![[Egypt]MICT, Fayoum University partner to establish innovation hub](Images/Key Industry Images/Creativa Innovation Hub Egypt.png)
[Egypt]MICT, Fayoum University partner to establish innovation hub
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat have witnessed, via video conference, the signing of a protocol between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Fayoum University to establish a Creativa Innovation Hub, aiming to improve the skills of young cadres from Fayoum University and Governorate and qualify them in the fields of information technology and entrepreneurship in line with the requirements of local and global labor markets.
The protocol of cooperation was signed by the Deputy ICT Minister for Infrastructure Raafat Hindy and the President of Fayoum University Ahmed Gaber Shadeed.
In his speech, Abdel Ghaffar paid tribute to the efforts exerted by the MCIT in establishing Creativa Innovation Hubs at the Egyptian universities, pointing out that the site dedicated to the hub at the University of Kafr ElSheikh is being prepared.
He also stressed that this approach serves the development in all governorates, particularly among young people to eliminate digital illiteracy, contributes to the benefit of a large number of young people at universities and provides education and training opportunities for young people. He also underlined the role played by the Creativa Innovation Hubs in qualifying specialized cadres in digital transformation.
Abdel Ghaffar called for continued support to establish Creativa Innovation Hunbs in all governorates and Egyptian universities as well as in private universities and institutes (around 200 institutes) and demanded that these hubs should have a unified architectural identity and have the same name and logo.
The ICT Minister highlighted that the Creativa Innovation Hubs are based on three parallel pillars to provide technical training to young people in ICTs, foster digital innovation, encourage entrepreneurs and establish incubators for entrepreneurship.
He also pointed out that it was taken into account to establish the Creativa Innovation Hubs in all governorates in a single style, so that young people can recognize them as they all have a unified architectural style and have the same name and logo, which represents the ancient Egyptian emblem of data collection and storage.
Talaat added that the Fayoum Governorate is one of the promising governorates with its economic and scientific resources, which makes the establishment of the Creativa Innovation Hub at Fayoum University a successful model. He also pointed out that the upcoming period will witness further fruitful cooperation between both ministries to sign protocols with other universities in the framework of the project’s third phase to establish Creative Innovation Hubs in all governorates and universities, giving priority to public universities and provided that our future plans will include both public and private universities.
For his part, the President of Fayoum University Ahmed Shadeed pointed out that the establishment of Creativa Innovation Hub at the university comes in line with the state’s general policy to achieve digital transformation, qualify university students and create job opportunities for them. He also stated that the location of the Innovation Hub within the Fayoum University has been selected, so that the university students and young people at the Fayoum Governorate can benefit from it, underlining that the establishment of the Hub will be completed in six months.
The protocol aims to qualify the students and graduates of Fayoum University and the universities in the vicinity for the local and global labor markets, prepare cadres who are capable of contributing to the support and development of IT industry, provide technical training services to prepare trainers from relevant faculty members, contribute to raising the awareness of IT latest developments, specializations and required skills, organize specialized conferences and competitions in the latest technologies that support knowledge transfer and innovation, and develop teaching and training mechanisms through the innovative use of IT.
The protocol stipulates that Fayoum University is committed to allocating a plot of land of 2500 square meters within the university campus for the faculties of Education and Archaeology to establish a permanent headquarters for the Creative Innovation Hub, and is also committed to providing all the necessary facilities for the Hub.
The protocol also stipulates that the Information Technology Institute (ITI) is committed to designing the various training programs (3 – 9 months) in cooperation with the specialists from Fayoum University, providing the scientific materials and its supporting software, selecting trainees and trainers in cooperation with Fayoum University, supervising the training process, providing ITI’s services to support the university students and graduates as well as the universities in the vicinity through training programs, granting approved certificates by the ITI as well as certificates by the specialized companies in the field and supporting and promoting the university’s role in finding innovative solutions to serve the community and, thus, contribute to economic growth and increase job opportunities.
The signing ceremony was attended by the Advisor to the ICT Minister for Technology Innovation, Electronics Industry and Training Hossam Othman, the ITI Chairman Heba Saleh, the NTI Director Iman Ashour, the Media Advisor and Spokesman of the MoHESR Adel Abdel Ghaffar, the Vice President of Fayoum University Khaled Atallah and the Dean of the Faculty of Computers and Information at Fayoum University Rania Abu ElSeoud.
It is worth noting that the basic working methodology for the establishment of Creativa Innovation Hubs is to provide career counseling, implement technical and applied training in ICTs, train technology ambassadors from university teaching staff, provide services and approved certificates in cooperation with the private sector, support freelance business and innovation and entrepreneurship skills and provide an applied technology environment that supports modern trends of technology.
The project’s first phase included the establishment of Creative Innovation Hubs at the universities of Mansoura, Menoufia, Minya, Sohag and the New Valley in Qena. The project’s second phase targets the establishment of innovation hubs in the governorates of Ismailia, Aswan, Cairo, Giza, and the New Administrative Capital. The project’s third phase is being planned and aims to launch the innovation hubs in additional governorates; a protocol of cooperation has been signed with Benha University to establish a Creativa Innovation Hub in it.
