Nature Middle East | House of Wisdom

Zewail Science & Technology City

Zewail talking to young scientists.jpg

The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has announced plans to build the “Zewail Science and Technology City”, a research and innovation -centered project that Nobel laureate Ahmed Zewail has envisioned in since early 1990’s.

The ministry has not provided much details of the project, but did mention that Nile University, whose turbulent future was a source of much controversy recently amidst accusations of corruption in its founding, will be the nucleus of this project.

Zewail is scheduled to arrive in Egypt next week where he will unveil details of the project. The Egyptian daily Al-Shorouk has reported that he is putting together a board of trustees of reputed scientists and Nobel laureates.

Meanwhile, the minister of higher education and scientific research, Amr Salama, also announced that UNESCO have offered full backing for the project. The type of support it will offer, however, was not announced.

There is still little information to go on, but hopefully next week we would have more information to report on regarding the project. Suffice to say for now that there is probably much to be excited about here. Zewail’s project was indefinitely delayed during the previous regime and has only resurfaced again post the January 25 revolution in Egypt which toppled Mubarak after a 30-year rule.

Comments

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    Adel Mahmoud said:

    I would be very curious to know more about this project once it is properly announced.

    I think that Prof. Ahmed Zewail has much to offer his country and I hope he comes back for good and settles here. We need people like him in this hard times.

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    Jane Mash said:

    The worst thing is that Zewail, who is facing a campaign from respected Egyptian scientists at Nile University, has not until now provided a single convincing reason to make me believe that he is not willing to dismantle this scientific establishment that has been in existence for five years, and is achieving noticeable success. I think he just wants to destroy it [Nile University] before he hesitates and goes back to where he came from, to the United States where he has citizenship.