Mansoura University opens new horizons for international cooperation as the first Egyptian university to discuss ways of cooperation with the Finnish Consortium for International Education

Prof. Cherif Youssef Khater, President of Mansoura University, received on June 10, 2024, Prof. Risto Vahanen, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Finnish Consortium for International Education, Prof. Karim El-Safty, Regional Executive Director for the Middle East, within the framework of Mansoura University's plan to enhance its international position and expand the horizons of academic international cooperation by establishing scientific, research and cultural strategic partnerships with educational institutions and the university with a distinguished reputation around the world.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Mohamed Attia Al-Bayoumi - Vice President for Education and Students, Prof. Mohamed Abdel Azim - Vice President for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Tarek Ghalwash - Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, Prof. Sherif Badawi, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Magdy Zakaria, Dean of the Faculty of Computers and Information, Prof. Mohamed Ghoneim, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Assoc.Prof. Muhammad Al-Refaie, Director of the International Relations Office, and Dr. Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director of the International Relations Office.

During the meeting, they discussed ways of cooperation between Mansoura University and the Regional Association of Finnish Universities in the fields of engineering, artificial intelligence, information technology, management systems, exchange of professors and students, as well as the establishment of joint educational programs and degrees, and the exchange of scientific research of interest to both sides.

Prof. Cherif Youssef Khater welcomed the future cooperation between Mansoura University and the Regional Association of Finnish Universities, stressing that the meeting comes within implementing the directives of the political leadership to expand partnerships with universities and educational institutions with a prestigious international reputation, and in accordance with the national strategy of the Ministry of Higher Education to benefit from international experiences in developing Egyptian education, and maximize the use of the available capabilities. He added that Mansoura University is taking steady steps towards achieving excellence and leadership, as it is the first Egyptian public university accredited by the National Authority for Quality Assurance and Accreditation, in addition to accrediting 10 faculties and 26 distinguished accredited programs, and the university obtaining the first place in digital transformation, in addition to its ownership of "Intelaq", which is the first company specialized in communications and information technology in Egyptian universities, and it also has many programs for governance systems and various electronic systems, which qualifies it to activate joint means of cooperation in the field of information technology and artificial intelligence.

During the meeting, Prof. Risto Vahanen welcomed the strengthening of bilateral relations between the Association of Finnish Universities and Mansoura University, he said that his visit to Mansoura University is the first visit to the Union in the Arab Republic of Egypt in order to implement a scientific partnership with an Egyptian university, as Mansoura University was chosen due to its prestigious global reputation, and being a pioneer university that reflects Egyptian civilization and heritage and is characterized by multidisciplinarity, which opens different areas of cooperation in education and scientific research.

He explained that international education depends on the study being linked to the aspirations of the graduate for the labor market, which is the approach of educational institutions around the world to provide distinguished job opportunities. He added that the future will witness a great development in the field of education using artificial intelligence techniques, praising Mansoura University's advanced technological capabilities and a company specialized in information technology that qualifies it for future cooperation in the development of education, scientific research and information security systems.