The Faculty of Pharmacy, Alexandria University, in its capacity as the coordinating institution of the AGROW-HUB project, held the project Kick-off Meeting during the period 17–20 December. In addition, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina hosted the Public Kick-off event of the project on 20 December, as part of the official launch activities.

The project is entitled:
“Enhancing Education, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Green Agri-Waste Solutions in the South Mediterranean.”
It is funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme (Capacity Building in Higher Education – CBHE) for a duration of three years.

The launch activities were organized in collaboration with a number of Egyptian, European, and Tunisian universities, as well as relevant authorities, organizations, companies, and institutions. The partner universities include Ain Shams University, University of Monastir and University of Sousse (Tunisia), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), University of West Attica (Greece), German University in Cairo, University of Turin (Italy) along with the Business Incubation and Technology Transfer Management Company at the University of Turin, Minya University, and University of Barcelona (Spain).

The AGROW-HUB project aims to address the environmental and socio-economic challenges resulting from the underutilization of agri-food industry waste in the South Mediterranean region. By linking universities with governmental bodies and industry partners in Egypt, Tunisia, Greece, Italy, and Spain, the project seeks to develop a circular bioeconomy model based on green technologies, modernize academic curricula, establish Living Labs, and support startup incubators.

The project also aims to transform agricultural waste into high-value products and bioactive compounds for use in the food, feed, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and other green industries, thereby contributing to the development of new skills, job creation, and the strengthening of sustainable value chains