About
Established in 2018, the Center of Excellence for Energy, funded by the American people through USAID, was originally operated by another university. In 2021, Arizona State University assumed leadership of the center. The team is led by Dr. Sayfe Kiaei, professor in the Ira A. Fulton School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, in conjunction with key faculty leadership. Dr. Kiaei’s leadership of the Center of Excellence for Energy in Pakistan was instrumental to the success of that center, which continues to flourish today.
The Center of Excellence for Energy’s goal is to support a successful energy transition in Egypt, assisting the country in meeting their target of reliance on 42% renewable energy by 2035.
To achieve this, the center will substantially improve the capacity of Egypt’s higher education institutions to drive public and private sector innovation, modernization, and competitiveness; strengthen government policy that stimulates economic growth; and contribute solutions to Egypt’s development challenges in the energy sector. The center aims to:
- Engage government stakeholders in dialogue to advance evidence-based policymaking
- Build university capacity to deliver relevant, high-quality applied research and develop a strong energy workforce
- Cultivate innovation and competition in the energy sector through development of new curricula and teaching methods
- Train a highly skilled workforce to meet the evolving needs of the energy industry, government, and the communities they serve
The center is operated by Arizona State University in partnership with three partner Egyptian universities: Ain Shams University, Aswan University, and Mansoura University. The center also collaborates with a broad range of stakeholders including Egypt’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Petroleum, key public and private energy industry players, policymakers, investors, and other energy-related organizations and experts in Egypt and across the globe.
The Mission
The mission of the USAID Center of Excellence for Energy is to help catalyze, facilitate, and support the creation and growth of a clean energy innovation ecosystem in Egypt through investments in Egyptian universities that build on their strong engineering fundamentals to create world-class programs and thought leadership in energy research, education, and workforce development, as well as industry partnerships and international exchange.