The EU-Egypt Innovation Fund supports the knowledge triangle through economy

The spirit of innovation is one of the main conditions for participating in the EU program for Research & Development that aims at promoting a culture of knowledge and encouraging innovation in the Egyptian society.

Amina Khairy - Al-hayat, Cairo

The knowledge triangle is based on three axes: innovation, research, and development. However, this is not necessarily applied, as there are numerous impediments to innovation and research, and many societies and countries have development difficulties. One of such societies is the Egyptian society, which has suffered for a long time from a climate that is not research or innovation-friendly. Throughout recent years, national human development reports have emphasized the necessity of effectively starting to push society to be based on dynamic knowledge, which can only take place through innovation.

However, the concept of innovation itself needs a lot of work to become an intrinsic part of the line of thinking of the youth. This should then lead to the activation phase, i.e. research, and then the journey of development.

EU program of Research & Development
The EU has allocated a budget of 11 million Euros to the program of research and development that is affiliated to the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, which started in October 2007 for a duration of three years. The program is addressed to researchers in universities and scientific research centers, in addition to small and medium-sized enterprises in the public and private sectors and universities, whether in their quality as individuals or companies. However, everyone is required to have an innovative spirit.

But what is innovation? It is the establishment or creation of something, which could be the introduction of a new idea to the market in the form of a product, a service, or even the improvement of a pre-existing service. In the end, it contributes to the economic growth wheel and offers a benefit to society. And yet, while some people mix between invention and innovation, this program requires innovation, not invention. It does not require reaching a previously unheard of novel idea or product as much as reaching with this product the implementation phase, i.e. turning the idea into an economically and commercially viable project. In other words, what the program strives for is not the invention of the wheel as much as it is setting a realistic vision for how to make the wheel move.

Space, energy, water, agriculture, education, vital technology, environment, information technology and communications, health and medicine, transformational industries, raw and new materials, nanotechnology, food… all these sectors are open to anyone with innovation abilities.

Program coordinator and banking expert Mrs. Ghada Mustapha says that the Fund offers competitive grants through announcements for submitting applications for financial support. The Fund supports around 90% of the cost of viable projects. These grants are divided into two parts: the first one focuses on projects that will contribute to sustainable development in Egypt through increasing the investment capital, supporting innovation and technological development, and improving the competitive ability of the various economic sectors. It also aims at strengthening cooperation with European and Mediterranean countries in order to enable the transfer of technologies and knowledge as well as best global practices to Egyptian companies in all sectors.

Creating a culture of innovation in Egypt
As for the second part, it aims at strengthening cooperation between scientific research and industry, and raising awareness on the importance of research, development, and innovation in technology development and their effect on the Egyptian society. Since it focuses on the effectively active sectors in the market, it also aims at finding rapid solutions for the technical problems faced by small and medium-sized enterprises. Moreover, it aims at enabling innovative individuals to execute some of their ideas that do not require huge funding.

Mustapha speaks with great enthusiasm, which results from the huge number of applications received by the program. Thousands of those who submitted applications had patents in their name but no means to execute their ideas. Others have partners in Egypt or Europe, and others still are linked to research universities and bodies in various sectors.

Examples of projects
For instance, an agricultural company with partners from Egypt, Italy, and Spain submitted a project aiming to achieve agricultural competitiveness through adopting a research method able to search for Egyptian agricultural produce in order to gain trust in them. Another project deals with immunizing poultry in Egypt against the viruses that threaten this vital industry. A third project, entitled Let Me Think, targets children. It aims to make them used to the thinking process, boost their imagination, and let them gain confidence in themselves and their abilities. A fourth project deals with nanotechnology, through introducing this developed futuristic technology in secondary schools and thus training the youth on this type of science. Also, in addition to a fifth project that deals with the use of solar energy in refrigeration, there are hundreds, if not thousands of “innovative innovations”.

The first step for submitting an innovation is to present a four-page preliminary explanation for it. If it is accepted, the second step consists of filling a detailed application on this innovation.

Around 60% of the total cost of the project is paid as a first installment, and each project is followed up separately. Follow-up is made periodically in order to ensure the project is implemented according to the scientific rules that are agreed upon.

The program set clear standards for the submitted projects and rendered ineligible the following: funding requests for research aiming to obtain a degree; travel for seminars, workshops, or conferences; academic grants and training sessions; and re-offering grants. This means that the grants offered are only for projects that are expected to produce effective benefits that can be seen by the naked eye.

In addition to developing the spirit of innovation, restoring trust in scientific research, and linking research to the market, economy, and industry, Mustapha points to the added value of these projects, as they develop the culture of small businesses and projects – which is a culture that needs further support in Egypt.

In conclusion, the EU-Egypt Innovation Fund, which is the main constituent of the research, development, and innovation program, applies in theory and in practice the slogan of Supporting Innovation and Encouraging Businesses.