Quarterly Report FY19 Q4: Center of Excellence for Water

The project aims to create a Center of Excellence for Water at Alexandria University, with a total allocated budget of $30 Million USD over a 5-year period. The project is managed by The American University in Cairo (AUC) and has multiple partnerships and stakeholders, including universities, public institutions, and industries. During the reporting period of July 1st to September 30th (FY19Q4), the main highlights of the project include holding the first Advisory Committee meeting, inaugurating the administrative space of the Center of Excellence for Water at Alexandria University, conducting a project needs assessment campaign in Egypt, and making progress on building the CoE website. The project also hired the basic staff of the Center of Excellence for Water at Alexandria University and made progress on completing the CoE staffing at the American University in Cairo. Component I: Governance of CoE was a key area of focus during the reporting period. The first Advisory Committee meeting was held at Alexandria University, with 24 out of 25 members in attendance. The committee discussed and advised on several key issues, including the need for a different kind of applied research practiced by the CoE, the importance of defining excellence in education, research, and exchange, and the need to ensure the sustainability of the Center of Excellence beyond the 5-year project period. Alexandria University issued three decrees to establish the administrative identity of the Center of Excellence at Alexandria University, and the basic administrative staff of the Center of Excellence for Water at Alexandria University was hired. Component II: Instructional Innovation and Curriculum Development also made significant progress during the reporting period. Monthly meetings were held with principal participants in the Task 2 pillar to informally report on subtask progress and provide timelines for completion of various subtasks. Needs Assessment surveys were developed, reviewed, and revised several times and published on September 6, 2019. Five surveys were developed targeting Instructional Innovation and Curriculum Development and High-Quality Applied Research pillars of the project. On-site needs assessment was conducted by three members of the USU team, who visited all five Egyptian Partner Universities and two research centers. The project continues to use the Online Trello tool for the management of the project among partners and the exchange of information. However, the governance pillar is late in developing the MoUs between the Center and the MoHESR as well as the MoUs and agreements with other universities. The project is expected to continue making progress in the coming quarter, with a focus on completing the staffing of the Center of Excellence and making further progress on the development of the MoUs and agreements.