In the framework of the capacity building project “MEDiterranean countries: Towards Internationalization at Home” (MED2IaH), co-funded by Erasmus + programme of the European Union, UA academic and administrative staff participated in the first study visit at Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) in Piran, Slovenia.
MED2IaH is a three-year project that was launched on January 15, 2020, connecting 17 global partners from 9 countries in the Euro-Mediterranean region, aiming to support higher education and cooperation among universities to develop internationalization at home, starting by (i) consolidation of university integrative function, university strategy and action plan; (ii) enhancement of university capacity for international and regional collaborations through trainings and study visits; (iii) development of university Intercultural environment, by implementing digital storytelling and friends teahouses.
The study visit focused mainly on topics related to international office development, management of International Credit Mobility (ICM), cultural diversity in curricular and extra-curricular activities and EU project management including European Research Area.
Taking into account the cultural diversity of students, a special focus was placed on the challenges and opportunities arising from the Covid-19 pandemic that has contributed to building social relationships between students through extracurricular activities, thus removing social barriers while keeping physical distancing only, in addition to the newly emerging best practices related to EU project management and other funding opportunities.
In this context, it goes without saying that the preservation of diversity and the integration of the intercultural dialogue in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) lead to foster positive and effective communication, understand and appreciate each other’s differences, generate innovative results, and put emphasis on the richness and variety of views expressed. As people from culturally diverse backgrounds are not isolated islands, they borrow from each other’s cultures to enrich theirs and broaden their horizon, while protecting their heritage.
Moreover, in parallel with the study visit, MED2IAH participants attended the EMUNI annual conference 2021 which was held at Piran, in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), under the topic: “Higher Education in the COVID Era: Shaping the Future of Euro-Mediterranean Institutions”. The conference hosted 26 speakers from 15 countries, 24 of whom attended in person and 4 virtually. The conference allowed all participants to provide an overview of the efforts related to digital transformation, internationalization and regional integration, where three panel sessions focused on: Towards a Euro-Med Higher Education and Research Area; Internationalization of HEIs, and Digital Readiness of HEIs in the Region. It was an occasion to discuss how institutional and policy approaches will shape the future of the higher education sector in the Euro-Mediterranean region and to reflect upon the existential challenges that have emerged in the past eighteen months due to Covid-19, as well as the potential initiatives to be taken in Euro-Mediterranean region.