Professor Dr. Ashraf El-Araby, President of the Institute of National Planning (INP) and former Minister of Planning, participated in the “Women in Experimental Sciences Leadership and Sustainability” conference organized by the German University in Cairo (GUC) in collaboration with Germany’s Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Dr. El-Araby delivered a keynote address during a panel session titled “An Insight into Methods of Evaluation of Scientific Research and Productivity,” chaired by Professor Dr. Mohamed El-Fouly, Chairman of the Egyptian Evaluation Society and the Egyptian Association of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellows. The session featured prominent figures from scientific research fields.
In his speech, Dr. El-Araby asserted that aligning scientific research with national priorities is no longer an academic luxury but a strategic imperative for achieving Egypt Vision 2030 goals, which aim to build a competitive knowledge-and-innovation-driven economy. He emphasized the critical need to develop a national research roadmap based on rigorous analysis of societal needs and directly linked to national priorities to serve the state’s strategic objectives. This requires activating an integrated national innovation system and aligning knowledge/technology outputs with development imperatives.
Dr. El-Araby highlighted INP’s pivotal role in synchronizing research outputs with development requirements through advanced quantitative analytical tools, including:
- Egypt’s Macroeconometric Model
- The i-SDG Model (aligned with Sustainable Development Goals)
He noted INP’s academic and professional programs—particularly in planning, monitoring, and evaluation—designed to build national capacities.
The INP President presented the institute’s recent report, “Egypt’s State of Development: A Global Comparative Analysis,” where Egypt applied an innovative methodology to measure development quality. This makes Egypt the first Arab nation to implement this pioneering approach, enhancing evidence-based policymaking effectiveness.
Concluding his remarks, Dr. El-Araby called for strengthening integration among key stakeholders—government, universities, research centers, the private sector, and civil society—to advance the scientific research ecosystem as a pillar of comprehensive development.
Distinguished session attendees included: Professor Dr. Adel El-Beltagy, Former Minister of Agriculture & Former Regional Director of ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas), Professor Dr. Mahmoud Sakr, Former President of the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology and Professor Dr. Mohamed Hashem, Former President of the National Research Centre. The panel fostered rich discussions on the state of scientific research in Egypt and pathways to enhance evaluation mechanisms, ensuring research effectively contributes to sustainable development and elevates the international competitiveness of Egyptian research