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Sweden
For centuries Sweden has had many and varied contacts with the Middle
East and North Africa region. In recent years the relation with the
region has taken on new dimensions. Through immigration people and
cultures of the region have become part of the Swedish society.
Channels for Bilateral Cooperation
- Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA:
SIDA is a gouvrnemental agency working under the Swedish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs. Its goal is to contribute to making it possible poor
people to improve their living conditions. As other Swedish
gouvernmental agencies, SIDA works independently within the framework
laid down by the Swedish parliament and government. They specify the
budgets and the countries with which Sweden ــــ and hence SIDA ــــ is
to work, they also specify the focus of Swedish international
development cooperation.
Through this programme, Egypt has received development loans for
investments in the telecommunications sector.
For more information, please consult:
http://www.sida.se
- Swedish Research Links, SRL:
Based on cooperation between SIDA and the Swedish Research Council, the
Swedish Research Links was established to exchange knowledge and
technology of common interest for Swedish researchers and researchers in
developing countries. Grant applications are submitted jointly by
researchers from at least two countries, one of which must be Sweden.
The programme has been conducted four times for the Middle East, North
Africa and Asia. Grant applications in medicine and natural sciences
dominate, and projects in humanities and social sciences are strongly
encouraged in the future.
Swedish researchers join colleagues in developing countries to work on
projects such as mapping strains of hepatitis C and produce molecules to
produce pharmaceuticals more effectively. Lund University, Sweden, has
been contacted by a research group from Egypt, in order to collaborate
in a research project on chiral enzymatic synthesis to produce molecules
that can be used in producing drugs, food, and in agricultural sector.
For more information, please consult:
Swedish Research Links
- Swedish Institute, Alexandria
It was inaugurated, on the 3rd of October 2000 by the Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of Sweden and Egypt. Today around one out of fifty
Swedes has a recent background from the Middle East and North Africa.
Since Sweden entered the European Union in 1995 Sweden participates in
the ongoing efforts towards closer co-operation between the EU and its
Mediterranean neighbours as expressed in the Barcelona Declaration on
the Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Sweden also has a long record of
active engagement in issues of North-South relations, and of development
co-operation with countries of the South.
It was in this light that the Swedish government in 1997 initiated a
study on the establishment of a Swedish Institute in Alexandria. The
motive was to develop a means to increase broad contacts and
co-operation with the countries of the Middle East and North Africa, to
facilitate dialogues on issues of common concern, and to contribute to
the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.
- Swedish MENA Research Links: Programme for the Promotion of
Inter-Regional Research Co-operation
The Swedish Institute in Alexandria, the Swedish Research Council and
the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida) are
sponsoring a programme for the promotion of inter-regional research
co-operation.
The main objective of the Middle East and North Africa - Swedish
Research Partnership Programme is to encourage research co-operation
between researchers in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region
and Sweden.
The aim is to contribute to mutual scientific and socio-economic
development of the countries involved in the collaboration by supporting
joint projects of scientific excellence. The basic condition for the
programme is that researchers from the MENA region and Swedish
researchers should submit joint applications simultaneously according to
the guide-lines and application form linked to this information.
Objectives
- To produce new knowledge and enhance the understanding in fields of
mutual concern and relevance in all disciplines
- To promote research excellence and quality
- To establish a basis for long-term research co-operation between
researchers in the MENA region and Sweden
To encourage the internationalisation of higher education institutions
Application forms and information for 2008 will be available by the
end of February 2007 from the Swedish Research Council's
For more information, please consult:
Swedish Institute, Alexandria |
