Press Release
Zewail City and Nawah Scientific-led “Certified Reference Materials Alliance” Wins in the Presidential “Alliance and Development” Initiative
Cairo, December 11, 2025 — It was officially announced today that the Certified Reference Materials (CRM) Alliance, led by Zewail City of Science and Technologyand Nawah Scientific, has won under the Presidential “Alliance and Development” Initiative, as part of a select group of national alliances advancing scientific knowledge into a real engine of economic development.
This initiative is spearheaded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research under the umbrella of the National Policy for Sustainable Innovation 2030, aiming to empower alliances that unite academia, research institutions, industry, the private sector, and government agencies to maximize the impact of scientific research on economic development, drive entrepreneurship, and create new employment opportunities.
The announcement came during the opening speech of H.E. the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research at the IRC Egypt 2025 Conference for Marketing Research Outcomes, held under the patronage and in the presence of H.E. the Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly.
The alliance aims to localize the production of Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) in Egypt — precisely characterized substances that represent the cornerstone of quality assurance and regulatory testing in the pharmaceutical industry, from raw material inspection to in-process control and final product release.
The significance of this alliance lies in addressing Egypt’s near-total dependence on imported CRMs from a few Western and Indian suppliers who dominate this complex, high-know-how global market. This dependency imposes economic and strategic burdens, including foreign currency depletion and delays in drug-release approvals. Through this alliance, Egypt’s national production capacity will be multiplied, R&D efficiency boosted, and exports strengthened toward the Middle East and African markets, estimated to exceed USD 100 million annually.
The alliance builds upon a pioneering achievement: Nawah Scientific became the first company in Africa and the Middle East to obtain ISO 17034 international accreditation for the production of Certified Reference Materials — positioning Egypt among the few countries worldwide capable of manufacturing such materials to global standards. With low local production costs and faster delivery to neighboring markets, the alliance enjoys a powerful competitive advantage that supports both regional and global expansion, aligning with the national vision of “Made in Egypt” and strengthening pharmaceutical security.
Officials overseeing the initiative emphasized that such partnership models are key to accelerating economic innovation in Egypt, through the integration of higher education and research ecosystems with industrial, commercial, and entrepreneurial sectors.
