[:en]Social Innovation Day at Heliopolis University[:ar]يوم الابتكار المجتمعي بجامعة هليوبوليس[:]

[:en]

On March 15, a Social Innovation Day was held at Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development (HU). Social Innovation is the process of addressing needs from the community and society in new, unconventional ways. “We want to create awareness on this complex topic and discuss the process of Social Innovation with leading experts in the field”, says Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish.

Hence, Dr. Ronnie Lessem and Dr. Alexander Schieffer, founders of TRANS4M Center were invited to attend the two-day workshop. TRANS4M Center in Geneva empowers managers and leaders from the four sectors of society (business, politics, culture and environment) together with their organizations, to become effective transformational entrepreneurs and to build truly sustainable enterprises. The two social innovators are long-standing development partners of SEKEM and visited Egypt many times over the last decade. “To reach the social innovation goals and serve any community needs, we have to realize the societal state by going back to its principles and roots besides its present burning issues”, says Dr. Ronnie Lessem during his presentation, which included rich information about  ancient Egypt in the context of Social Innovation perception.

Dr. Ronnie Lessem talking at SEKEMs Social Innovation Day.
Dr. Ronnie Lessem talking at SEKEMs Social Innovation Day.

On the other hand, Mohamed Wageih, member of the Social Innovation Lab at HU emphasized on how Social Innovation is considered as a fundamental part of achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, which are addressed by different research projects at Heliopolis University.

Representatives from different departments of HU presented their projects in various fields. Hence, for instance, Mohamed Anwar, from the Center of Excellence at HU, discussed the Education for Sustainable Development-Project as a way to solve educational challenges in Egypt. The project is grounded in the long-term experience of SEKEM School and supports the capacity building of teachers of Egyptian governmental schools by offering them practical guidance to promote Education for Sustainable Development.

Noha Hussein

[:ar]

عقدت جامعة هليوبوليس للتنمية المستدامة يومًا للابتكار المجتمعي وذلك في 15 من مارس الماضي. والابتكار المجتمعي هو عملية تناول احتياجات المجتمع والجماعة بأساليب جديدة وغير معتادة. يقول د.إبراهيم أبوالعيش: ’’نريد أن نصنع الوعي بصدد هذا الموضوع المتداخل ونناقش عملية الابتكار المجتمعي مع خبراء هذا المجال‘‘.

وعليه، تم دعوة د.روني ليسيم ود.أليكسندر تشيفر، مؤسسي مركز TRANS4M، وذلك دعوة لحضورهم ورشة العمل ذات اليومين. إن مركز TRANS4M الذي يقع في مدينة جنيف بسويسرا يعمل على تمكين مدراء وقادة في جوانب المجتمع الأربعة (التجارة والسياسة والثقافة والبيئة) ويتم ذلك مع منظماتهم لجعل منهم رجال أعمال ذوي أدوارريادية فعالة من أجل بناء شركات مستدامة سليمة. هذان الخبيران بالابتكار المجتمعي هما من شركاء التنمية لسيكم ذوي شراكة طويلة الأجل وقد زارا مصر عدة مرات في العشر سنوات الأخيرة. يقول د.روني ليسيم أثناء كلمته التي شملت معلومات ثرية عن مصر الفرعونية القديمة في سياق منظور الابتكار المجتمعي: ’’لتحقيق أهداف الابتكار المجتمعي وتلبية أيًا من اجتياجات المجتمع، علينا أن ندرك حالة المجتمع وكينونته بالرجوع إلى مبادئه وأصوله هذا إلى جانب الأحداث الجارية على الساحة‘‘.

Dr. Ronnie Lessem talking at SEKEMs Social Innovation Day.
Dr. Ronnie Lessem talking at SEKEMs Social Innovation Day.

من ناحية أخرى، فقد أوضح محمد وجيه، أحد أعضاء معمل الابتكار المجتمعي بجامعة هليوبوليس، أن الابتكار المجتمعي يُعتبَر جزءٌ أساسي في تحقيق أهداف التنمية المستدامة التي وضعتها الأمم المتحدة والتي تم تناولها من خلال المشروعات البحثية المختلفة بجامعة هليوبوليس.

هذا وقد عرض ممثلون من مختلف الأقسام بجامعة هليوبوليس مشاريعهم بالمجالات المتنوعة. فعلى سبيل المثال، ناقش محمد أنور من مركز التميز بجامعة هليوبوليس، مشروع تحقيق التعليم من أجل التنمية المستدامة وكيف من خلاله يُمكن مواجهة وحل تحديات التعليم في مصر. يرتكز هذا المشروع على خبرة مدرسة سيكم الكبيرة ويدعم تأهيل قدرات المدرسين بالمدارس المصرية بإمدادهم بالإرشادات العملية؛ مما يعزز تحقيق التعليم من أجل التنمية المستدامة.

نهى حسين

[:]

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[:]