COSIMENA 2026: Advancing Cross-Regional Scientific Collaboration

The DAAD project “Clusters of Scientific Innovation in the Middle East and North Africa” (COSIMENA) continues to foster academically dynamic and cross-regional collaborations under the COSIMENA Call for Partnerships 2026. This year, more than a dozen funded events will bring together several hundred scholars, experts, and alumni, supporting interdisciplinary exchange and strengthening sustainable scientific cooperation between Egypt, Germany, and the wider MENA region.

To support this effort, we funded a variety of event formats, including four workshops, two small symposia, two winter & summer schools, and an evening lecture series. These activities have fostered meaningful connections between Egypt’s and Germany’s scientific communities and DAAD alumni, while also reinforcing collaboration among partner universities and research institutions across Egypt, Germany, and the broader MENA region.

The events range from the field of medicine to human genetics, to architecture and urban planning but also other events from the humanities’ field are included:

Sessions on Islamic civilization explore the development of knowledge, historical methods, and their relevance today, while also examining critical approaches to religious texts. Workshops in higher education will highlight strategies to make learning more equitable, inclusive, and adaptable. Neuroscience events will advance understanding of brain dynamics and clinical applications, while urban planning sessions have their focus on sustainable development and environmental integration in Egyptian cities. Researchers in oncology are looking forward to showing innovations in cancer biology and radiotherapy to the public, while Arabic studies and digital humanities initiatives emphasize manuscript digitization, computational analysis, and preservation.

By fostering these partnerships and supporting a multitude of academic endeavors, COSIMENA is continuing to advance interdisciplinary collaboration and empower researchers, doctoral candidates, and post-doctoral scholars to address complex global challenges. Looking ahead, the next COSIMENA Call for Partnerships will be announced in September 2027, with eligibility requiring a German cooperation partner as the main applicant collaborating with an Egyptian Cooperation Partner.

A list of the funded events for 2026 is in the document below. Please also follow our homepage and our Facebook page for the announcement of each event.