Egypt
The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) was established by Presidential Decree in 1971 as the national body responsible for science and technology in Egypt. ASRT is considered a public authority with an independent status and affiliated to the Minister of State for Scientific Research Affairs, with headquarters in Cairo. ASRT is the national umbrella for the planning of scientific research activities in Egypt. It includes the national committees of 20 International Scientific Unions and has 15 specialized Councils for various branches of scientific activities.
Professor Maged Moustafa Al-Sherbiny, the President of ASRTand Vice Minister of Scientific Research in Egypt, is the Council Member for Egypt, He is also a member of the Membership Committee.
Abeer Mohamad Attia, Senior Translator and Scientific Relations Specialist, serves as the NMO Secretary.
Dr. Mostafa K. Tolba from the Arab Forum for Environment and Development and Emeritus Professor in the Faculty of Science, Cairo University, is a Member of IIASA’s Science Advisory Committee.Key Relationships and Collaborations
- The Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Cairo
- Cairo Demographic Center
- Cairo University, Center for Environmental Hazard Mitigation
- Desert Research Center, Cairo
Select Research Highlights
Following is a selection only, for more information about IIASA research relevant to Egypt please read the Country Profile.
Land use food security:
- Egypt is considered in a range of IIASA studies including the development of the Harmonized World Soil Database. The aim of the database is to provide a harmonized set of soil parameters, covering Europe (the enlarged EU) and bordering Mediterranean countries, for use in agro-meteorological and environmental modeling at regional, national, and/or continental levels.
- IIASA forestry models specifically GLOBIOM, incorporate Egypt. GLOBIOM is a global model that integrates the agricultural, bioenergy and forestry sectors. It aims to provide insight into the key issues affecting land use and competition between the major land-based production sectors.
Population and sustainability:
- In 2004 IIASA and the Vienna Institute for Demography (VID) completed an analysis on recent trends of fertility in Egypt, this work informed a subsequent major project on population, human capital, and water in Egypt.
- In 2007, IIASA, in collaboration with the Cairo Demographic Center, completed a major study on population growth and sustainable development policies in Egypt, titled, Population and Human Capital Growth in Egypt: Projections for Governorates to 2051. One of the key focus areas of the study was water sustainability. The combination of continued rapid population growth and severely constrained fresh water resources presents Egypt with great challenges. The population of Egypt increased from 22 million in 1950 to approximately 80 million today, and is likely to increase to above 120 million by 2050 according to IIASA. This more than five-fold increase in population occurs in the context of declining water availability and a changing climate. In 1997, Egypt fell below the international standard of water scarcity of 1000 m3/person/year.
Air quality and GHG mitigation:
- IIASA research on air pollution and climate change has direct benefit for Egypt. IIASA’s efforts to improve air quality draws on the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Control Synergies (GAINS) model developed at IIASA. The GAINS model explores synergies and trade-offs between the control of local and regional air pollution and the mitigation of global greenhouse gas emissions. GAINS Asia has been applied in Asia, and across Europe. GAINS estimates emissions, mitigation potentials and costs for the major air pollutants and for the six greenhouse gases included in the Kyoto Protocol, helping guide decisions by governments on emission reduction strategies.
Capacity Building
IIASA’s annual Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) offers advanced level PhD candidates the opportunity to work with IIASA scientists over a 3-month period, with the explicit aim of refining or extending their research skills in the area of systems analysis.
Since the first Egyptian participant in 1996 a total of 6 students from Egypt have completed the program. The areas of research were air pollution, agriculture, water, and population studies.
In 2011 Ahmed Mohamed Harb Rabia Hammad from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Alexandria, Egypt participated in the program. His project was titled: 'Modeling of Climate Change Impacts on Soil Properties and Land Use Change: A Case Study in Two Different Climatic Zones' (Valle Telesina, Italy and Nile Delta, Egypt).