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Prof. Dr. Mona Mahmoud Abdel Latif, Director of the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, announced the outcomes of the city’s activities during the period from July 2024 to June 2025. She emphasized that the city continues to implement the strategies of the state and the orientations of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, focusing on developing innovative solutions to the challenges facing the country in various fields (education, health, energy, agriculture, water, environmental protection, information technology, and food security).The city also works on preparing specialized cadres through training programs and workshops to build a new generation of researchers and scientists capable of contributing to sustainable development. In addition, it strengthens cooperation between different research institutions inside Egypt and internationally to exchange expertise and knowledge, advance scientific research, and provide consultancy services to government institutions, the private sector, and industry in diverse fields, thereby improving their performance and efficiency.SRTA-City further encourages innovation and entrepreneurship by providing an incubating environment for startups and offering technical and financial support to researchers and entrepreneurs to create new job opportunities, thus boosting economic growth. The city also launches initiatives to raise awareness of societal issues, enhancing public scientific knowledge and ensuring that science plays an active role in improving quality of life.The city seeks to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the pillars of Egypt’s National Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2030, focusing on several key areas, most notably increasing both the quantity and quality of international scientific publications. The city’s scientific research outputs published in high-impact international journals have attracted wide readership and citations, improving SRTA-City’s ranking in global indices.Between July 2024 and June 2025, SRTA-City published 507 international scientific papers, bringing the total number of its international publications to 4,404.Scientific Publications by QS Quartile Classification (507 papers total):Q1: 307 papers (60.55%)Q2: 95 papers (18.73%)Q3: 36 papers (7.10%)Q4: 13 papers (2.56%)Others: 56 papers (11.04%)Scientific Publications by National Strategy Pillars (507 papers total):Health and Population: 165 (32.5%)Agriculture and Food: 124 (24.5%)Environment and Natural Resources Protection: 61 (12%)Energy: 58 (11.5%)Technological Applications and Future Sciences: 51 (10%)Water: 29 (5.5%)ICT and Space: 19 (3.5%)The city has also improved the overall research ecosystem, not only in terms of international publications but also in citation counts, which reached 34,670 citations from 2021 until now. This reflects the effectiveness of the strategic plan designed to raise the quality of applied research outputs and improve Egypt’s indicators in global research rankings.International Rankings of SRTA-City1. Scimago Institutions Rankings (SIR) – 2025Global Position: 4,629 (47.4%) compared to 4,977 in 2024, marking a 7.6% improvement.Number of institutions increased from 9,054 (2024) to 9,756 (2025), intensifying global competition.SRTA-City was ranked within Q1 (top 25%) worldwide.Four institutes of the city were individually ranked in Q1:Institute of Arid Land Agriculture Research (3724 – 38.1%)Institute of Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (5094 – 52.2%)Institute of Environmental & Natural Materials Research (5457 – 55.9%)Institute of Advanced Technology & New Materials Research (5719 – 58.6%)2. Scimago MENA Ranking – 2024Ranked 6th among 322 research institutions from 22 countries in the 3rd edition of the SIR-MENA 2024 ranking.Ranked 3rd in Egypt, and 2nd among research institutions of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.Total Score: 0.1664 (improved from 0.1367 in 2023, when the city ranked 7th regionally and 4th nationally).3. Stanford University Ranking – 2024/202512 researchers from SRTA-City were listed among the world’s top 2% most influential scientists across more than 50 scientific disciplines.Research Projects and PatentsOngoing Research Projects (2024–2025):5 projects funded by local and international organizations, bringing the cumulative total to 154 projects.Patents (2024–2025):2 granted patents3 patents under reviewBringing the cumulative total to 25 granted patents and 61 patents under examination.SRTA-City researchers also supervised numerous MSc and PhD theses across Egyptian universities, participated in local and international conferences, and conducted training programs and workshops.Key Scientific Achievements (2024–2025)Three New Thermoelectric Nanomaterials Registered in the ICDD DatabaseA joint Egyptian-Italian team identified and officially registered three new nanostructured thermoelectric compounds in May 2025 in the International Centre for Diffraction Data (ICDD). These materials hold high scientific importance in renewable energy and thermoelectric applications.Discovery of a New Fungus Species – Trichoderma egyptiacumA research team at SRTA-City, in collaboration with Egyptian and international partners, discovered a new Trichoderma species (Harzianum group), officially named Trichoderma egyptiacum.Approved by the German Mycological Society (DGfM).Published in Mycological Progress (June 2025).Registered in MycoBank and included in global fungal databases.Potential applications: biocontrol of plant pathogens, biofertilization, sustainable agriculture, biotechnology, and pharmaceuticals.Awards and CompetitionsEnvironmental Research Award (2023):Dr. Rehab Mohamed Ali, Assistant Research Professor at the Institute of Advanced Technology & New Materials, won the late Prof. Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba Award for the best applied work in environmental protection (Academy of Scientific Research & Technology).Entrepreneurship & Innovation Competitions:1st Place (Alexandria Region) – Egyptian Entrepreneurship League 2024.Multiple awards in the Startups Olympics 2024, including 1st and 2nd places in the researchers’ track.1st Prize – Best Poster (Project “MD Plast”) at Alexandria University’s Innovation Across Generations Forum.Cooperation Protocols & Agreements (2024–2025)SRTA-City signed 9 cooperation protocols, including:6 new agreements with Galala University, Theodore Bilharz Research Institute, Arab Academy for Science & Technology, Alamein International University, Robex Plastic Co., and Youthinkgreen-Egypt.3 renewals with Egyptian Petroleum Research Institute, Alexandria Water Company, and Alexandria Wastewater Company.Community ServicesSince its establishment, SRTA-City has provided consultancy and analytical services through its central laboratories and data center to universities, research centers, and industry.It has also:Trained and hosted 1,352 students from universities, schools, and STEM schools.Organized Winter and Summer Schools in 2024–2025, benefiting:515 students (on-site training)1,533 students (online training)Scientific Journal – SRTA-CityThe city’s peer-reviewed journal Future Prospectives of Medical, Pharmaceutical, and Environmental Biotechnology was included in the Primo system.Published Issues: No. 2 (July 2024), No. 3 (Nov 2024), No. 4 (Feb 2025).Journal website: https://fpmpeb.journals.ekb.egAwareness Initiative – “Science and Society”Launched a series of short awareness videos presented by city researchers, addressing everyday life issues in simple, engaging language to raise public scientific awareness.Entrepreneurship & Innovation (2024–2025)Through its Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club), SRTA-City expanded efforts to foster entrepreneurship culture in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030.Key Achievements:Training & Awareness:4 design thinking boot camps2 annual Ideation Camps for students2 Entrepreneurship Weeks (workshops, exhibitions, interactive sessions)Startup Support:4 “Startup Weekend” events to transform ideas into prototypesInspirational lectures by successful entrepreneurs5 teams qualified for technology incubatorsInstitutional & Societal Impact:Strengthened entrepreneurship as a professional and societal choiceLinked research to economic feasibility and commercializationIntegrated entrepreneurship within student and research activities

Professor Dr. Mona Mahmoud Abdel Latif, Director of the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, announced the discovery of a new fungal species belonging to the genus Trichoderma, which has been identified and named after Egypt as Trichoderma egyptiacum.This achievement comes within the city’s efforts to prioritize diverse scientific fields, provide expertise and support to researchers, and foster a stimulating and attractive environment for creativity and innovation. It also reflects the city’s pursuit of achieving sustainable agricultural development in line with the pillars of Egypt’s National Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2030.Professor Dr. Mona Mahmoud Abdel Latif emphasized that this discovery represents an important addition to the global taxonomic diversity of this fungal genus. It enriches scientific knowledge on fungal biodiversity and opens new horizons for future research in taxonomy, microbiology, and their biotechnological applications. Furthermore, this newly identified species presents a promising opportunity for use in biofertilization and biological control against various plant pathogens.Dr. Younes Mohamed Rashad, Associate Research Professor at the Desert Research Institute of the city and discoverer of the new fungus, highlighted the significant importance of this genus due to its extensive applications in biotechnological, industrial, medical, and agricultural fields. For instance, fungal species of this genus are widely valued in agriculture because of their efficiency in biofertilization and biological control against numerous plant diseases. Currently, more than 50% of commercial fungal biocontrol products worldwide are based on species of this genus.In a pioneering study—the first of its kind in Egypt—Dr. Rashad and his research team investigated the biodiversity of Trichoderma species in Egypt. The study included 60 fungal isolates obtained from 119 plant and rhizospheric soil samples representing five different ecological environments across the country. This research led to the discovery of a new species belonging to the Harzianum group, officially named:Y.M. Rashad, B. Natey & J.X. Deng, sp. nov. Trichoderma egyptiacumThis new species holds great promise for application in biofertilization and biological control of plant pathogens. Studying its biocontrol potential is crucial for promoting sustainable agriculture and reducing reliance on harmful chemical pesticides. It also presents valuable opportunities to investigate the properties of secondary metabolites produced by this fungus and their potential applications across biotechnological, industrial, and medical fields.The new species was formally validated and approved by the German Mycological Society (DGfM) and published in its official journal Mycological Progress in June 2025:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11557-025-02052-9Additionally, it has been registered in the international fungal database MycoBank, and the new name has been disseminated across all global fungal databases. MycoBank, based in Germany, serves as an online repository for documenting and registering new fungal names and classifications, providing associated information such as descriptions and illustrations. It is considered an essential service for the mycological and broader scientific community, ensuring the accuracy and standardization of fungal nomenclature.

Prof. Dr. Mona Mahmoud Abdel-Latif, Director of SRTA-City, signed a cooperation protocol with Mr. Louay Hossam Aouni, representing Youthinkgreen Egypt (Shabab Btfakar Bel Akhdar) in his capacity as a member of the company’s Board of Directors. The agreement aims to support and implement the “Green Transformation” project, carried out by Youthinkgreen Egypt with funding from United Energy Egypt. The project seeks to promote sustainable environmental practices and support entrepreneurs and green economy initiatives in Borg El Arab and Wadi El Natrun. The signing took place on Sunday, February 23, 2025, in the presence of Prof. Dr. Mohamed Rashad Abdel-Fattah, Vice Director for Scientific and Research Affairs, Prof. Dr. Amr Salah Morsi, Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) at SRTA-City, Dr. Ayat El-Maghrabi, Deputy Executive Director of the E-Club, along with a delegation from Youthinkgreen Egypt including Ms. Monica Amir (Sustainability Director), Ms. Shorouk Khalil (Operations and Administrative Office Director), and Ms. Yathreb Alaa (Marketing Director).Prof. Dr. Mona Abdel-Latif emphasized the importance of joint cooperation to achieve sustainable development and raise environmental awareness among youth and local communities. This aligns with Egypt’s National Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2030, especially the pillar of investment in scientific research and partnerships supporting applied research projects. It also supports the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research launched in March 2023, which includes innovation and entrepreneurship as a key axis. Furthermore, it coincides with the announcement by H.E. Prof. Dr. Mohamed Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, of the National Policy for Sustainable Innovation and the launch of the competitive call for the Presidential Initiative: Alliance and Development. These policies aim to position Egypt as a regional hub for innovation, capitalizing on its strategic potential to meet growing innovation demands amid rapid digital transformation. Within this context, SRTA-City continues its role in applying scientific research, innovations, and technological advancements to build a knowledge-based economy, modernize Egyptian industries, and transfer, localize, and develop technology.Prof. Dr. Abdel-Latif also outlined the stages and services of the “Green Transformation” project under the protocol:Green Institutes: Collaboration with schools and universities, particularly technical schools in Borg El Arab (starting with six schools), to transform them into green schools. The goal is to enhance sustainable environmental practices and raise awareness among students and local communities through orientation camps and training sessions for teachers and students on environmental principles and sustainability.Green Communities: Cooperation with local industries to identify, research, and map local ecosystems and sustainable economic opportunities. This involves conducting interviews, facilitating networking, and exchanging ideas and experiences to strengthen collaboration in environmental sustainability.Green Entrepreneurship Program: Implementation of a joint innovation and creative thinking program to develop entrepreneurial opportunities in service locations. This program focuses on developing entrepreneurship skills among youth and the local community to foster innovation and support green entrepreneurs.Mr. Louay Hossam Aouni, Board Member of Youthinkgreen Egypt, stressed that the protocol aims to exchange expertise in advanced technology fields in line with rapid technological transformation, contributing to comprehensive and sustainable development. He also emphasized the importance of coordination in training and studies within the framework of the “Green Transformation” project.On the sidelines of the signing, a discussion session was held with the participation of Dr. Ayat El-Maghrabi (Deputy Executive Director of the E-Club), Ms. Monica Amir, Ms. Shorouk Khalil, Ms. Yathreb Alaa (Youthinkgreen Egypt), Eng. Mohamed Abdel-Hafez (AMOC – Alexandria Mineral Oils Company), Eng. Ibrahim El-Desouky (Elfi Textiles), Eng. Ibrahim Abdel-Ani (Borg El Arab Industrial Company), and Eng. Asmaa Khaled (Live-In Company). The session was moderated by Prof. Dr. Amr Salah, Executive Director of the E-Club at SRTA-City, and discussed challenges facing industry and proposed solutions and recommendations.It is noteworthy that Youthinkgreen Egypt is an Egyptian company providing young entrepreneurs with consultancy services in entrepreneurship, project funding, training, and workshops in project management. The company offers opportunities for incubating innovative ideas with economic impact, leading to the establishment of start-ups. Youthinkgreen Egypt has numerous success stories in this field and also operates business accelerators to help start-ups achieve growth and sustainable success.