At the Geodetic and structural engineering conference held at the Faculty of Engineering of Alexandria University, Ismail Serageldin gave a special lecture on the issues of capacity building in science and technology. A topic of great relevance to the engineering as well as the medical professions, the presentation was well received. Serageldin placed the importance of financial resources last in the five sets of issues he identified for the audience. Policy and human resources, followed by institutional arrangements and the public/private interface preceded funding in his perceived priorities.