The initiative to establish the Egyptian Knowledge Bank was announced on Flag Day 2015 by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and it was published on the Internet in the “Egyptian Youth Day” January 9, 2016 during a ceremony held at the Egyptian Opera House, with full access to the site On January 23, 2016 [1] After that, the Egyptian Council of Education and Scientific Research signed agreements with more than 26 regional and international publishing houses to be listed in the Egyptian Knowledge Bank.
Dr. Tarek Shawky, Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Council for Education and Scientific Research and Dean of the College of Science and Engineering at the American University in Cairo, said in an interview with Times Higher Education Magazine that the project “… is an unprecedented attempt to spread a culture of knowledge and learning, and shed light on the value of research.” [2]
At the Knowledge Summit 2018, talks were held on establishing the Arab Digital Union, which is a combination of online resources for the Saudi Digital Library, the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, and the Dubai Digital Library. Speaking on the topic of the Arab Digital Union, Tarik Shawky said, “… it will help promote cultural exchange between Arab countries, and it will also help the growth of partnerships based on knowledge and culture.”