EGYPT-UK: New international university agreed

Four universities in Egypt and the UK's University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, have agreed to establish an international university - the first higher education and research institution in Egypt to use a public private partnership model in an investment zone.

An agreement - a direct implementation of Egypt's national higher education strategy - was signed at the Welsh national assembly in Wales on 15 February by Antony Chapman, Vice-Chancellor of UWIC, and Ahmed El Gohary, President of Fayoum University, among others.

Fayoum and the universities of Cairo, Ain-Shams and Alexandria were selected by the government to facilitate the development of the international university in order to enhance Egypt's capacity to carry out world-class research.

Located at the higher education complex at New Fayoum City, the new Egypt-based international institution will enable the fives universities to work in partnership, sharing expertise and knowledge with the aim of improving higher education quality and applied research linked to industry and entrepreneurship in Egypt.

The project will initially focus on three programmes including food science and technology, hotel and events management, and nursery and total quality management for hospital care.

Hassan Moawad Abdel Al, former president of Alexandria's Mubarak City for Scientific Research and Technology Applications, Egypt, welcomed the international university.

"It will be a valuable tool for preparing a new generation of African leaders to solve the problems of society, such as eradicating poverty and sustainable use of natural resources, as well as creating the knowledge needed to establish knowledge-based economy in Africa," Abdel Al told University World News.