Statement on the Harvest of the Activities of the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications in 2023

Statement on the Harvest of the Activities of the City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications in 2023

Within the framework of its leading role in implementing the innovation cycle for the scientific research system in terms of research performance, innovation outputs, and societal impact, as well as providing training services, consultations, and technology transfer to production and service entities in Egypt, in addition to implementing applied projects to enhance performance in various fields for the benefit of the national economy, and continuous cooperation with national and international institutions in the field of technology development, transfer, and localization. Professor Dr. Mona Mahmoud Abdel Latif, the director of the city, announced the harvest of the city’s activities, various events, and activities for the year 2023. She emphasized that the city seeks to achieve an increase in international scientific publication rates in accordance with the axes of the National Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2030. The internationally published scientific research from the city has received significant attention in terms of access and citation in internationally classified scientific journals with high impact factors. Additionally, it has contributed to improving the city’s ranking in all international classifications. A total of 494 international scientific research papers were published (including 129 papers in the agriculture and food axis, accounting for 26.11%, 158 papers in the health and population axis, accounting for 31.98%, 73 papers in the technological applications and future sciences axis, accounting for 14.77%, 26 papers in the water axis, accounting for 5.26%, 46 papers in the energy axis, accounting for 9.31%, 40 papers in the environment and natural resources protection axis, accounting for 8.1%, and 22 papers in the information technology, communications, and space axis, accounting for 4.45%). This is in light of the strategic plan that was developed to double the applied scientific research publication to enhance the scientific research system gradually, contributing to improving international indicators in university and research center rankings. Moreover, the city has succeeded in improving the scientific research system not only in terms of internationally published research but also in terms of increasing the number of scientific citations for those research papers, reaching 31,202 citations for the year 2023. The scientific publications according to the QS classification for the year 2023 are as follows: (Q1: 309 papers, accounting for 62.55%, Q2: 107 papers, accounting for 21.65%, Q3: 32 papers, accounting for 6.47%, Q4: 8 papers, accounting for 1.61%, and others: 38 papers, accounting for 7.69%) with a total of 494 scientific publications. The article discusses the progress made by the research institution in the city in securing funding for projects that serve research objectives within the research plan of research institutes and technological centers. This funding is obtained from various local and international research funding agencies as additional support for research activities, beyond the allocated budgets of universities and research centers each year. A total of 30 scientific projects have been funded by multiple funding agencies, including the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, the Science, Technology, and Innovation Funding Authority, and the Misr El-Kheir Foundation. Additionally, foreign entities such as the Swedish Research Council and the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) have provided funding through the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, with the support of the Union for the Mediterranean and the University of Queensland, Australia. The article also mentions that the research institution members have participated in various projects in different universities and research centers as part of research teams. The institution has also supervised several master’s and doctoral theses in different universities. The researchers from the city have participated in local and international conferences, workshops organized by the city or other entities, and training programs. Furthermore, the article highlights the achievements of the city in various competitions and awards. The city secured the third position in the patent index at the level of institutes, research institutions, and centers as the best research center in the Arab Republic of Egypt in terms of the number of patents during the 7th Cairo International Innovation Exhibition in 2023. The city also won the third position in the MOSAIC competition for the best Egyptian universities and research centers in innovation and collaboration with the industrial sector. The results of the competition were evaluated based on criteria similar to global innovation and knowledge indices. The article further mentions that the city has signed four scientific cooperation protocols with different entities, including universities, industrial institutions, and the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, to promote collaboration in research and development activities. Four (4) agreements were signed with the industrial sector: three (3) contracts with Khaled Masbah Chemical Products Company to manufacture organic products that serve the field of agriculture, supporting sustainable and organic farming in Egypt. One (1) contract was signed with Samermon Fish Manufacturing Company to produce fish products for use as a dietary supplement and cosmetic. All products are required to bear the logos of both parties, in addition to signing a non-disclosure agreement between the city and Khaled Masbah Chemical Products Company and Samermon Fish Manufacturing Company. Manufacturing and marketing an enhanced product that acts as a highly efficient organic fertilizer for agricultural crops, environmentally friendly, supporting sustainable and organic farming in Egypt. It contains beneficial microorganisms and plant growth stimulants, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers and thereby increasing the profitability of farms. Manufacturing and marketing an organic product to address problems with calcareous soil (Calci-organo solution), which is a biological solution to treat calcareous soil problems and improve its characteristics to enhance soil fertility and agricultural quality. Manufacturing and marketing a biologically friendly compost fertilizer (Green-Compost) made from organic waste. It is a product that enhances the organic content and nutrient elements of the soil in subsequent years of use, helping in land reclamation and increasing the agricultural area in Egypt. (100% natural and plant-based) Manufacturing and marketing marine collagen as a dietary supplement and cosmetic. Marine collagen is derived from fish scales, skin, and bones. The benefits of marine collagen can be obtained by consuming it as a dietary supplement (in powder or pill form) or by applying it topically to the skin in various forms such as gel, powder, and cream as a healthy and safe product. One of the product’s features is its very low cost, as it is developed from natural resources and has incredible anti-aging properties, being completely free of preservatives, silicones, and heavy metals. Also, as part of the community role played by the city in supporting vocational college students and graduate students at universities to develop their research and innovative skills, the city organized several workshops, specialized training courses, and winter and summer schools for Egyptian university students during the year 2023. This was done through physical attendance for students from Alexandria University and an online system for students from various Egyptian universities. Additionally, there was collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Technical Education by receiving visits from schools at different stages and receiving students from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) schools to conduct practical experiments in various research fields, including energy, water, and some strategic industries in general. Moreover, training was provided to prepare for scientific competitions, most notably the competition held at the national level and qualifying for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) in the United States. This competition is the largest global competition in the field of pre-university scientific research. A large number of participating students qualified for the international qualifiers in the United States and achieved top positions, under the supervision of the city. The STEM School for Science and Technology also honored Dr. Mona Mahmoud Abdel Latif, the city’s director, and some researchers from the city for the support provided to the school and the provision of research and technological services to students over the past years. In addition to these activities, the city central laboratories and analysis services through its central laboratories and the Data Center. The central laboratories offer services to pharmaceutical and food companies, conduct environmental and quality analyses for clients and companies, provide research, development, and technical consultancy services to Egyptian universities, research centers, and the industrial sector in the field of advanced science and technology. This is done through the continued operation of the electronic system for internal and external transactions of the central laboratories. The city also conducts numerous field visits to companies and factories to present services and consultations and find practical solutions to the problems and challenges they face. As for the Data Center, it utilizes cloud computing and high-performance computing (HPC) to share data processing and storage capabilities through the information network. It serves the following purposes: scientific research (cloud computing technology, high-performance computing, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) applications, image processing applications, artificial intelligence and its various applications, and deep learning applications) and scientific and laboratory services (management of the city’s modern central laboratory system, training university students (winter and summer schools), research services for professors at Alexandria University, support for the healthcare system (data analysis for the study of endemic and chronic diseases, geographic mapping of diseases, development of automated medical diagnosis systems, expert systems for the development of pharmaceutical industries), support for water and energy management systems and climate change and its impacts (water and energy consumption prediction systems, groundwater forecasting, and finally, climate predictions and their impact on strategic crop cultivation), and education technology (statistics and data analysis for the development of teaching and learning methods, education for students with special needs, and automated examination systems and automated correction). Classification of the City in the 2023 Scimago Ranking: The city’s ranking rose to the position (3408), as the total number of institutions included in the classification reached (8433) international institutions, taking into account the increase of (349) new institutions, which means the strength of international competition among the institutions included in the classification this year, and the classification also increased by a change in the city. By 4.09% from last year, the rating of the Environmental and Natural Materials Research Institute increased by a change of 14.67% from last year, and the rating of the Advanced Technology and New Materials Research Institute increased by a change of 4.37% from last year. Scimago Ranking for North Africa and the Middle East: In the second edition of the Scimago ranking for research centers, institutes, and research bodies in North Africa and the Middle East for 2023, the city achieved the seventh position. It also secured the fourth position in the Arab Republic of Egypt and the second position at the level of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The total number of institutions included in the ranking was 378, with a total score of 0.1367. The city’s achievement of this position is a result of scientific excellence in several criteria, including the number of distinguished research projects (EXEC: 483), the number of research papers published in highly influential scientific journals (Q1: 1113), international collaboration research (IC: 1303), research papers indexed in the SCOPUS database (O: 2195), regional collaboration research (RC: 796), industry collaboration research (IDC: 14), the ratio of published research papers to the number of researchers (STP: 590), patent citations (PI: 39), and the number of research papers contributing to sustainable development goals (SDG: 1135). Stanford Ranking: Eleven researchers from the city have been included in Stanford University’s list of the top 2% most influential scientists worldwide in more than 50 scientific disciplines. It is worth mentioning that the criteria for inclusion in this list depend on the number of citations of the published research papers by these scientists, the h-index (indicating the number of publications cited by other authors at least the same number of times), the hm-index for collaborative authorship, citations for research papers in different author positions, and a composite score (c-score).

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