Five Projects Demonstrating Egyptian Ingenuity and Research Shortlisted for GBP200K Newton Prize

From an international battle against liver cancer to an effort to preserve the heritage of medieval Cairo through virtual reality, Egyptian researchers have been putting in the work. In the spirit of global cooperation and research partnerships across multiple nations, the Newton Prize 2020 has released their shortlist of 27 candidates of collaborations between the UK and the countries of Jordan, Kenya, South Africa, Turkey and Egypt. And we made the list with not just one, not two, but five research projects tackling into some of our most urgent crises.

One of the most promising nominees is PhD scholar Marco Zaki from Minia University, who established a partnership with Professors Fiona Oakley and Helen Reeves at Newcastle University to tackle liver cancer. After he was enrolled as an occasional student at Newcastle University, Zaki's Master of Science project sought out methods to halt the progression of liver cancer by finding biomarkers in the blood and using 3D modelling. And if he wins, Zaki has some special plans for the prize money.

"Half of the prize's money will be the basis for new collaboration between Minia University in Egypt and Birmingham and Cambridge universities in the UK where I will be doing lab work to identify novel preventive targets for liver cancer," Marco Zaki told #CairoScene. "The second half will establish the NILE CAN lab, a basic science lab that supports young molecular biologists and female researchers in Upper Egypt."

The other Newton Prize nominees include two projects focused on historical preservation - with 'Earliest Egypt' centred on management and capacity building, while 'Virtual reality of medieval culture' seeks to establish a collaborative network for cultural-feed virtual heritage platforms. The other two projects focused on sustainability of fresh water - with Port Said University and the University of Sheffield developing a water plant driven by renewable resources, and a two-year study showing how to most efficiently irrigate water.

To learn more about these inspiring projects, check out at newtonfund.ac.uk.