Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows Programme

1. Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows Programme Lot 7: Iran, Iraq, Yemen

2. ERASMUS MUNDUS “EXTERNAL COOPERATION WINDOW” PROGRAMME IN BRIEF OBJECTIVES Mutual enrichment and better understanding between the European Union and Third-Countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills at higher education level • To enhance the international cooperation capacity of universities in Third-countries by facilitating transfer of know-how and good practices in the field of student and academic staff mobility • To enable students to benefit linguistically, culturally and educationally from the experience of pursuing academic studies in another country • To improve the transparency and recognition of studies and qualifications • To build the capacity of the administration and public and private sector by participation of their staff in higher education mobility activities • To contribute to providing good students from vulnerable groups (i.e. refugees, displaced populations, disabled foreign students, etc) with further education ACTIVITIES The European Commission will contribute to financing a mobility scheme between European universities holding an Erasmus Charter and Third country universities. The types of mobility to be funded are: • For students: undergraduate, master, doctorate and post-doctorate mobility opportunities. • For academic staff: exchanges for the purposes of teaching, practical training and research AREAS Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

3. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN Application coordinated by Sapienza University of Rome THIRD COUNTRIES PARTNERS • University of San’a Yemen • University of Dohuk Iraq • Salahaddin University Iraq • University of Tehran Iran • Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Iran • Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Iran • Isfahan University of Art Iran • Isfahan University of Technology Iran EU PARTNERS • Università la Sapienza Roma Italy • Université Pierre et Marie Curie France • Anadolu University Turkey • Vrije Universiteit Brussels Belgium • ErasmusHogeschool Belgium • Universitè de Sciences et Technologies Lille France • Universidad Complutense Madrid Spain • Politechnika Częstochowa Poland • Universitat Rovira I Virgili Spain • Università degli Studi di Foggia Italy • UNICA Belgium • UNIMED Italy • ASSOCIATES • UNESCO Amman Jordan • UNHCR Italy • Italian Embassy Baghdad Iraq and Teheran Iran Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

4. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN Project Goals OBJECTIVES • Experience multilateral inter-university cooperation on the academic and administrative level, exchanging good practices, know-how; • Increasing both bilateral and multilateral opportunities for the development of joint co-peration and research projects; • Allow students at all levels to undertake a qualifying and open-minding academic experience overcoming barriers of linguistic, cultural, religious kinds; • Testing a pioneering experience of recognition of studies and qualifications among countries having had very little opportunity for international exchange of good practices in the field • Help relieving the needs for support of vulnerable students which, particularly for Iraqi refugees, are in deer need for further educational and careers opportunities • Provide opportunities of updating both of research, academic and university management skills to teaching staff of countries having long suffered the damages of isolation and deteriorated infrastructure. • Offering opportunities for capacity-building through higher education of professionals in the public and business sectors. • EXPECTED RESULTS • 53 Scholars within homogenous scientific fields developing joint pedagogical and research work • 50 Professionals in international relations benefiting from the opportunity to improve their welcoming services • 159 Students gaining invaluable intercultural experience and mind opening impact from different pedagogical approaches • Administrative and academic services of partner universities profiting from the work of comparison and mutual recognition of academic records, • 16 Individuals from vulnerable social groups, taking the opportunity to rebuild or resume interrupted careers • 15 Students from target group 2 benefiting from their career point of view and rewarding their institutions by bringing innovative know-how, capacity building strategies, valuable connections to European research groups and understanding of internal market of the European countries. Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

5. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN Target Group and Activities • APPLICATION DETAILS • Project duration 42 months • Amount requested 3.037.750 € • Starting of activities: September 2007 • TARGET GROUP • 212 individuals involved of which: • 173 (82%) Third country nationals, • 42 from Yemen, • 60 from Iraq • 71 from Iran. • 129 students and 44 teaching staff • 39 EU Europeans • 35 students • 9 Teaching staff. • DURATION OF MOBILITY • 6 months for undergraduates and masters students • 10-36 months for doctorates • 6 months Post-doctorates • 1-3 months Teaching staff. Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

6. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN Thematic Fields covered by the partner universities • Agricultural sciences • Architecture, urban and regional planning • Art and Design • Business studies and management sciences • Education, teacher training • Engineering, technology • Geography, geology • Humanities (archaeology) • Languages • Law • Mathematics, informatics • Medical sciences • Veterinary studies • Natural sciences • Social sciences • Communication information sciences • Other areas of study Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

7. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN Main Activities • DIFFUSION TO POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES • Web portal to be linked to students and international pages of all partners’ websites • Relevant information spread out by teachers during classes and information days on international mobility opportunities • Information leaflets and email alert to European consulate and Embassies in 3rd countries of the lot • Diffusion of project information and materials during student fairs in the gulf countries • Official visits of universities’ delegations to 3rd countries universities (i.e. Rome to Yemen in October 2007) • Information sent to association of universities in relevant area (i.e. Association of Islamic Universities) • Joint activities with UNESCO and UNHCR, to involve displaced vulnerable groups ACADEMIC COOPERATION • Joint call for applications, published by the project’s secretariat on the project’s web portal and on each institution’s relevant web pages. • Joint selection of applications • Joint strategy for comparison and harmonisation of examination assessment with use of ECTS tools (transcript of records; learning agreement; credit system and grading scale) adapted to be viable means of academic recognition with education system of third countries in Lot 7 • Pilot experience of Joint/Double Diploma will be carried out by universities in the partnership with experience in the field, i.e. Lille University • Diploma Supplement scheme will be elaborated to be used for students in short mobility scheme Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

8. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN UNICA contribution • The Network of Universities from Capitals of Europe will share its experiences and expertise as regards to equal opportunities, diffusion, selection procedures, academic recognition and evaluation, the Bologna process. • Equity issues will form part of a workshop to be held by UNICA experts during September 2007 consortium meeting. • UNICA representatives will also take part in the November selection meeting to take charge of evaluation of selection procedures and to ensure that a viable strategy to tackle equal opportunities and joint admission and recognition • UNICA European Higher Education Equality and Diversity Network, will actively contribute to the attainment of inclusion goals. • UNICA experience will be drawn upon and will appoint an external evaluator to carry out independent assessment of projects outcomes and management strategies. • Opportunities for partners to participate and join in other events, training initiatives workshops etc being organised by UNICA (i.e. Unica Bologna Lab) and other Higher Education networks (i.e. EAIE) Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7

9. LOT 7 IRAN IRAQ YEMEN Next Steps • Approval is likely to be decided by end of May - June • 3 applications submitted for lot 7 • Other calls for application are likely to be launched on Latin America and Asia • And last but not least : thanks to the support of the Unica Secretariat and Unica Network that we will really need if we will succeed! Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Windows: lot 7