Benha University President and Damietta Governor Launch Project to Update Land and Urban Management Education in the Southern Mediterranean

Prof. Nasser El-Gizawy, President of Benha University, along with Prof. Ayman El-Shahabi, a professor at the Faculty of Engineering in Shubra, and the Governor of Damietta, who specializes in Geomatics Engineering, participated in the launch of the project to update land and urban management education in the Southern Mediterranean. This project is funded by the European Union under the Erasmus Plus program and involves a consortium of 10 universities and institutes from five countries: Croatia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Jordan, Morocco, and Egypt.
The event was attended by Prof. Daniel Rafeltich, advisor to the Croatian Embassy in Cairo, and members of the project team from various universities.
Prof. Nasser El-Gizawy stated that Benha University's participation in this project represents a qualitative leap for the university and reflects its prestigious status in various fields. He emphasized that the project is a significant step in enhancing the capabilities of universities in the Southern Mediterranean and updating teaching methods in urban and land management.
Prof. Ayman El-Shahabi mentioned that the project will take three years to implement, with a budget of approximately 800,000 euros, distributed among the partner universities. This funding aims to build the capacities of specialists through updating curricula and adopting new concepts, models, and techniques within the participating universities.
Prof. Baticic Zigko, the project manager, presented the project's outputs to attendees, which include updates to the curricula and teaching strategies, as well as organizing an international Hackathon for students on various project activities.
Prof. Gamal Abdel Aziz, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering in Shubra, explained that the project activities involve studying and analyzing the needs of Southern Mediterranean countries in spatial sciences, preparing studies, and implementing training courses to enhance the efficiency of professionals in the field and optimize the use of modern technologies.
Prof. Amr Hanafy, project coordinator at Benha University, added that the project aims to enhance the capabilities of Southern Mediterranean universities and update their teaching methods in urban and land management using modern spatial technologies and applications. It will address existing challenges in land and urban planning in the context of climate change and population growth, based on modern digital transformation techniques, remote sensing, and other new technologies. Additionally, it will introduce new concepts such as smart cities and activate quality and sustainability principles throughout all stages of project implementation.