The cooperation covers a broad range of areas, from vocational education and training to higher education, academia, research and innovation.

Political framework for scientific and technological cooperation

Scientific and technological cooperation with Egypt is based on the intergovernmental S&T agreements signed in 1979 and 1981 as well as on further individual and project agreements concluded between 1980 and 1985. In 2007, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) signed an agreement on the establishment of a German-Egyptian Research Fund (GERF) on the occasion of the closing event of the German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology.

To reaffirm the two countries’ mutual interest in cooperation in the field of higher education and research, Germany and Egypt signed a Declaration of Intent on 30 October 2018. The intention is to further strengthen transnational education between the two states and guarantee the principles of academic freedom. The opening in 2019 of the German International University of Applied Sciences (GIU), another university in Cairo modelled after German universities of applied sciences, is an important step towards achieving these goals.

Joint fund for application-oriented research projects (GERF)

Since Germany and Egypt organized their highly successful joint Science Year in 2007, Egyptian and German researchers have been cooperating even more closely in an increasingly diverse range of activities. The jointly financed GERF research fund enables mainly young research teams to carry out innovative, application-oriented and industry-related research projects. It is intended that their research conclusions should be translated into practical applications even more quickly than has been the case until now. This fund also supports scientific networks which apply for funding from the Horizon Europe funding programme or from national funding programmes. The BMBF and the Egyptian partner funding agency have so far successfully launched more than 90 joint research projects, particularly in the areas of management of natural resources (e.g. water), food and renewable energies, health research, information and communication technology, urban and transport planning, as well as humanities and social sciences.

Transregional and interdisciplinary cooperation at the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) – Cairo Regional Office

An additional building block of German-Egyptian scientific cooperation is the AGYA Regional office in Cairo, which opened in 2018. As a German-Arab network of excellence, AGYA supports – at a supraregional level – mainly interdisciplinary research projects of young researchers, some of whom are from Egypt. The AGYA Regional Office, which was established and is financed by the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), supports early-career researchers from both countries and, as an intercultural thinktank at the intersection of science and politics, builds bridges between Germany, Egypt and other North African and Middle Eastern countries.

The activities and research projects of the BMBF-funded AGYA network of excellence at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities generally involve Arab countries and Germany, with a strong transregional approach which promotes cooperation between Germany and one or more Arab countries. Mainly interdisciplinary research projects are carried out by way of six working groups (Energy, Water and Environment; Arab and German Education; Dynamics of Transformation; Common Heritage and Common Challenges; Health and Society; Innovation). Some of AGYA’s members and alumni are Egyptian scientists.

PRIMA - Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area 

In addition to bilateral cooperation, Germany and Egypt are also jointly involved in EU projects and transnational funding programmes. For example, both countries work intensively towards implementing projects as part of the transnational funding programme PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area). The thematic foci are food security, water, and agricultural systems. 

Long-standing cooperation in water management

The countries of the Middle East and North Africa are affected by water stress more than any other region worldwide, making them a focal point of global climate change. With its new funding measure MEWAC (Middle East Regional Water Research Cooperation Program), the BMBF is getting more countries on board in order to improve cooperation in terms of water in the Middle East and North Africa. The virtual launch event took place on 12 and 13 October 2021. As part of seven water projects, each coordinated by a German partner, participants from Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar and Syria will research innovative solutions during the coming three years.

Clusters of Scientific Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa (COSIMENA)

German science and innovation centres around the world are promoting Germany as a research location. The Middle East is no exception in this regard: in 2017, the COSIMENA project (Clusters of Scientific Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa) was launched by the Cairo Office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Supported by a large number of organizations from both countries, it is dedicated to implementing potential German-Egyptian cooperative activities and pooling existing ones in the areas of water, energy, urban planning, health, economy, agriculture, and cultural heritage. Formats such as topic-specific conferences, the German Science Day, the German Science Night and various summer schools contribute to a consolidation of the relationship between the science systems of the two countries.  

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which has a branch office in Cairo, has been a contact point for students, researchers and scientists for more than 60 years.

Beacons of transnational education

The German University in Cairo (GUC)

The first "German" private university outside of Germany (established as a private institution under Egyptian law with a German name) is of great political importance in the long-standing tradition of education cooperation between our two countries, which began more than a hundred years ago when German denominational schools were established in Cairo and Alexandria. Since 2003, the German University in Cairo has been offering training in English in accordance with German standards – not only in the fields of engineering, natural sciences, economics and administration, but also in multimedia design, communications and media science, management, and life sciences. The GUC works closely with the German business community. For example, the materials testing laboratory set up with German support offers good conditions for cooperation projects between science and industry. The main focus of the cooperation with the German partner universities is, in particular, in the area of research. A research network with German universities has been established, and is constantly being developed. The best students are able to benefit from scholarships for master’s and PhD programmes in Germany.

The German International University (GIU)

Following on from the successful GUC model, the German International University (GIU) opened its doors in 2019 with the support of a consortium of German universities under the auspices of the Berlin University of Applied Sciences and including UAS7, an association of seven universities with a strong international orientation. The structure of the University, which is similar to that of a German University of applied sciences, in combination with the above-mentioned curricular adjustments in order to emulate German courses of study, are what make the University’s courses unique within the Egyptian education system. The qualifications awarded by the GIU Cairo are a German BSc or BA. The courses of study offered by the GIU Cairo are aligned with the model of German universities of applied sciences, meaning it will produce graduates with industry experience and who have an eye for what is required in practice in industry contexts. The University's German counterpart, the Berlin-based German University of Applied Sciences, enables students and scientists from both countries to engage in close exchange.