Co-establishing of Joint Laboratories Grant “Chinese-Egyptian Research Fund”

The grant is directed towards three thematic areas of vital importance to both countries: Sustainable Development, Poverty Alleviation, and AI & Advanced Robotics. As such, the grant will focus on supporting the acquisition of major state-of-the-art equipment and sharing expertise in the three areas, thereby improving communication, mutual friendship, and scientific and technological cooperation between Egypt and China.

Objectives

• Establish three state-of-the-art research laboratories in Egypt that shall act as centers for cooperative research between Egypt and China in three vital research areas.
• Support communication and scientific and technological cooperation between Egyptian and Chinese researchers; exchanged visits, workshops, international conferences, etc.
• Ensure sharing research outcomes with academia, private industrial sectors, and governmental entities to maximize the benefit of research results.
• Develop laboratory human resources (including post-graduate students and lab technicians) through advanced training programs required for lab operating activities and equipment maintenance.
• Market laboratory services and activities while ensuring access for all Egyptian and Chinese researchers.
• Connect the established labs to the laboratory information management system (LIMS) and integrate with the Labs Network established by STDF.

Thematic Areas

• Sustainable Development Technology: such as waste management and recycling, green energy, low carbon technology.
• Poverty Alleviation through Science and Technology, such as smart agriculture.
• AI and Advanced Robotics.

Funding Information

• For each awarded joint lab to be established in Egypt, STDF-Egypt shall grant funding up to EGP 20 million to the Egyptian PI, and MOST-China shall grant funding up to RMB 3 million to the Chinese PI.
• The duration of the project to co-establish the joint laboratories is up to 3 years.

Eligible Costs

• New equipment, including shipping and handling
• Software acquisition
• Software and/or hardware upgrade
• Capacity building and training of lab team members and technicians (inhouse or abroad if needed)
• Consumable supplies and materials (if needed)
• Travel expenses
• Joint workshops and conferences
• Incentives for team members, including technicians

Eligibility Criteria

• Only public Egyptian research institutions are eligible to submit proposals for this call.
• Each institution can submit only one proposal per thematic area, and only one grant can be awarded to any applying institution.
• The applying institution must provide a suitable location and the required infrastructure for the establishment of the intended laboratory.
• The Principal Investigator (PI) representing the host institution, must be an Egyptian researcher holding a PhD and affiliated with the Public Egyptian research entity (university, research institution, etc.).
• The proposal must include a detailed sustainability plan for the laboratory, both in the short and long term. The host institution is required to maintain the laboratory for at least five years beyond the end date of the project.
• All lab equipment and facilities must be accessible to researchers across Egypt and China, following clear regulations approved by STDF.

Evaluation Criteria

• Relevance
• Academic Excellence and Scientific Merit
• Role of PIs and Contribution
• Institutional Infrastructure
• Equipment list
• Project schedules
• Impact
• Lab Sustainability
• Justification and Budget Allocation
• Involvement of Junior scientists
• Submitted proposals will be subjected to three levels of evaluation:
  • Expert evaluation in the field of specialty of the submitted proposal
  • Interviews and oral presentations
  • Site visits and meetings with the host institution’s officials to assess the potential laboratory site, preparedness of existing facilities, and adequacy of infrastructure for hosting the joint laboratory

Application Requirements

• The Egyptian and Chinese PIs should submit two versions of the Application Form in the English and Chinese languages, respectively, adhering to the following conditions:
  • The two submitted versions must be identical in their content.
  • PI names, affiliations, and project titles submitted on both systems should be identical; proposals that feature differences in content between the two sides will not be considered.
  • Unilaterally submitted proposals shall not be considered.
  • Chinese Applicants should upload all required documents and application.
• Egyptian applicants should upload the proposal and required documents according to STDF form (template available on STDF website) on the STDF’s website, including the following:
  • The cover page should be signed by both Principal Investigators (PIs), signed and stamped by the legal representative (President of the Egyptian host institution, and stamped by the Chinese PI’s institution.
  • The Joint Laboratory proposal (Items from Abstract to Sustainability plan in the application form).
• A Cooperation Agreement document (between the partners) should further be attached to the application form, illustrating the mutual commitments of both parties to the project:
  • It should cover cooperation themes like the role and contribution of each team, list of equipment to be purchased by each side to the Joint Lab to be established in Egypt, mutual regulation of intellectual property, and commitment of the host institution to maintain the laboratory for at least five years beyond the end date of the project.
  • This document should be signed by both PIs, signed and stamped by the legal representative –President- of the Egyptian host institution, and stamped by the Chinese PI institution.

For more information, visit STDF.