue to coordinate among themselves to develop effective policies that contribute to confronting economic challenges and improving the quality of life for citizens.

This comes based on the state’s belief in the importance of employing scientific research and sustainable innovation in the path of achieving comprehensive growth and enhancing competitiveness regionally and globally. In this context, the higher education and scientific research system is witnessing qualitative movements aimed at transforming knowledge outputs into real added value that supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and keeps pace with Egypt’s Vision 2030, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme.

National Sustainable Innovation Policy 2030

The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Ayman Ashour, witnessed the signing of a tripartite agreement between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the United Nations Development Programme, under the title “Transforming Egypt into a Sustainable, Innovative Knowledge Society,” in implementation of the National Sustainable Innovation Policy 2030.

The agreement aims to employ technological innovation to create value and enhance sustainability in all productive and service sectors in Egypt, at the Ministry’s headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Hossam Othman, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Innovation, Artificial Intelligence and Scientific Research, Mr. Ambassador Khaled Anis, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Department of International Development Cooperation, and Ms. Chitose Noguchi, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme.

Transforming to a sustainable knowledge society to face economic challenges

In this context, Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed that it is necessary to transform Egypt into a sustainable and innovative knowledge society to overcome the economic challenges facing Egypt and achieve the desired growth goals, pointing out that employing technological innovation is necessary to improve the quality of life, comprehensive growth, and enhance competitiveness.

He also explained that the national policy for sustainable innovation aims to develop the innovative capabilities and roles of higher education and scientific research institutions, enhance the developmental role of universities and research centers, diversify and enhance financing for sustainable innovation to support sustainable development and quality of life, improve the work environment and instill a scientific, innovative and entrepreneurship culture, with the aim of transforming Egypt into a sustainable and innovative knowledge society.

Implementation of the agreement includes non-traditional technology transfer activities

For his part, Ambassador Khaled Anis pointed out the importance of implementing the agreement, which aims to implement an effective and flexible strategy that includes non-traditional activities to transfer technology, deepen industrialization, and enhance the role of technological alliances between the various relevant government institutions, investors and entrepreneurs in sustainable development.

In addition to establishing and managing the needs of hundreds of companies emerging from the outputs of scientific research in all governorates, at the level of the Egyptian state, and promoting digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence in academic institutions, stressing the importance of the role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in supporting the implementation of this agreement to achieve the desired results.

In the same context, Ms. Chitose Noguchi, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Egypt, confirmed that today’s signing reflects the role of Egyptian universities and research institutions in directly contributing to creating job opportunities, enhancing competitiveness, and expanding the horizons of opportunities for millions of Egyptians, and by strengthening the link between scientific research, innovation and labor market needs, this partnership contributes to transforming knowledge into comprehensive growth, decent job opportunities, and a tangible impact on the lives of citizens.

“Alliance and Development” Initiative

Dr. Hossam Othman stressed that the “Alliance and Development” initiative is a practical application of the national policy supporting sustainable innovation, through regional alliances that bring together universities, research centers, industry and government agencies to promote knowledge-based development.

Explaining that the initiative aims to build strong partnerships that support sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship in various regions, and to transform alliances into economic engines capable of producing technological solutions and providing job opportunities, indicating that the Ministry will work to benefit from the initiative in implementing this agreement to transform scientific knowledge into practical applications with a tangible development impact, and implementable results that support the development of society and the state.

Five sub-policies of the strategy

The strategy is based on five sub-policies, which are:

• Developing the innovative capabilities and roles of institutions of higher education and scientific research
• Enhancing the developmental role of universities and research centers
• Diversify and enhance innovation financing to support sustainable development and quality of life
• Improving the work environment and establishing a culture of science, sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship
• Governance of the National Sustainable Innovation Policy.

The agreement aims to implement policies through an integrated set of 27 programs and initiatives that achieve four basic enablers and three main objectives. The four basic enablers are: (availability of talent, technology transfer, availability of financing, and effectiveness and governance of the work environment), and the three main objectives are: (building research and development capabilities, bridging the gap between research, development and innovation, and capacity building).

Implementation will take place through the Innovation and Scientific Research Sector of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and the agreement is intended to begin on January 1, 2026, and extend for five years with a total budget of $32.1 million. Funding will be provided in partnership with the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, the Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority, and the Fund for Welfare of Innovators and Brilliant Persons.

The agreement signing activities by the Ministry of Higher Education were attended by Dr. Walaa Sheta, CEO of the Sustainable Science, Technology and Innovation Financing Authority, Dr. Walid Al-Zawawi, Secretary of the Council of Research Centers, Institutes and Bodies, Dr. Ayman Farid, Assistant Minister and Head of the Cultural Affairs and Missions Sector, Dr. Ahmed Abdel Ghani, Head of the Central Administration for International Student Affairs, and Dr. Weam Mahmoud, Executive Director of the Ministry’s Institutional Innovation Unit.

According to the above, this agreement represents an important step in the path of transforming sustainable innovation from a theoretical framework into a practical tool to support economic and social development in Egypt. The real challenge is related to the ability of the institutions concerned to implement what has been agreed upon efficiently, and to link the outputs of scientific research to the needs of the productive sectors and the labor market.

The Earth Guards Foundation believes that with the start of implementation of the national policy for sustainable innovation, the success of these efforts remains dependent on the extent of continuity of cooperation between government agencies, universities and the private sector, and their ability to transform knowledge into projects and job opportunities that have a tangible impact on the lives of citizens, in a way that supports the state’s direction towards building a knowledge-based economy and achieving development goals. Sustainable.