U.S.-Egypt Science & Technology Joint Fund II Quarterly Report

The fund is managed by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) under Cooperative Agreement 72026321CA00001. During the reporting period of April 1st to June 30th, 2023, NASEM implemented several key activities in support of the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund. These activities included the preparation and implementation of the Joint Board Meeting for the U.S.-Egypt Joint Fund on Science and Technology in Washington D.C. The Joint Board Meeting took place from May 30 to June 2, 2023, and was attended by representatives from the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of State, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. Egyptian officials from the Ministry of Scientific Research and Higher Education were also present, along with representatives from the Egyptian Science and Technology Innovation Funding Authority. During the meeting, the Joint Board reviewed a slate of projects in the fields of agriculture, energy, health, and water, and identified the topics of climate change, One Health, and the water-energy-food nexus as priorities for the next funding cycle. The Joint Board also discussed additional areas of interest for future cooperation, including new activities under the Innovate Egypt initiative, which supports the development of the science and technology innovation ecosystem in Egypt. As part of the Joint Board Meeting, Egyptian members of the Joint Board attended site visits throughout the Washington, D.C. area, including the George Washington University Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation, the Maryland Tech Council, and the National Institutes of Health. The Egyptian delegation also met with researchers supported by the Joint Fund at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. In addition to the Joint Board Meeting, NASEM also facilitated the review of Cycle 22 proposals, which are currently undergoing a non-technical review process completed by the relevant Egyptian Government authorities. During the Joint Board Meeting, 12 projects were approved for funding, including projects focused on developing drought-tolerant chickpea using gene editing, novel water-energy-food-ecosystem mini-complex with renewable energy aquaponic-desalination system, and predicting emerging resistance in the United States and Egypt. The U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Joint Fund II has made significant progress in advancing scientific research and innovation in various fields, and continues to provide opportunities for collaboration and cooperation between the United States and Egypt.