Citing the official page of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Minister of Higher Education chairs the meeting of the Supreme Council of Universities in the new administrative capital

Minister of Higher Education congratulates Egyptian scientists at universities, research centers, and institutes on Stanford's list of the top 2% of the world's scientists for 2025

Minister of Higher Education praises:

- Cairo moves up to 83rd place globally in the Global Innovation Index

Minister of Higher Education emphasizes:

- University vocational rehabilitation centers focus on entrepreneurship, computer skills, artificial intelligence, and communication skills

- The Tamkeen initiative to support disabled students to be implemented from October 25 to 30

- The importance of providing universities with a stimulating and supportive environment for excellence and innovation

- The Council reviews a report on the results of the aptitude tests for admission to the academic year 2025/2026

- The Council reviews a report on student activities at universities.

 

Furthermore, the Supreme Council of Universities held its regular meeting today, Tuesday, under the chairmanship of Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Refaat, Secretary of the Council, and the Council members, at the Ministry's headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.

At the beginning of the meeting, the council observed a minute of silence in memory of Dr. Yasser Sakr, president of the International Knowledge Universities Foundation and former president of Helwan University, who had passed away. The council offered sincere condolences to his family and the academic community.

Therefore, the Council congratulated Dr. Ahmed Azab on his assignment to act as President of Sadat City University, wishing him success during the coming period.

Dr. Ayman Ashour extended his sincere congratulations to all members of the academic community, including teaching staff members, associated staff, administrative staff members, as well as new and old students, on the start of the new academic year 2025/2026, wishing everyone a happy academic year and continued success.

Dr. Ayman Ashour also congratulated the Egyptian scientists at universities, research centers, and institutes included in the Stanford list of the top 2% of the world's scientists for 2025, as 1106 Egyptian researchers were included in the Stanford list of the top 2% of the most cited scientists "for excellence in production" for the year 2024, and 579 Egyptian researchers were included in the version of the list for the total scientific production.

Moreover, the minister thanked university presidents, the Leadership Preparation Institute, the General Administration of the Media Office, and the Ministry's official spokesperson for their joint efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of misguided ideas among university and institute students, in cooperation with the relevant state institutions.

Dr. Ayman Ashour also praised the achievements made in terms of the results of the Global Innovation Index for 2025, as the results showed that Cairo ranked 83rd in terms of size among the 100 largest innovation clusters globally, achieving a qualitative leap, compared to the results of the index for 2024, during which it ranked 95th, for the first time among the 100 largest innovation clusters globally.

Then, the minister pointed to the official launch of the presidential initiative "Tamkeen" to promote community awareness of the rights of disabled students from October 25 to 30, as the closing ceremony of the initiative will be held in February. The minister directed all universities to cooperate in the implementation of the initiative and to provide a comprehensive assessment of the extent to which all university buildings are qualified to deal with disabled people.

Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed the importance of activating the role of university centers for vocational rehabilitation, especially in the fields of entrepreneurship, computer skills, artificial intelligence, and communication skills, to qualify students and provide them with the necessary skills for the labor market.

The Minister stressed the importance of universities implementing various student activity plans (sports, arts, culture, and social) and supporting talented students during the new academic year.

Dr. Ashour also stressed the need to create a stimulating and supportive environment for excellence and innovation, to prepare an effective scientific and technological base that produces knowledge and can innovate, thus supporting the efforts to improve the national economy.

In addition, the Council listened to a report on the most prominent activities of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research during September, as Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly and Dr. Ayman Ashour attended the inauguration ceremony of the International Academy of Architecture and Urbanism (IAAU) in the new administrative capital. A cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and several memorandums of understanding were signed between the International Academy of Architecture and Urbanism (IAAU) and the following entities: (The International School of Architecture in Grenoble, France, the School of Architecture at Sapienza University in Rome, Italy, and the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands.)

Dr. Ayman Ashour highlighted his visit to Gothenburg, Sweden, to participate at the head of a high-level delegation in the 35th Annual Conference and International Exhibition for Higher Education (European Association for International Education “EAIE” 2025). Dr. Ashour also held a meeting with the Swedish State Secretary for Education and Scientific Research to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between academic and research institutions in Egypt and Sweden. He met with leaders of the Swedish Foundation for Internationalization of Education (STINT) to discuss mechanisms to internationalize education and expand academic partnerships between Egyptian universities and their Swedish counterparts.

Dr. Ayman Ashour signed two strategic agreements between the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, the Association of Arab Universities, and the Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils during the "Strategic Partnership for Arab Knowledge" event. The Minister also witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding about the Arab Scout between the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, Clarivate, and Mind Crafted Analytics.

The Minister thanked the Governor of the Central Bank for providing educational grants to outstanding students benefiting from the "Solidarity and Dignity" initiative, students who were exempted from fees by the Ministry of Education during 2024/2025, and students affected by the suspension of the US aid program, starting next academic year.

The Minister also thanked Dr. Maya Morsi, Minister of Social Solidarity, for providing Dr. Ali Al-Moselhi's educational grant provided by Nasser Social Bank.

Dr. Ayman Ashour inspected Cairo National University on the first day of the academic year, and the Minister was reassured about the regularity of the educational process and held a meeting with the University Council and a press conference with the media professionals.

The Minister witnessed the launch of the first "Egyptian Japanese" diploma to prepare teachers for comprehensive learning activities, "Tokkatsu", which is being implemented at Ain Shams University, Helwan University, and the Egyptian Japanese University of Science and Technology, in partnership with Fukui University in Japan, starting from the academic year 2025/2026.

Therefore, the Minister held an expanded meeting with a high-level delegation from the French Senate to discuss future areas of cooperation and ways to expand the scope of the bilateral partnership by increasing student, teaching staff, and researcher exchange programs, as well as implementing joint research programs in areas of common interest. In addition, supporting and developing joint scholarships and short-term training programs, and exploring mechanisms to support and develop the French national university to enhance its role as a center of cultural and scientific influence.

Dr. Ayman Ashour participated in the work of the Egyptian Reference Genome Scientific Committee at the Armed Forces Medical Research and Regenerative Medicine Center. An inspection tour of the center was also conducted, including visits to the Preclinical Experiments Center, the Reference Genome Laboratory, and the Electron Microscope Unit.

Dr. Ayman Ashour received the Sudanese Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and his accompanying delegation, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between Egypt and Sudan in the fields of higher education, scientific research, and technology.

Dr. Ayman Ashour received Dr. Ayman Ashour, Deputy Secretary-General of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), to discuss mechanisms to support Egyptian German cooperation in the fields of higher education and scientific research, and to follow up on joint programs between the two sides.

Dr. Adel Abdel Ghaffar, Media Advisor and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry, stated that the Council listened to a presentation by Mr. Khaled Bassiouni, Director of Financial Inclusion at the Central Bank of Egypt, regarding opening a bank account for university and higher institute students, intending to integrate students into the official financial system from the early stages of education, enhancing their ability to save and plan financially, and provide financial empowerment and deal with electronic payments. As well as benefit from rewards programs and digital services provided by banks, ease of receiving grants and financial support, spreading financial culture, enhancing the ability to make sound financial decisions, and preparing youth cadres capable of leading development and entrepreneurial projects. He also added that this contributes to reducing the costs associated with transporting and securing cash, enhancing financial governance and transparency, and supporting the infrastructure of electronic payment points within the university campus.

 

The official spokesman added that the council listened to a presentation by Dr. Karim Hammam, the Minister's Advisor for Student Activities, regarding the Best University Competition for Student Activities. The presentation included the harvest of student activities in Egyptian universities for the year 2024/2025. The total number of student activities implemented at the republic level reached 40,747 activities, in which 48 Egyptian universities participated, varying between sports, cultural, artistic, social, scientific, technological fields, student communities and unions, in addition to rover activities and public service. The competition criteria were also presented, thanks to all universities for their great support in implementing student activities.

The Council followed up on the efforts of the committee formed under the chairmanship of Dr. Abdel Aziz Qansouh, President of Alexandria University, to promote the media of Egyptian universities, through various platforms, by producing diverse digital content that addresses target groups inside and outside.

The Council reviewed a report submitted by Dr. Sayed Qandil, President of Helwan University and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Aptitude Tests, on the results of the aptitude tests for admission to the academic year 2025/2026. The report included the total number of applicants for the tests and the percentage of decent and inappropriate, and presented a comparison between the aptitude tests between 2024 and 2025, and presented aptitude statistics at the level of faculties, sectors, and universities.

The Council approved the Visual Identity Guide for Mansoura University, which includes guidelines for using the logo and approved colors, print models, and promotional materials, and design standards for digital platforms and social media.

The Council also adopted the guideline for controls on the use of artificial intelligence in higher education and scientific research, which includes the strategic and regulatory framework, ethical principles and controls, areas of use in higher education, the role of artificial intelligence in scientific research, risk management, and executive recommendations and policies.

The Council approved Menoufia University's strategic plan for the period 2025/2030, which is in line with the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research launched by the Ministry in March 2023.