43 Egyptian research projects on climate adaptation obtain LE66M in funding

CAIRO – 5 November 2022: Chairman of the Scientific Research Academy Mohamed Saqr announced on Saturday that 43 out of 94 research projects on climate adaptation have won the competition to be implemented in the industrial sector at total funds worth LE 66 million.  

Submissions began on May 7 under three categories, that are food security, mitigation of climate change impact on health, and green innovation for climate adaptation.

The number of abstracts submitted was 471, but only 176 were admitted. Nevertheless, the number of projects that made it to the competition was just 94.

On the other hand, the winning projects, which were proven feasible, belong to 17 public and private universities, seven research institutes, and a private firm.

Speaking of academic research, LE5 billion are allocated in FY2022/2023 to research projects carried out at establishments affiliated to the Ministry of Higher Education, which is in charge of public universities and institutes.

With regard to research conducted at some governmental agencies, the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority announced in April that the agricultural research scientists in the authority had started harvesting the production of new strain of genetically-modified wheat at the authority's site in Inshas city, Bilbeis, Sharqia Governorate.

This strain has high-productivity with distinct characteristics such as being resistant to cultivation in saline lands, and water shortage, the authority said in a statement on Friday. 

The rate of production exceeds 4 tons per acre, with an increase of almost a ton over the currently cultivated Egyptian varieties, the statement said, adding that this variety cultivation takes only 140 days, the statement continued. 

The authority's head, Amr El Hajj, said that the cultivation of this strain could contribute to increasing Egypt’s local production of wheat by 33 percent and consequently would decrease the imported wheat.

Further, chairman of the Metallurgy Research and Development Center Emad Eweis stated in July that the establishment had carried out 70 projects worth more than LE86 million since 2014, and that those are in the fields of research, and maintenance of labs and factories.