CAIRO
- The Arab States Research and Education Network (ASREN) has signed a
memorandum of understanding with the Egyptian Academy for Scientific Research
and Technology (ASRT) - the Egyptian National Scientific & Technical
Information Network (ENSTINET). The MOU was signed at the headquarters of ASRT
in Cairo after thorough discussions on the pillars of cooperation and how to
meet challenges at both the national and the regional levels.

The
MoU was signed by Prof. Mahmoud Sakr, President of the Academy of Scientific
Research and Technology and Yousef Torman, Executive Director of the Arab
States Research and education Network

The
MoU included agreement on cooperation in various dimensions related to
scientific research and education, with particular focus on infrastructures,
open science and capacity building.

ASRT
will be the official beneficiary partner in Egypt for the European Union’s
co-funded projects AfricaConnect3 and Medusa, which are delivered locally by
ASREN, to provide high-capacity international internet connectivity for
academic and scientific collaborations and to connect the research and
education communities in Egypt with the pan-European GÉANT network and the rest
of the world.

Studies
and plans are also underway to establish a regional open exchange point in
Egypt, which will be hosted and operated by the Academy, to serve as a
connectivity hub for the Arab NRENs, and among the many other world research
and education networks accross the Mediterranean Sea.

The
Academy will additionally encourage Open Science, Open Access and LIBSENSE
activities in Egypt and the region, through its experience in serving as a host
and an operator of the Egyptian Knowledge Bank project initiative, the largest
digital library in the world.

Furthermore,
the Academy has agreed to host e-AGE22, ASREN’s flagship conference, to be held
during the second week of December 2022 in Cairo in cooperation with the
regional partners.

In
welcoming this important step Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazleh, Chairman of ASREN said: “ASREN is pleased to
formally welcome ASRT as a project partner. Serving as Egypt’s national house
of expertise in the field of Science, Technology and Innovation ASRT is a
partner of choice for ASREN in its quest to benefit the R&E communities in
Egypt and to support the Arab region as a whole especially in infrastructures
and science cooperation.”

For
his part Dr. Mahmoud Sakr, President of Egyptian Academy for Scientific
Research and Technology comments: “In light of its leading role in supporting
the scientific research and education community in Egypt, the Academy, through
its constructive cooperation with ASREN, aspires to develop its services,
cooperate in support of Arab and regional scientific research, cooperate in
linking Arab researchers and students, and urge research cooperation amongst
them in order to achieve renaissance and prosperity for the Arab world and
beyond.”

He added: “The Academy contributes to the creation
of a supportive environment for scientific research and education, through a
set of initiatives and contributions to national projects that support Open
Science and dissemination of scientific culture. It will provide management
services for the unified network for scientific research and education as well
as International linkage with international scientific research networks for
all universities, research centers and secondary schools. It will also support
the advancement of scientific publishing through many agreements with
international publishing houses and through its cooperation with the Egyptian
Knowledge Bank in managing and operating the national platform for scientific
publishing, which includes about 820 Egyptian scientific periodicals Today.”