The ENCC is extending its activities worldwide to benefit from international cooperation in advancing the principles of competitiveness.

• The Competitiveness Institute 

ENCC joined The Competitiveness Institute, or TCI Network, as an organizational Member on 
February 27, 2009. TCI Network is the leading global network for practitioners, policy makers, researchers and business leaders in the field of clusters and competitiveness. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization, with a global scope, open to members from all countries throughout the private, public and voluntary sector. Its member base consists of 1,700 leading practitioners from more than 98 countries.

The ENCC also participated in the 12th TCI Annual Conference, “Learning Clusters- adapting to the new competitiveness scenario” in Jyvaskyla, Finland from 12-16 October 2009. In the Middle East regional session the ENCC presented “Cluster Development in Egypt: Progress and Future Potential” and discussed the present state of cluster development in Egypt as well as the need for stronger national initiative. The session included presenters from the Dubai Economic Council and paved the way for greater regional cooperation.

The TCI General Assembly met on the last day of the conference. The ENCC attended and voted according to the TCI by-laws granting one vote per member organization. ENCC participants met and networked with the TCI board of directors and senior management. A more active role for the ENCC within the TCI, including the potential for hosting the TCI Annual Conference, was discussed and welcomed by TCI.

• Global Fedration of Competitiveness Councils 

It was decided that the council would benefit greatly from becoming a founding member of the Global Fedration of Competitiveness  Councils (GFCC) along with counterparts from the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Chile and South Korea. The GFCC is a new global network of competitiveness councils from around the world. The GFCC has the goals of sharing best practices among councils and developing shared principles for accelerating global competitiveness and prosperity. The executive secretariat will be fixed at the U.S. Council of Competitiveness in Washington D.C.

The benefits of joining the GFCC extend beyond knowledge exchange and benchmarking to establishing cross-county channels of cooperation and communication. As a founding member the ENCC will be on the GFCC’s Board of Trustees for the first four years which will allow the ENCC to shape and influence GFCC activities and future development. Therefore, members of the ENCC Board of Directors have agreed to personally pay the GFCC founding fees as a sign of their commitment and enthusiasm for this initiative.

• U.S. Council on Competitiveness

The Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Republic of Egypt signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the American Competitiveness Council on May 27th, 2009. The MOU was intended to help foster sustainable economic growth and develop effective competitiveness policies through a mutually beneficial partnership. The ENCC was selected to be the implementing party on behalf of the Ministry.

Pursuant to this agreement, the ENCC was invited to partake in the “National Energy Summit” and inaugural meeting of the Global Fedration of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC) hosted by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness in Washington DC from 23-25 September 2009. This participation laid the groundwork for future cooperation with the U.S. council.

Ideas for implementing the MOU are now being developed including suggestions for a joint workshop and publication on a topic of mutual interest and concern such as energy, infrastructure or green transformation. The president of the Council on Competitiveness is expected to visit the ENCC in May 2010 and speak at the 7th Egyptian Competitiveness Report launch event. Plans for collaboration should be finalized by the time of her visit.

• European Training Foundation

The ENCC is working with the European Training Foundation (ETF) to co-sponsor the conference “Education, Training and Competitiveness: International Experience and the Egyptian Case” in February 2010 in Cairo, Egypt. The conference seeks to bring together various stakeholders from Egyptian society and the international expertise of the ETF to explore the relationship between education, training and economic development in promoting competitiveness in the Egyptian context. This is a critical issue for Egypt as human capital continues to be an area of competitive disadvantage for the nation, despite Egypt’s large capital base, high enrollment rates and extensive and subsidized education system. Also, a report based on the findings of the conference will be jointly produced. More future initiatives and stronger collaboration with the ETF is anticipated for the upcoming year. A separate research project is planned for the future, also related to education, training and competitiveness.