The center announced it would fund $4M in joint binational research projects involving Arizona State University and Egyptian partner university faculty and students. The call for proposals was opened on November 9, 2022, announced during the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). The deadline for submission was February 10, 2023 and recipients will be announced in the second quarter of 2023.

After multiple meetings and listening sessions with industry and governmental leaders, university faculty and researchers and other stakeholders, the center has agreed to support five large, five medium, and five small binational research projects in the following areas:

• Solar energy

• Electric vehicles

• Hybrid energy systems

• Wind energy

• Energy policy

• Smart distribution networks

• Other topical areas of energy research

These binational research projects will involve research conducted by more than 50 faculty and over 75 students from Egyptian partner universities and Arizona State University. Grants will also support the purchase of cutting edge laboratory equipment at Egyptian partner universities as well as postgraduate and faculty exchanges and travel, and other research activities.

There were 32 proposals received, of which 13 were large, 11 were medium, and 8 were small. The proposals spanned many areas of research as represented in the chart below.