Minister of Higher Education: The program represents a strategic step toward transforming scientific research outputs into practical solutions that support the competitiveness of national industry.
STDF CEO: The program is an advanced model for funding innovation based on industrial challenges and achieving direct impact within production environments.
As part of the state’s directions toward deepening local manufacturing and strengthening integration between scientific research and the industrial sector, the Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority (STDF) announced the opening of applications for the “Faculty for Factory Program (FFF)” as one of the strategic programs aimed at linking academic knowledge with industrial needs and transforming scientific research outputs into practical solutions with direct impact on production.
Dr. Abdel Aziz Konsowa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, affirmed that the program represents a qualitative leap in the mechanisms of utilizing scientific research by moving from the theoretical framework to practical implementation inside factories. This contributes to providing innovative solutions to real industrial challenges, enhancing production efficiency, and increasing the competitiveness of Egyptian industry.
The Minister noted that integrating researchers into production environments reflects the state’s direction toward building a knowledge-based economy and enhances the role of universities and research centers in supporting economic development plans through genuine partnerships with the industrial sector.
For his part, Dr. Walaa Sheta, CEO of STDF, explained that the program represents an advanced model for financing innovation based on real industrial challenges, emphasizing that the Authority aims to support applied research capable of achieving tangible impact within production lines.
He added that the program seeks to strengthen partnerships between academic institutions and factories by enabling researchers to work directly within industrial environments, allowing deeper understanding of challenges and the development of implementable solutions that contribute to technology transfer and knowledge localization within the country.
The program targets faculty members and researchers from governmental universities, research centers, and institutes, providing them with the opportunity to work full-time inside factories for periods ranging from four to six months, according to an implementation plan that begins with integration into the factory environment, followed by challenge assessment, and then the development of practical solutions or prototype models suitable for industrial application.
The program is based on an integrated partnership between an academic institution and an existing Egyptian factory. The principal investigator must be a faculty member at a governmental university or research institute and hold a PhD degree in a relevant specialization, with full-time commitment to work inside the factory throughout the program duration. Preference is given to researchers in the early stages of their careers, contributing to the preparation of a new generation of researchers capable of operating within industrial environments.
The host factory must also be an industrial entity operating within Egypt and capable of hosting the researcher while providing access to production processes, data, facilities, and technical teams necessary for efficient project implementation.
Regarding the funding mechanism, the program provides a monthly stipend for the principal investigator throughout the implementation period, with the possibility of supporting a postgraduate student within the research team after approval, contributing to the preparation of qualified research cadres capable of linking academic knowledge with industrial requirements.
The submission of research proposals will continue until June 30, 2026, at 2:00 PM, according to the detailed rules and conditions announced through the Authority’s official website:
https://stdf.eg/web/grants/open
