The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research participated in the Global Entrepreneurship Forum (GEF Egypt 2026) in Cairo. Dr. Hany Ayad, Executive Director of the Innovators and Talents Support Fund (ISF), represented the Ministry in a high-level ministerial dialogue on policies and investment for entrepreneurship, alongside the Ministers of Supply, Investment, and Industry.

During the session, Dr. Ayad highlighted the Ministry's vision for the "Innovation State" initiative, aiming to transform research outputs and student innovations into commercial technologies and startups, leveraging Egypt's global rankings (83rd in the Global Innovation Index and 25th in scientific publishing). He announced a target to build an EGP 500 million investment portfolio over three years in partnership with industry leaders and investors.

Dr. Ayad noted that the ISF, in collaboration with the Science, Technology & Innovation Funding Authority (STDF), is enhancing university readiness through programs such as "U-IGNITE", "We Are Listening", and "Be Ready". These initiatives support prototype development, graduate training, and startup creation, alongside industrial translation schemes like the "Professor in Every Factory" call.

In 2026, scientific infrastructure support included funding 231 research projects worth EGP 685 million across 1,500 researchers, alongside EGP 80 million for 4 joint Egyptian-Chinese research labs. Additionally, two MOUs were signed with the Ministries of Military Production and Industry to bridge academia with national manufacturing sectors.