06/09/2024

On the sidelines of his participation in the "Digital Learning Week 2024" conference in Paris: The Minister of Higher Education visits the world's largest startup incubator in France (Station F)

• The Minister praises the center's support for startups and commends its training and professional programs.
• The Minister discusses with Station F enhancing the innovation ecosystem and facilitating the growth of startups in Egypt.

The Minister affirms:

• The importance of leveraging the center’s expertise in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship to achieve Egypt’s 2030 strategy goals.
• The significance of Egypt benefiting from the French entrepreneurial experience to boost investor confidence.
• Cooperation with France provides an extensive network of investors to support Egyptian startups.

Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, conducted an inspection tour of Station F, the world's largest startup incubator. The center aims to provide an ideal environment for entrepreneurs by offering them the necessary support and guidance for their startups' growth, from their inception to maturity. The visit aimed to explore global best practices in supporting entrepreneurship and encouraging innovation, and to draw on international experiences to be applied in Egypt to enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.

Station F collaborates with a diverse range of major institutions and companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, as well as leading academic institutions in management, economics, and engineering in France. They provide specialized educational and training programs for startups, contributing to attracting entrepreneurs and investors from around the world.

This tour took place on the sidelines of the Minister's participation in the "Digital Learning Week 2024" conference organized by UNESCO in cooperation with UNICEF, under the theme "Public Digital Learning Portals" in Paris.

The Minister expressed his admiration for the center’s concept and goals, noting that it hosts more than 600 events and workshops annually and offers many core programs. He emphasized the importance of benefiting from the center’s expertise to support entrepreneurship, as it aligns with the objectives and principles of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research's 2030 strategy, which focuses on promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and strengthening the connection between university outcomes and the labor market. He also praised the training programs, workshops, and administrative, legal, and financial support provided to startups.

The Minister discussed the potential for cooperation with Station F, a global leader in entrepreneurship, to enhance the innovation ecosystem in Egypt. The goal of this cooperation is to provide an integrated incubator environment for Egyptian startups, offering specialized support programs to help them grow and expand, while facilitating communication between entrepreneurs, investors, and experts in various fields. This collaboration aims to build a supportive entrepreneurship community capable of creating promising opportunities for Egyptian startups.

Dr. Ayman Ashour emphasized the importance of learning from the French experience in entrepreneurship, which has proven successful in accelerating the growth of startups. He noted that this collaboration would offer Egyptian startups access to a broad network of investors and experts, enabling them to face labor market challenges with greater confidence and enhancing investor trust in their potential for success, thereby attracting more investments.

During the inspection tour, the Minister expressed his admiration for the center’s distinctive architectural design and met with several startup leaders who benefited from collaborating with Station F. The tour was attended by Dr. Shahenda Ezzat, Cultural Attaché and Director of the Egyptian Educational Mission Office in France.