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Under the auspices of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University, and within the framework of the university's commitment to supporting the decision-making system and achieving integration between academic knowledge and practical experience, and strengthening cooperation between the Information and Decision Support Center and the university's Community Observatory, as part of a comprehensive vision aimed at developing monitoring and analysis tools and supporting data-driven public policies, Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development, led a distinguished delegation that included several deans and vice deans for community service and environmental development on an official visit to the Information and Decision Support Center.

Dr. Osama El-Gohary, Assistant to the Prime Minister and Head of the Information and Decision Support Center, received Prof. Ghada Farouk and her accompanying delegation. Dr. El-Gohary expressed his pleasure at the anticipated cooperation with Ain Shams University, a long-established center of expertise in various fields, including research and scientific consultations.

During her remarks, Prof. Ghada Farouk expressed her delight at the collaboration with the Information and Decision Support Center and the university's commitment to building bridges of communication. She emphasized that concerted efforts among various state institutions are essential for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development, realizing the state's strategic goals, enhancing integration between different sectors, collectively addressing challenges, and making better decisions through the integration of diverse expertise.

Her Excellency also praised the tangible role of the Information and Decision Support Center, which citizens feel is crucial in responding quickly and directly to rumors and misinformation, thus contributing to a sense of stability, clarity, and transparency.

Prof. Ghada Farouk then reviewed the long and distinguished history of Ain Shams University, its capabilities, its specialized centers, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and its outstanding programs. She noted the university's institutional accreditation and the accreditation of several of its distinguished programs by international organizations.

Furthermore, Her Excellency explained that the Community Service and Environmental Development Sector has begun establishing a community observatory to serve as an effective tool for monitoring and analyzing social phenomena and problems. The aim is to understand, interpret, and predict these phenomena, ultimately leading to scientific mechanisms for controlling them, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and Egypt's National Strategy 2030.

An infographic was then presented, outlining the role of think tanks and decision-making centers in providing recommendations to decision-makers and the stages of their development globally.

The presentation also reviewed the center's establishment since 1985 and its evolution, including the decision to re-establish it in 2023 to align with modern developments and enable it to fulfill its mission. The presentation further detailed the Information and Decision Support Center's strategy for addressing urgent, chronic, and future issues, its current and future work plan, and the challenges it faces.

The members of the Ain Shams University delegation each presented their respective faculties, highlighting their areas of excellence and potential areas of cooperation. Similarly, the heads and directors of the departments and divisions at the Information and Decision Support Center presented their departments and explained how they perform their assigned tasks.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides exchanged commemorative shields.

The visit was coordinated by Prof. Gihan Ragab, Professor of Marketing at the Faculty of Business, and Major General Hossam El-Sherbiny, Assistant Secretary of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development.