The Minister of Irrigation stresses the necessity of developing a long-term vision to deal with future water challenges

Dr. Hani Sweilem, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, directed to work to strengthen cooperation between the National Water Research Center, affiliated with the Ministry, and various specialized research centers and bodies at the global level to increase scientific exchange with regard to water research.

The Minister of Irrigation followed up on the current efforts and future vision to develop the research work system at the National Water Research Center, which was presented by Dr. Rasha Al-Khouly, head of the center, the performance evaluation standards, the center’s research plan, and the procedures for training and building the capabilities of the center’s workers.

The meeting reviewed the mechanism for implementing the center’s research plan, and coordination between research institutes and the various bodies, departments and sectors of the Ministry to identify the research needs of the Ministry’s agencies to confront water challenges, and the mechanisms for following up on the implementation of research studies that serve the Ministry’s needs in the areas of (water resources development – rationalizing water uses and maximizing returns from Water Unit – Improving water quality, combating pollution – developing an integrated water resources management system.

He also reviewed the cooperation efforts between the Center and many international research centers and bodies, and the role of the Center’s “Research and Project Funding Support Office” in developing and submitting research proposals internationally and locally and working to collect the necessary funds for research activities.

Dr. Sweilem pointed to the role of the National Water Research Center as the research arm of the Ministry in developing solutions based on scientific research and innovation and preparing comprehensive research studies to confront water challenges in Egypt, stressing his keenness to provide all forms of support to the center and work to improve its research, human and logistical capabilities, and provide the necessary training. For the center’s research cadres, with the aim of raising the center’s ranking among all corresponding centers at the global level and increasing the number of papers and research published internationally and issued by the center’s researchers.

He pointed out the importance of continuing coordination between the Ministry’s sectors, departments and bodies and their corresponding research institutes in identifying the research needs of the Ministry’s entities and joint coordination in implementing the Centre’s research plan.

He also stressed the necessity of developing a long-term vision based on scientific foundations that deals with future challenges, in a way that contributes to enabling decision makers to make the right decisions based on accurate scientific foundations, and that the scientific research issued by the center be applied research that can be implemented on the ground and deal with With the actual challenges facing the water sector, and providing proposals for solutions that contribute to resolving these challenges.