The American University in Cairo (AUC) held inauguration ceremonies for newly established technology transfer offices at AUC, Cairo, Assiut and Helwan universities, as part of the Enterprise-University Partnership (EUPART) project. The offices will support research at all stages of technology implementation: from idea and invention, to establishing companies and the commercializing intellectual property. The project will bridge the gap between university and enterprise, and in the long term, it will contribute significantly to socio-economic development in Egypt. "The main role of the technology transfer offices is to take ideas, research, and innovations from Egyptian universities and market them in industry," explained Ehab Abdel-Rahman, AUC physics professor who submitted the proposal.
"These programs are geared toward increasing the capacity of higher education institutions in fields such as international cooperation, inter-disciplinary university faculties, employability of university graduates, and increased understanding of the people and cultures of the EU," said Amr Salama, AUC counselor. Salama added that the programs continue to establish AUC as an international university and as a standard-bearer in Egyptian education.
AUC is leading the project with collaboration and expertise from Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, Linkoping University, Sweden, Vienna University of Technology, Austria and the European Patent Office. The project aligns with the Egyptian National IP and the Egyptian industry needs through partnering with the Development Fund for Science and Technology and 6th of October City Investors Association.
The event was attended by AUC senior administrators, including Counselor Amr Ezzat Salama; Provost Lisa Anderson; Dean of School of Sciences and Engineering, Medhat Haroun; and Dean of Graduate Studies Amr Shaarawi. It was also attended by senior officials at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, including Ali Shafei, director of the Development Fund for Science and Technology; Yasser Al Shayeb, National TEMPUS coordinator; and Abdel Hamid Al Zoheiry, coordinator of the Research, Development and Innovative Program. Also, representatives from the Ministry of Communication and IT; Ministry of Trade and Industry; universities of Cairo, Ain Shams, Alexandria, Assiut, and South Valley; and EU experts were also invited
According to Hans Kaiser, vice rector for international affairs at Vienna University of Technology, the technology transfer model has been working in Europe for over a decade and holds great potential for Egypt. "Our role is to convey our experience and expertise to our colleagues here. That's the way the program functions internationally," he said.
The TEMPUS program was established in 1990 to support the modernization of higher education in 27 countries in regions surrounding the European Union, including, in addition to the Mediterranean region, Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Western Balkans.
AUC has been the recipient of two other TEMPUS funded projects. In 2006, AUC received a grant for a project titled Euro-Egyptian Partnership for Physics Teaching Reform in Egypt. In 2009, AUC received a third grant for the proposal, Leadership in Higher Education Management.
