Nature Middle East | House of Wisdom

German Science Centre Cairo launches

On 13 November, the German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle opened the German Science Centre Cairo (DWZ), which should bring German educational and scientific institutions closer to the Egyptian market and researchers.

“What the Egyptian and the German partners build here together will enable Egypt to better meet its major challenges and to build its future itself,” said Michael Bock, the German Ambassador to Egypt, in a press statement.

The centre is located within the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), located in Zamalek in Cairo, and will focus on natural, environmental and social sciences. There are eight other partners in the project besides the DAAD: the Freie Universität Berlin, the Technische Universität Berlin, the Technische Universität München, the Philipps Universität Marburg, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Orient-Institut Beirut and the Central Agency for Schools Abroad.

President of DAAD in Cairo, Margret Wintermantel, called the centre “a lighthouse for science,” praising the role it will play in the country’s transformation following the 25 January popular uprising which removed long-time president Hosni Mubarak.

The DWZ is meant to be a two-way project, encouraging cooperation between Germany and the Arab world rather than transfer from Germany to Egypt. it encourags exchange of ideas, such as the successful Cairo Climate Talks, which the DAAD has been hosting for a while now, which brings together Arab and German experts to discuss issues related to climate change.

There will also be other, current issues interdisciplinary events organized on topics ranging from mathematics and phsycis to health and waste management to climate change and renewable energy. Interested researchers can also get information from the centre on funding opportunities from Germany and the latest on the research landscape there.

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