On September 26, 2022, the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) and Ain Shams University, Egypt officially launched the IIOE Egypt National Centre Project on Empowering Higher Education Institutions for Digital Teaching and Learning in Egypt. The launch was witnessed by representatives from UNESCO-ICHEI, Ain Shams University, member higher education institutions (HEIs) of IIOE Egypt National Centre, UNESCO-ICHEI's global partner HEIs and the UNESCO Cairo Office.

Prof. Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University, expressed his gratitude to UNESCO-ICHEI for its contribution on promoting digital transformation of higher education in Egypt. He pointed out that the launch of the project represents another milestone of the longstanding partnership bettwen two sides. The project is designed based on the localised needs of Egypt and is highly innovative. He is looking forward to the project's fruitful outcomes, which will inspire other projects of IIOE Egypt National Centre and lay a good foundation for the continuous development of IIOE Egypt National Centre's partner network and its impact in Egypt.

Professor LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, fully acknowledged Ain Shams University's role as the first rotating presidency unit of IIOE in guiding the development of IIOE and building IIOE Egypt National Centre. He believed that the project is innovative, focusing on the systematic improvements of university teachers' digital capacities, which would accelerate the digital transformation of higher education teaching and learning in Egypt. He expects that the localised and personalized outcomes of the IIOE Egypt National Centre project can offer as scalable cases for the digital transformation of global higher education.

Under the chairmanship of Prof. LIM Cher Ping, Chief Expert of IIOE, UNESCO-ICHEI Associate Dean, Faculty of Education and Human Development, Education University of Hong Kong, China, Dr. FENG Siyuan, Chief of Knowledge Production and Communications Centre, UNESCO-ICHEI, and Mr. LYU Feng, Assistant Director Chief of IIOE Management Centre, UNESCO-ICHEI, presented the rationale and framework of the IIOE Pilot Project respectively. Prof. LIM Cher Ping highlighted that the project focuses on teachers' digital capacity building and partnerships, and will be localized and implemented based on the local contexts of each country, thus ensuring the sustainability and scalability of the project. He also looks forward to sharing the project's outcomes and best practices with IIOE's global partners.

Prof. Mona Abdel-Aal, Director of Education Strategy Administration, Ain Shams University, introduced the localised project implementation plan. IIOE Egypt National Centre has witnessed the formation of a localized network with more than 20 HEIs since its establishment. Although HEIs in Egypt have started digital teaching practices, teachers' digital teaching capabilities and the quality of digital courses are still in need of improvement, and a more condusive institutional environment is needed for the enhancement of digital teaching and learning in HEIs . The project will implement activities in line with Egypt's localised needs, such as master teacher training on digital teaching and learning, Egyptian University President Leadership Forum, and national policy dialogue. The project results will lay the foundation for Egyptian HEIs to scale up digital teaching and learning and improve the quality of higher education.

Associate Prof. Grace Oakley, Deputy Dean and Coordinator of the Master of Education at the Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia, believed that the project is highly consistent with the vision of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, and the master teacher training under the project can help teachers better navigate education transformation in the post-COVID era. The training will focus on the design, delivery and assessment of digital courses, and provide master teachers in Egypt with a communication platform for further development.

Prof. Mona Abdel-Aal, Director of Education Strategy Administration, Ain Shams University

Associate Prof. Grace Oakley, Deputy Dean of the Master of Education at the Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia, introduced the project implementation plan

Finally, the project agreement was officially signed by Prof. LI Ming, Director of UNESCO-ICHEI and Professor Mahmoud El-Meteini, President of Ain Shams University. With the successful launch of the project, UNESCO-ICHEI and IIOE Egypt National Centre will continue to support the digital teaching practices of Egyptian HEIs with customised plans, and jointly pursue the vision of building IIOE Egypt National Centre as a national hub for the digital transformation of higher education teaching in Egypt, in contribution to a future of equitable, quality digital higher education.