Egyptian president’s big plans for science

SciDev.net : Both funding and research in Egypt are going to experience a transformation under its newly elected government, according to Hazem Badr, writing for SciDev.Net. President Mohamed Morsi, a former engineer, wants to “localize” science by immediately focusing national research on technologies relevant to social issues such as hygiene, traffic, and food security. He has also set a goal of getting the private sector to fund 40% of science research within the next decade. Already this year, state funding has more than doubled from $83 million to $216 million. Despite the windfall, concerns have been raised that slow government bureaucracy and restrictive intellectual property rights may limit the effectiveness of both public and private funding.