President of Mansoura University Receives Delegation from Al-Maqal University of Iraq to Discuss Ways to Enhance Academic Cooperation

Prof. Cherif Khater, President of Mansoura University, received a delegation from Al-Maqal University of Iraq on  August 12, 2026. The delegation was headed by Professor Mansour Naeem Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al-Maqal University. The meeting aimed to explore ways to enhance academic and scientific cooperation between the two universities and to open new avenues for joint collaboration.

Attending the meeting from Mansoura University were: Prof. Tarek Ghalwash, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research and Supervisor of the Community Service and Environmental Development Sector; Prof. Sherif El-Badawy, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering; and Prof. Khaled Bashir, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

The Iraqi delegation included: Dr. Ali Mazloum Hussein, Dr. Riyadh Ghassab Sahi, Professor Mohammed Mansour Naeem, and Professor Ahmed Adel Ahmed. Prof. Cherif Khater welcomed the Iraqi delegation, expressing his pleasure at the visit of the Maqal University delegation to Mansoura University. He emphasized the university's commitment to strengthening its academic and scientific ties with sister Arab universities and expanding areas of joint cooperation. This, he noted, contributes to the exchange of expertise and knowledge and supports integration among Arab educational institutions.

He affirmed that Mansoura University prioritizes strengthening Arab partnerships, stemming from its belief in the importance of collaboration between universities in developing higher education and scientific research systems. He highlighted the exchange of successful experiences and best practices, which facilitates the establishment of effective and sustainable partnerships based on clear areas of cooperation and mutual benefit.

Prof. Khater pointed out that Mansoura University possesses a comprehensive system of colleges, laboratories, and research centers, along with diverse academic and scientific expertise. He emphasized the university's commitment to making this expertise available within the framework of its partnerships with Arab universities. This, he explained, supports the development of academic programs, enhances scientific research, and cultivates the skills of students and researchers. He also explained that the cooperation with Al-Maqal University represents an extension of Mansoura University's commitment to expanding its academic presence in the Arab region and building bridges of scientific communication with Iraqi universities. This opens the door to implementing joint programs in education, scientific research, and training, as well as the exchange of faculty members and students.

For his part, Professor Mansour Naeem Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al-Maqal University, expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome, praising Mansoura University's distinguished academic and research capabilities. He affirmed Al-Maqal University's keenness to strengthen cooperation with Mansoura University and benefit from its expertise and experience in a number of academic and scientific fields.

He also expressed his hope that the coming period would witness practical steps to activate areas of cooperation, in a way that achieves the common interests of both universities. Prof. Tarek Ghalwash highlighted Mansoura University's extensive academic and research expertise and advanced experience in several fields. He explained that the visit would allow the Iraqi delegation to gain firsthand insight into these experiences and capabilities, and to learn about the university's offerings in education, scientific research, and training. This would help identify areas of potential collaboration that align with the needs and specializations of Al-Maqal University.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed several proposed areas of cooperation, including: exchanging academic and scientific expertise; fostering collaboration between faculties and corresponding disciplines; exchanging faculty members and researchers; supporting student exchange and training programs; exploring opportunities for collaboration in postgraduate studies and scientific research; and organizing joint conferences, seminars, and scientific events.

The meeting also addressed mechanisms for leveraging Mansoura University's advanced expertise in engineering and pharmacy, and the specialized laboratories and advanced research equipment available in its faculties, which would support opportunities for collaboration in disciplines of mutual interest. Following the meeting, Prof. Cherif Khater accompanied the Iraqi delegation on a tour of the College of Engineering, in the presence of Prof. Sherif El-Badawy, the Dean. The delegation received a comprehensive presentation about the college, its academic programs and specializations, its educational and research capabilities, and its key areas of excellence and leadership.

The tour included visits to several specialized laboratories within the college. The delegation inspected the Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) lab, the Engineering Physics lab complex, the Embedded Systems and Internet of Things (IoT) lab, and the Wireless Communications lab. The tour also included the permanent exhibition in the Department of Architectural Engineering, where the delegation viewed examples of student projects and architectural applications that reflect the creative and applied aspects of the department's curriculum.

During the tour, the delegation received an explanation of the nature of the work within the laboratories, the educational and research applications they offer to students and researchers, and how they represent an integrated environment for practical training and keeping pace with the latest developments in engineering and technology. The tour also included the College of Pharmacy, where Prof. Khaled Bashir, Acting Dean, welcomed the delegation and provided an overview of the college, its academic programs and specializations, its scientific research system, and its specialized laboratories and research units that support pharmaceutical studies and the development of research in the field of medicine.

The delegation inspected the Drug Discovery and Research Laboratory, along with several other specialized laboratories and research units, including the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory, the Research Projects Laboratory, the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Unit, and the High-Performance Mass Spectrometry (HPS) Unit. The delegation received explanations about the nature of the work in these units and their role in supporting scientific research and conducting advanced analyses that serve researchers in various pharmaceutical fields.

The delegation also listened to a presentation by Prof. Hussein Al-Sabbagh on several areas of scientific research and applications of pharmaceutical chemistry, related to drug design, discovery, and development, as well as learning about the research expertise the college possesses in this field.

The tour concluded with a visit to Intilaq for Communications and Information Technology, the technology arm of Mansoura University. The delegation learned about the company's capabilities and its role in supporting digital transformation and developing technological solutions and systems.

Dr. Mohamed Handoussa, the company's Deputy Executive Director, presented several projects and applications developed by the company, highlighting the technological solutions it offers to serve the university's operations, as well as its hospital and healthcare facility management systems. This reflects the integration of Mansoura University's academic and technological capabilities and opens the door to leveraging this expertise within the framework of the proposed cooperation with Al-Maqal University in Iraq.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Al-Maqal University praised the advanced capabilities he witnessed during the tour at the Faculties of Engineering and Pharmacy and at Intilaq, emphasizing that firsthand experience of these initiatives provides valuable opportunities for exchanging expertise and benefiting from successful practices in developing education, scientific research, and digital transformation. At the conclusion of the visit, both sides emphasized the importance of continued communication and coordination in the coming period, working to identify priority areas of cooperation, and developing implementation mechanisms to activate them, in order to achieve mutual benefit from the capabilities and experiences of the two universities, and to support the academic and scientific cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Iraq.