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Egypt's newly elected president, Mohamed Morsi, has ambitious plans for scienceand is committed to linking research to local needs and boosting private sector science funding, officials say.
"Morsi's main strategy is to 'localise' science," Mohamed Sharet, deputy director of the Education and Scientific Research Committee at the Egyptian parliament's lower house, and a member of the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), told SciDev.Net.
This will require engaging researchers in solving public problems and linking science closely to the needs of local industry.
Sharet added that President Morsi, who is a member of both the Muslim Brotherhood and FJP and holds a PhD in engineering from the University of Southern California, will be working on a national strategy to develop mechanisms to support innovation dealing with community issues.
He will also work towards boosting private sector investment in research, so that, within a decade, the private sector would provide 40 per cent of Egypt's science funding.
Maged El-Sherbiny, president of the governmental Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, told SciDev.Net that Morsi had promised to improve the state of Egyptian hygiene, traffic, and food security during his first 100 days as president.
He added that in order to achieve the promised improvements, any increase in the budget for scientific research should be directed towards these three topics, generating positive change for citizens.
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