The NUE001 study involved collaboration with the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, where Hisham Gad leads an ancient DNA laboratory.

This collaboration represents an important model for how future research should be conducted: not simply by importing Egyptian material to European labs, but by developing Egyptian scientific capacity and involving Egyptian researchers as genuine partners and co-authors.

The long-term aspiration — implicit in the research team’s comments about local capacity development — is that ancient genomic research on Egyptian material will increasingly be conducted within Egypt, by Egyptian researchers, with the results available to Egyptian science, heritage management, and the broader Egyptian public.

The specific question of whether NUE001’s remains should eventually be repatriated to Egypt is one that involves complex considerations of scientific access, legal frameworks, diplomatic relationships, and the wishes of the Egyptian heritage authorities.