SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Goal 17 focuses on the need for cross sector and cross country collaboration in pursuit of all the sustainable development goals by the year 2030. It is a call for countries to align policies and strategies. It aims to strengthen cooperation between nations/states, both developed and developing, using the SDGs as a shared framework and a shared vision for defining that collaborative way forward.
International Collaborations
Zewail City of Science and Technology is working to strengthen international partnerships of sustainable development through experiential learning opportunities, international research projects and student engagement activities. Several research projects are currently being conducted in collaboration with international research institutes, scientific academies and consortiums. These collaborative research projects focus on achieving the sustainable development goals mainly in Good Health & Well-Being and environmental clean energy.
Training and capacity building
Zewail City of Science and Technology is continuously revisiting the competencies required to further develop and nurture our young generation and students.
In association with our partners from the private sector and NGOs, Zewail City focused on executing several cross –sectoral training, mentoring and capacity building programs for our students and young generations in our community.
Contribution To National Policy Making
Zewail City’s faculty and academics have been appointed as members of several National Scientific Councils. These councils serve to further sustainable development at the national level, engaging a wide range of stakeholders in the process of creating national sustainable development strategies and policies.
Together with governmental entities, Zewail City took a major role in providing practical, and technical support, through consultancy services, in an attempt to raise the efficiency of workers and technical staff in our community.
Bridging Industry – Academia gap
In developing countries, Academia and Industry have different perspectives and expectations, which create the gap between the two. Zewail City initiated several agreements and protocols through the General Director of Research office, with the industrial sector within the framework of linking academia with industry.
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success...”
Henry Ford .
Community engagement
At Zewail City, the Technology Valley is the hub that hosts several initiatives aimed to connect industry with leading researchers and students to develop solutions that address real-world challenges, through different venues including consultancy, contracted product development, practical training programs and summer internships for students and graduates.
Collaboration towards the challenges
Low and middle income countries encounter serious challenges in the water supply and sanitation sector due to the rapid population growth, limited resources and developing economy. The planning of the projects at this sector is vital to facilitate the fundraising mission and fulfil significant progress in the implementation and operation. Most developing countries could not achieve sustainability in their infrastructure and environmental projects due to the inaccurate planning phase. Zewail City of Science and Technology is a pioneer university in Egypt that educates and practically trains the undergraduate students to tackle these types of challenges that Egypt encounters in the field of water supply and sanitation.
GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH) paid attention to these challenges by investing in development and capacity building programs for the employee in this sector in order to improve their skills especially in the project planning phase.
One of the great achievements are Water & Wastewater Decision Support System (WDSS) & (WWDSS) programs that qualified more than 100 master plan unit (MPU) engineers in water and wastewater affiliated companies at Egypt to cope with these challenges and they become key players in the planning sector.
The Environmental Engineering Program at Zewail City of Science and Technology signed a protocol on 7th of September 2020 with GIZ - WWMP and Holding Company of Waste and Wastewater (HCWW) to capitalize on DSS program outcomes. Through this collaboration, Zewail City will be responsible to provide academic assessment of the program, reinforce the program concept by providing refreshment sessions for all modules from academic perspectives, assess and evaluate the previous trainees with completion certificate accredited from Environmental Engineering program at Zewail City after passing written exam.