The IRD has been operating in Egypt since 1987 and has been collaborating with many Egyptian and French research institutions like Cairo University (Town Planning Institute, Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Economics and Political Science), Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, the CEDEJ, the IFAO (French Institute of Oriental Archaeology), the National Research Center (NRC), the Agricultural Research Center (ARC), the Desert Research Center (DRC).

With its partners, the IRD participated in European projects, including CAMELEO in cooperation with the NARSS (National Agency for Remote Sensing and Spacial Sciences), and HERCOMANES (2002-2004) - on urban heritage - in cooperation with the Faculty of Architecture of Cairo University.

The IRD's activities in Egypt are formalized by a framework agreement of scientific and technical cooperation with the Egyptian Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF), a new national body responsible for planning out science and technology policies in Egypt.

The IRD develops research projects in the fields of social sciences, life sciences and natural sciences. Its researchers, who have been present in Egypt over a long period of time, work on major development issues for the country: biodiversity, globalization, democratization, gender, governance, water management and desertification.

Key Objectives of the IRD in Egypt:

Contributing to enrich Egypt's scientific knowledge to achieve a better development.
Promoting the economic and scientific dissemination of research results.
Strengthening local scientific bodies by training Egyptian academic scientists.
Conducting communication and dissemination activities enhancing Egypt's scientific culture.