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As part of Ain Shams University's commitment to promoting a culture of scientific research and openness to international funding opportunities, the Grants and Projects Department, affiliated with the International Relations Sector, organized an introductory seminar on the Horizon Europe & PRIMA Call Scholarships. The seminar was held under the patronage of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of the University, and Prof. Amany Osama Kamel, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, and under the supervision of Prof. Sherweit El-Ahmady, Director of the International Students and Mobility Office and Representative of the International Relations and Academic Cooperation Sector, and Prof. Hoda Sousa, Director of the Grants and Projects Department.

The event was attended by a number of faculty vice deans for graduate studies and research, faculty staff, teaching assistants, employees of the Grants and Projects Department, and postgraduate students from various faculties.

In her opening remarks, Prof. Amany Osama Kamel emphasized that organizing this symposium falls within the framework of the university's plan to spread the culture of research excellence and encourage researchers to seize international funding opportunities. She explained that obtaining research projects is an important part of the academic activity of scientists and researchers, urging researchers to work on themselves and constantly prepare themselves with research ideas and projects.

She added that Egypt has become a partner in the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program, representing an important step in strengthening research and scientific cooperation between Egypt and the European Union. Egypt is the second North African country, after Tunisia, to join this program. She called on researchers to actively participate in such programs, which represent a qualitative shift in their academic and scientific careers.

She emphasized the importance of the Grants and Projects Department as a strategic tool for achieving research leadership at the university, emphasizing that the department represents a vital bridge between the university and international institutions and contributes to building a competitive culture in scientific research.

For her part, Prof. Sherweit El-Ahmady reviewed the Grants and Projects Department's efforts in supporting faculty staff and researchers, transforming their research ideas into actual projects financially supported by international and local funding bodies.

She also presented statistics on the faculties that received the most grants, with the Faculties of Engineering, Agriculture, and Science at the forefront, reflecting the university's diverse areas of excellence.

Prof. Hoda Soussa praised the role of the Grants and Projects Department in building strong academic partnerships with international institutions and universities, noting that these partnerships enhance the university's standing in international rankings and open new horizons for researchers, especially young researchers, to participate in international scientific and research projects that support cultural and scientific exchange.

She also reviewed the advantages of European Union grants, their conditions, and application procedures, with the aim of helping researchers overcome any challenges they may face during the application process. She also explained the evaluation mechanism for submitted projects, the department's budget, and the internal funding mechanisms allocated to the university's faculty staff research.

At the conclusion of the event, the floor was opened for dialogue and discussions between the attendees and the speakers. All inquiries regarding the applying requirements and procedures, the types of scholarships available (full, partial, and academic excellence scholarships), and the experiences of researchers who had previously benefited from these scholarships were addressed. Dr. Amr El-Banhawy, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, presented his success story in applying for international projects, particularly European ones, through a presentation of the projects he had been awarded. This gave the attendees a clear, practical understanding of the applying steps and mechanisms for benefiting from these opportunities.