[:en]Heliopolis University Students Participate in an International Competition for $1 Million Prize[:ar]يشارك طلبة جامعة هليوبوليس في مسابقة دولية تبلغ قيمتها مليون دولار[:]

[:en]

Heliopolis University students participate in the “Hult Prize”; an International Competition for $1Million Prize, for the second year in a row, in the context of motivating students and increasing their awareness of social entrepreneurship and its importance for a better future.

The Hult Contest is an annual global competition to win a prize of 1 million U.S. dollars. The competition is held in cooperation with the United Nations in order to present one of the problems the world faces every year and aims to solve it through a startup.HU- students Hult-Prize-Presentation

The competition begins at the university level, and the winning team then qualifies for one of the regional finals that will be held in multiple countries around the world. The winning team then moves to the international competition that will be held this year in Boston, where the teams will receive extensive training by businessmen and entrepreneurs. The last stage is held each year in the United States of America under the auspices of former President Bill Clinton who announces the winner.

Heliopolis University held the competition at the Entrepreneurship Center, where 63 university students participated. Workshops have taken place to increase students’ awareness of the concept of social entrepreneurship and to explain the idea and stages of the competition in a climate conducive to creativity while implementing some recreational activities that support teamwork and thinking outside the box and solving problems.

Represented by 16 teams of creators and change-makers, the participants were prepared for the competition through various exercises designed to help develop their ideas and turn them into successful projects.

The competition was held in HU on Sunday, December 22nd in two phases, and the winning team “Olive Power” was chosen, whose project idea is to produce charcoal substitute that is environmentally friendly from an extract olive residue, where some of its advantages are the lack of combustion odor like conventional coal, also the ease to ignite. Its burning time lasts between 6 to 7 hours and is considered environmentally friendly as it produces carbon dioxide up to 60% less compared to conventional coal in addition to the recycling of materials.

The team was qualified to compete in one of the regional finals with the opportunity to reach the international finals to win one million U.S. dollars to turn the idea into a live project.

Heliopolis University is a non-profit, private and financially independent SEKEM’s institution.

Amira Mohamed

4th-year pharmacy student,

Marketing Director at Hult Prize Heliopolis

[:ar]

يشارك طلبة جامعة هليوبوليس في مسابقة دولية تبلغ قيمتها مليون دولار

في إطار تحفيز الطلاب وزيادة وعيهم بريادة الأعمال الاجتماعية وأهميتها لمستقبل أفضل؛ نظمت جامعة هليوبوليس للتنمية المستدامة مسابقة هولت العالمية (Hult prize) للعام الثاني على التوالي.

مسابقة هولت هي مسابقة عالمية سنوية للفوز بجائزة قيمتها مليون دولار أمريكي. تقام المسابقة بالتعاون مع الأمم المتحدة لطلبة الجامعات وتقوم فكرتها على طرح إحدى المشكلات التي يواجهها العالم  كل عام، وتهدف إلى حل هذه المشكلة من خلال شركة ناشئة.

تبدأ مراحل المسابقة على مستوى الجامعة ثم يتأهل الفريق الفائز إلى أحد النهائيات الإقليمية التي تقام في بلدان متعددة حول العالم، حتى ينتقل الفريق الفائز لمسرعة الأعمال التي ستقام هذه السنة في بوسطن حيث تحصل الفرق على تدريب مكثف من قبل رجال أعمال ومختصين بمجال ريادة الأعمال لتطوير مشاريعهم. تقام المرحلة الأخيرة كل عام في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية برعاية الرئيس السابق بيل كلينتون الذي يعلن عن الفائز في نهاية المسابقة.

أقامت جامعة هليوبوليس المسابقة في مركز ريادة الأعمال وبدأ الاستعداد للمسابقة بالجامعة من شهر سبتمبر 2019 حيث تم الإعلان عن تحدي هذا العام وفتح باب الانضمام للجنة المنظمة للمسابقة والتي شارك في تنظيمها 20 من طلاب الجامعة من مختلف الكليات.

تم تنفيذ ورش عمل بالجامعة لزيادة وعي الطلاب بمفهوم ريادة الأعمال الاجتماعية وشرح فكرة ومراحل المسابقة في مناخ مناسب للابداع مع تنفيذ بعض الانشطة الترفيهية التي تدعم العمل الجماعي والتفكير خارج الصندوق لحل المشكلات.

تم فتح باب الانضمام للمسابقة في شهر نوفمبر حيث شارك عدد 63 طالب من مختلف كليات الجامعة متمثلين في 16 فريقاً من المبدعين وصناع التغيير. تم تدريب المشاركين بالمسابقة لمساعدتهم على تطوير أفكارهم وتحويلها الي مشروع ناجح.

أقيمت المسابقة بالجامعة يوم الأحد الموافق 22 من ديسمبر على مرحلتين وتم اختيار الفريق الفائز (olive power) والذي تقوم فكرة مشروعه على إنتاج فحم صديق للبيئة مستخرج من تفل الزيتون (مخلفات الزيتون بعد العصر) ومميزاته أنه بدون رائحة احتراق مثل الفحم التقليدي، كما إنه سهل الاشتعال وتدوم مدة احتراقه من ٦ الي ٧ ساعات، ويعد صديق للبيئة حيث انه ينتج غاز ثاني اكسيد الكربون بنسبة تصل الي ٦٠٪ أقل مقارنة بالفحم التقليدي بالإضافة إلى إعادة تدويره من مواد آمنة وصديقة للبيئة.

وتم تأهيل الفريق للمنافسة في إحدي النهائيات الإقليمية مع فرصة الوصول للنهائيات والفوز بمبلغ مليون دولار أمريكي لتحويل الفكرة إلي مشروع في أرض الواقع.

أميرة محمد،

 طالبة بجامعة هليوبوليس، ومسئولة التسويق لمسابقة هولت هليوبوليس[:]

MED-WET Partners Participate in Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, October 2024, Portugal

[:en] The MED-WET partners, including the team from Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development, had the opportunity to showcase their excellent results at the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair, held during (9-13) October 2024 in Portugal. This event provided a wonderful platform to widely share the project’s advancements, exchange insights, and engage with various international stakeholders in the water, energy and agricultural sectors. During the fair, the HUSD team actively participated in a parallel conference, where they delivered in-depth presentations and speech covering the MED-WET’s goals, achievements, and importance in advancing sustainable water management for climate-resilient agriculture among the rural and desert communities. At the heart of their presence was the MED-WET stand, which attracted significant attention of the majority of participants. It served as a focal point for information dissemination, providing an interactive space where farmers, agricultural experts, policymakers, and researchers could learn more about the project’s innovative approaches to water conservation and irrigation technology in arid regions. The stand featured detailed explanations of the project’s outcomes, including key findings and 3-D prototypes of the three technologies “Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco”. This obviously proven the MED-WET’s success in realizing efficient water management practices that contributed to sustainable farming and addressed water scarcity challenges in the Mediterranean region. Overall, the Fundão Agricultural Innovation Fair was a highly productive experience for all participants. It allowed the MED-WET team to expand their network, raise awareness about the critical issue of water scarcity, and underscore the project’s role in promoting sustainable agricultural practices across the Mediterranean region. The fair highlighted the increasing importance of collaborative efforts in addressing water conservation and irrigation challenges in agriculture, reinforcing the relevance of the MED-WET initiative. [:]

[:en]Showcasing the Med-Wet Project: Partners Participated in the Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Marketplace in Cairo[:]

[:en] One of the Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development’s successful research projects called “MED-WET” is selected among the top successful and highest performing 20 EU–Prima projects worldwide this year 2024. An international conference and fair was conducted on 3 Oct., 2024 in Cairo organized by Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in association with the European Commission (EC) office in Cairo. In which, a team from HUSD and MED-WET’s partner countries from Malta and Germany presented the key results of the MED-WET project, including the successfully developed three technologies (Constructed Wetlands in Sekem El-Wahat, Solar energy-driven desalination for greenhouse agriculture in Malta and the SLECI Irrigation technology in Portugal and Morocco). That mega event allowed HUSD to showcase the innovative solution of the low-cost, low-energy and nature-based “Instream Constructed Wetland” model addressing water challenges and climate change in the Mediterranean. Such innovations aim to conserve water, improve irrigation efficiency and tackle water scarcity (climate-resilient agriculture). The marketplace offered meaningful exchanges with international partners. HUSD’s team discussed potential collaborations with stakeholders who are interested in new research projects, which will help further amplify the impact of the Med-Wet project. The conversations done with promising future partners underscored the importance of cross-border cooperation and innovation in addressing complex environmental challenges, on the top of them “water scarcity and climate change”. [:]

[:en]Announcement: Heliopolis University Low Carbon Energy Report Released![:]

[:en]Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development is proud to announce the release of our latest report on Low Carbon Energy Usage across campus! This report highlights our commitment to a greener future by measuring the amount of low-carbon energy utilized in our operations. Through this analysis, we’re taking bold steps toward sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint. Key Highlights: A detailed breakdown of renewable energy sources powering our campus Insights on energy efficiency improvements across our facilities Actionable goals for expanding clean energy use in the coming years Together, we’re paving the way for a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. Thank you to everyone who contributed to making this report possible! Stay tuned for more updates as we continue working towards a 100% low-carbon campus! #HeliopolisUniversity #SustainableFuture #LowCarbonEnergy #CleanEnergy See the report here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/122aDtID_M3wxZSzZnKuzx-VcHolUbxh5/view?usp=sharing[:]