Cairo: Egypt's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour has met with President of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Jan Danckaert in Brussels to explore opportunities for academic and research cooperation. According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting focused on strengthening ties between VUB and Egyptian universities through joint academic programmes, research initiatives, student exchanges, and faculty collaboration. Ashour underlined the importance of expanding academic partnerships with Belgian institutions and highlighted Egypt's broader push to deepen relations with European universities. He referred to the recent visit of the French president to Cairo, during which 42 cooperation agreements were signed with Egyptian universities, demonstrating a growing commitment to European academic collaboration. The minister also outlined Egypt's National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2030, emphasizing regional alliances and the need to better integ rate education with industry in support of sustainable development goals.