Prof. Dr. Youssuf Gharbawy, President of South Valley University, opened the International Conference on Plant Clinic and Phytosanitary Technologies through the activities of the plant clinic project that has been funded by the Erasmus program with the participation of partners from worldwide and Egyptian universities of Alexandria, Suez Canal, Sohag, and Mansoura. He welcomed the university’s guests from Egyptian and European universities, stressing that this project aims to prepare a diploma in the plant clinic for graduates of the Faculties of Science and Agriculture, and qualify them for the labor market. Also, he talked about the university’s keenness to enhance international cooperation in various research activities in cooperation with international universities to transfer experiences and exchange knowledge. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of such cooperation in developing research skills and the infrastructure of laboratories and equipment. Finally, he thanked the Erasmus program for providing this opportunity to develop the skills of researchers through the plant clinic diploma program, which includes studying in two semesters within one year.
Prof. Dr. Veli Hariznova, Coordinator of the Project from Bulgaria, praised the university for organizing this event and talked about the project’s importance in building the capacities of researchers, transferring knowledge, and establishing many botanical clinics in a group of Egyptian universities. Also, she referred to the challenges facing the international community in climate change and biodiversity, and the need for higher education institutions to prepare well-qualified researchers to deal with such various challenges. Finally, she expressed her happiness with the scientific level of the students participating in the Botanical Clinic Diploma at South Valley University.
Prof. Dr. Mahmoud Sayed Abdel Sadek, Assistant Coordinator of the Project at the University, stressed the importance of this project in preparing a specialized graduate with a high degree of practical, field, and research training in plant protection diseases.
