Quarterly Progress Report (Q3 FY19: April 1 – June 30, 2019)

The COE – Energy aims to promote energy education, research, and innovation in Egypt through a five-year implementation plan. During the third quarter of fiscal year 2019, the COE – Energy team made significant progress in establishing its governance structure. The four governance committees – Advisory, Steering, Research & Policy, and Curriculum & Instructional Design – were validated by partner universities, and representatives from each committee participated in a study tour at MIT from June 8 to 15, 2019. The tour provided an opportunity for faculty and staff to exchange experiences, knowledge, and approaches to research and private sector engagement. The COE – Energy team also made progress in instructional innovation and curriculum development. Partner universities were exposed to the Conceive, Design, Implement, Operate (CDIO) concept and its implementation at MIT. A group of 15 students and 4 faculty members from the Egyptian partner universities will attend a hands-on educational activity at MIT, the 2.007 course and its design contest, to bring CDIO to their universities. Planning for the first CDIO workshop/exchange began in early April 2019 and was further refined during the study tour. In addition, the COE – Energy team released the first Call for Proposals for Applied Research Proposals between MIT and Egyptian partner universities. The aim of the Applied Research Call is to invite experts in the energy field from COE partner universities to submit pre-proposals for the first cycle of the Center of Excellence for Energy applied research projects. The projects are expected to include PIs from one or more of the partner universities, Ain Shams, Mansoura, and Aswan, and joint teams focusing on collaboration between the partner universities are strongly encouraged. The COE – Energy team also worked on the launch of Cohort 1 of the COE-Energy Academic Scholarship in Energy and Renewable Energy for 60 students. The scholarship aims to increase the number of students pursuing energy-related fields and to provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to contribute to the development of Egypt's energy sector. The COE – Energy team received USAID approval of the selection criteria, methodology, and rubrics for the recruitment and selection of up to 60 Cohort 1 scholarship students. The team also established the COE – Energy project office space and recruited and hired ten project employees. Additionally, the team completed the procurement of a website development firm to assist the COE – Energy project in the design and launch of an interactive project website in compliance with USAID branding and marking guidelines. The COE – Energy team also made progress in other areas, including the establishment of a joint applied research call involving all three Centers of Excellence with the objective of identifying and funding one large-scale Food, Energy, Water Nexus project. The call is tentatively scheduled for November 2019, and each Center of Excellence will contribute $500,000, totaling $1.5 million over three years.