Frühere Veranstaltungen
Here you will find detailed information on some of our previous events and activities
With close involvement of Freie Universität Berlin, a new German Science Centre (DWZ) was opened on Tuesday, 13 November 2012 in Cairo by the German Federal Foreign Minister Dr. Guido Westerwelle. The establishment of the new DWZ was initiated by the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The opening ceremony was attended by the president of Freie Universität Berlin, Prof. Dr. Peter-André Alt; the president of DAAD, Prof. Dr. Margret Wintermantel; and representatives from other German institutions. About 1000 Egyptians attended an open house day and gathered information about the DWZ partner institutions. Freie Universität has a Liaison Office in Cairo that was set up three years ago.
Science Slams have become very popular in Germany to promote the career of young scientists outside of classrooms and laboratories. Each presenter had ten minutes to explain his research. The „Slamer“ used many means, including Power Point Presentations, pictures of friends, or asked a volunteer from the audience to come on stage. Two candidates illustrated their scientific question with examples from the social life.
On May 8, 2011, the Liaison Office of Freie Universität Berlin and the American University in Cairo jointly organized a scientific symposium on the topic "From Revolution to Transformation: Egypt 2011 / Germany 1989". Seven renowned scientists presented their research and their personal experience of the current transformation process in Egypt and the peaceful revolution in East Germany in 1989. Despite all the differences, between both events do have in common that they mark historic turning points for a whole region. The aim of this panel discussion was to concentrate on the challenges that Germany faced then and Egypt is facing now after the revolution. Among those challenges are the evolution of social movements into political organizations, the question of how to deal with the legacy of the old regime through mechanisms of truth and reconciliation, and the establishment of a new regime through constitutional changes and elections. The symposium with its over 100 participants engageed students, scholars, activists and decision-makers in a discussion of their own experiences and ideas.
Read also "Understanding the Egyptian Revolution".
Find the program of this event here (.pdf).
The First Egyptian-German Alumni Convention of Freie Universität Berlin in Cairo took place on 21 September 2010. Dr. Michael Harms, the new head of the DAAD Cairo office, and Dr. Florian Kohstall, head of the Liaison Office, welcomed the guests in their speeches and underlined the importance of an international Alumni Network. The lecture " A history of water supply: Examples from the Near East and Along the Nile“, given by Professor Brigitta Schütt and her graduate students Brian Becker and Jonas Berking rounded out the scientific part of the evening. A cozy get-together offered Egyptian and German Alumni the opportunity to get in touch with each other.
The event was mainly attended by Egyptian alumni who once studied at the Freie Universität Veterinary Medicine, Dentistry or Egyptology. Meanwhile, many of them teach and research at Egyptian universities and represent a major partner in the courtship of Egyptian PhD candidates. German students of Freie Universität who now life and work in Cairo joined the Egyptian Alumni. Among them were the foreign correspondents Esther Saoub (ARD Radio) and Karim El Gawhary (ORF). Prof. Stephan Seidlmayer, who is now director of the German Archeological Institute in Cairo, held the Chair of Egyptology at Freie Universität Berlin.
The solemn event was also the prelude to the Lecture Series "Studies on Egypt and the Middle East in Berlin" jointly organized by the German Academic Exchange Service, the German Archaeological Institute and the Liaison Office of Freie Universität in Cairo.
On 26 April 2010, Freie Universität celebrated the opening of its new liaison office in Cairo. Dr. Dorothea Rüland, Director of the Center for International Cooperation, welcomed senior representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (Vice Minister Prof. Maged El-Sherbiny and the Head of the Mission Department Prof. Mohamed G. Abou Ali) and senior representatives of universities and research institutes (among them the President of Helwan University Professor Mahmoud El Tayeb Nasser, the Prime founder of the German University in Cairo Professor Ashraf Mansour and the founder of SEKEM Group and laureat of the alternative nobel price, Professor Ibrahim Abouleish.
Many representatives of German and European institutions also followed the invitation and showed a high interest in this new office. Michael Bock, Ambassador of the Federal Republic to Egypt and Dr. Christian Hülshörster, the Head of the DAAD Cairo, congratulated Freie University to its initiative.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Gudrun Krämer, Director of the Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies at the Free University gave the evenings key note speech on the topic: "Shared Concerns: Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies in Berlin".
Press articlesPress release of the FU (German)
Campus.leben (German)
Al-Ahram Al-Massai (Arabic)
Youm7.com (Arabic)
Al-Watan (Arabic)
Science Business (English)
Picture gallery