UNIMED Partnerships

The Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) is a global association of French-speaking higher education and research institutions created in 1961 and bringing together more than 1,000 universities on five continents in 119 countries.
AUF and UNIMED share common goals, including advancing the internationalization of higher education in the region, improving higher education governance, strengthening the role of higher education systems and institutions in improving the employability of young people.
The agreement between AUF and UNIMED aims to establish cooperation to unite the efforts of both parties through joint proposals and cooperation projects, organization of conferences, seminars and workshops. And at the same time promoting the joint initiative also in the Western Balkans and in Africa.

Al Fanar Media (AFM) – a project of the Alexandria Trust – is an independent nonprofit news organization focusing on education, research and culture in the Arab region. All AFM stories, commentary and resources are published in both Arabic and English. Through their agreement, UNIMED and Al Fanar Media aim at fostering the cooperation between the academia and the media sector, the universities and the journalists, by developing joint initiatives and actions in areas of mutual interests such as journalism, migration, employability, digitalization, climate change, education for all. Al Fanar Media is the media partner of UNIMED in the dissemination of studies, reports, stories, news etc. in the areas above-mentioned. A set of initiatives are jointly developed, among others: the production of editorial contents, the organisation of trainings, workshops, seminars, roundtables and conferences, the collaboration in fundraising initiatives for research, the exchange of information and publications.

The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures (ALF) is an international organisation composed of forty-two Euro-Mediterranean countries. Its aim is to bring people together as a way to promote dialogue between cultures and respect for diversity. Through their agreement, UNIMED and the Anna Lindh Foundation express their shared strategic intent to deepen their cooperation at Euro-Mediterranean level by strengthening research cooperation among members of their own networks, civil society organizations and universities. In particular, cooperation allows to work jointly on intercultural issues using several tools, such as an online courses, a media platform and an observatory of research, but also various initiatives and courses on intercultural issues as well as cross-cultural reporting. The Anna Lindh Foundation and UNIMED are also jointly involved in the strategic programming of youth-led dialogues and exchanges (Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange), enabling youth in Europe and the Southern Mediterranean to engage in meaningful intercultural experiences online, as part of their formal or non-formal education.

The Association of Arab Universities (AARU) is an organisation working within the framework of the Arab League. It is based in Amman, Jordan. The objective of the organization is to support and connect universities in the Arab world, and to enhance cooperation among them. The UNIMED-AARU cooperation aims to collaborate in areas of mutual interest such as in the fields of higher education and research in order to better understand the Euro-Mediterranean region cooperation and to strengthen this partnership. The cooperation between UNIMED and AARU will mainly focus on holding joint seminars and conferences on specific topics, visits of staff and experts and the participation in international and EU projects strengthening universities’ capacities.

The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is the biggest volunteer-based student organisation active in the field of student mobility and internationalisation of higher education. The agreement aims to promote and foster the cooperation between the two parties, through mutual promotion, events, exchange of expertise in favour of the youth community involved in the activities of ESN or UNIMED. Pursuing the common goal of intensifying the academic exchange of people across all banks of the Mediterranean Sea implies the promotion, communication and dissemination of the partner’s activities, a common effort to engage students and youth as active contributors in the parties’ projects, such as conferences and research tasks. It also includes the exchange of expertise, which means inviting the other party or suggesting competent speakers, moderators and stakeholders in the shared field of interest but also encouraging shared publications and research studies.

The European Investment Bank Institute (EIB – Institute) is the lending arm of the European Union. It is the biggest multilateral financial institution in the world and one of the largest providers of climate finance. The EIB Institute helps the economy, creates jobs, promotes equality and improves lives for EU citizens and for people in developing countries. The cooperation agreement is established within the framework of the “EIB University Networks”, a system of partnerships of the EIB Group with University networks showing characteristics that are of particular relevance to support its objectives as the policy bank of the European Union. Within this agreement, UNIMED represents one of the preferred vehicles of the EIB to channel its Universities Action Programme, framing the cooperation between the Bank and the academic world. UNIMED assists particularly in academic research and dissemination activities on socio-economic issues related to the Mediterranean region and supporting the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.

The European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL) is both an open community and a non-profit legal association for Living Labs in Europe and worldwide. The association, as the legal European representative entity of the network, is based in Brussels, the heart of Europe, and was established in 2010. It is composed of adherent members, full members, and innovation Living Labs partners (previously labelled as associate members). In 14 years, the ENOLL network has recognized over 480 Living Labs. Today it has 155 active members, present in 18 of the 26 EU Member States and with 20% of its members based outside the EU. ENOLL offers frameworks for co-creation, user involvement, testing, and experimentation of innovations in many areas by facilitating and encouraging knowledge exchange, joint actions, and project partnerships among its members. The network aims to promote the concept of Living Labs in order to influence EU policies and disseminate the model globally.

The European Training Foundation (ETF) is the EU agency supporting countries surrounding the European Union to reform their education, training and labour market systems. The purpose of the cooperation UNIMED – ETF is to strengthen institutional capacities in delivering quality education and training in the Mediterranean region, enhancing information and knowledge exchanges on themes linked to entrepreneurship and employability, entrepreneurial learning, career guidance, vocational training, promoting policy dialogue and mutual exchanges between schools and academia and other stakeholders, including enterprises, labour market stakeholders and national, regional and international labour authorities, in order to contribute to improve social cohesion and achieve more sustainable economic growth through the reform of education, training, and labour market systems. The cooperation will be at the country, regional and global levels as mutually agreed. It also includes possibilities of synergies and activities within the framework of the UNIMED Subnetwork on Employability.

The Fondation Maison des sciences de l’homme (FMSH), founded in 1963 by Fernand Braudel in Paris, is both a national and international crossroad which contributes to the development, vibrancy and attractiveness of social sciences and humanities. The agreement aims at developing joint programs of research, study, exchange and cooperation in the areas of Social Sciences and Humanities. In particular and due to their common interest in strengthening Social Sciences research at a regional level, the FMSH and UNIMED organise joint mobility programs for postdoctoral and senior researchers from Europe and the Euro-Mediterranean area. This agreement also allows for common actions aimed at supporting French- Euro-Mediterranean networks of young researchers by implementing a short-term mobility fellowship program called “FMSH-UNIMED short-term postdoctoral mobility fellowship”.

Fondazione di Sardegna is a private foundation having as a main goal the promotion of Sardinia Region socio-economic development. Since 2014, UNIMED has been managing, in cooperation with the University of Cagliari and the University of Sassari, the ForMed project. The project is funded by Fondazione di Sardegna and involves the universities Mohammed V (Morocco), Algiers 1 (Algeria), Tunis, Tunis El Manar, Sfax and Sousse (Tunisia). UNIMED has coordinated the activities of the universities involved, playing an important role as a liaison but also in supporting the students’ career path. This project has produced excellence in university courses, created solid collaboration programmes that will last over time and heightened the international profile of Sardinia on the university level and beyond.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. The agreement provides a framework for cooperation between FAO and UNIMED by joining technical and academic efforts on matters of mutual interest for both parties. In particular, it aims to enhance UNIMED member universities’ technical knowledge and expertise through FAO’s e-learning courses and the Research4Life programme as well as to foster expertise exchange on food security, sustainable water management, fight against desertification and other SDGs. It also includes possibilities of synergies with the activities of UNIMED SubNetworks and the commitment for a greater awareness in support of the UN Decade of Family Farming. Another remarkable purpose is to expand student participation in the Internships, Volunteers and Fellow programme offered by FAO.

The Fundación Tres Culturas works every day to promote dialogue, peace and tolerance between peoples and cultures of the Mediterranean through a wide training and cultural offer. The goal of the agreement with UNIMED is to develop joint initiatives and actions in areas of shared interests such as intercultural dialogue, mobility and migration, employability, and heritage. It also aims to encourage the cooperation between universities and civil society actors, particularly in collaboration with the UNIMED SubNetwork for Mobility and intercultural dialogue, which was born in the framework of the Erasmus+ project DIRE-MED.

UNIMED is a member of the Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways (GTF)
The Global Task Force on Third Country Education Pathways promotes and supports the expansion of tertiary education as a complementary pathway for refugee students.

The International Association of Universities (IAU) is an independent organisation with over 650 Member universities and organisations in 120 countries. Created under the auspices of UNESCO in 1950, IAU serves the global higher education community by offering opportunities for exchange and collaboration, advisory services and training, trends analysis and specialized portals. Through its established partnerships with international organisations, IAU promotes collaboration among its Members by articulating the fundamental values and principles that underpin the pursuit, dissemination and application of knowledge. The Association advocates for higher education policies and practices that respect diverse perspectives and promote social responsibility.

Established in 1951, IOM is the leading intergovernmental organization in the field of migration and works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners.
IOM and UNIMED will collaborate in a multitude of common areas where to develop tangible, impactful, and sustainable actions, such as accessible and inclusive education, youth empowerment and development, skills mobility and youth employability, capacity building and training, skills mobility, technical cooperation, research and data collection.

The International Training Centre is an advanced technical and vocational training institution in the heart of a riverside park in Turin, Italy. Founded in 1964 by the International Labour Organization and the Government of Italy, the Centre’s mission is to achieve decent work for all women and men. The Centre is dedicated to the pursuit of learning and training to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 8: “Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment, and decent work for all.”
The partnership with the ITC-ILO aims at offering learning, knowledge-sharing, and institutional capacity-building programmes within the UNIMED network and with the ILO-ITC partners. In particular, in the framework of the SubNetwork on Employability, it aims to set up a forum where development intersects with all forms of knowledge in the world of work, from tripartism to technology.

The Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) is an umbrella organisation that gathers 42 European organisations active in the field of education, training and youth, representing more than 50.000 educational institutions and associations. LLLP deals with innovative practices exchange and with supporting dialogue between civil society organisations and public authorities (mostly the European Commission) through advocacy.
The partnership with LLLP has the objective of being continuously updated on the European Commission policy developments in the field of LLL and to be able to reach the members of the LLLP platform with our news. This partnership was developed within the Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange project but is useful also for other UNIMED activities.

The network Migrants dans l’Enseignement Supérieur (MEnS) was founded in September 2017 with the support of the Conference of University Presidents (CPU). It brings together and coordinates higher education institutions (universities, schools, institutes) and associations, committed to the reception and integration of students and researchers in exile in France. The objective of this network is to take political action with the public authorities in order to alert them on the situation of migrants, and to develop actions aimed at improving their integration (access to studies, recognition of diplomas, French courses, and coordination actions at local and national level). Working groups have been organized around key questions and thus allow national actors to meet, exchange information and share good practices.

The Philanthropy Europe Association (Philea) – former European Foundation Centre (EFC) – is an independent international non profit association whose mission is to strengthen the philanthropic sector through cooperation between partners. Founded in 1989 by 7 foundations, today Philea has 236 members – predominantly foundations – from 40 different countries. As a leading platform for philanthropy in Europe, Philea works to strengthen the sector and make the case for institutional philanthropy as a formidable means of effecting change. Within this partnership, UNIMED and Philea gain skills and share expertise, insights and knowledge, connect people and amplify ideas for a stronger institutional philanthropy able to face current challenges.

The South Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region (PACA) is a French territorial community. The Memorandum of Understanding seeks to develop cooperation on Mediterranean issues based on exchange of information and contributions, mainly for strengthening Mediterranean youth academic and non-academic mobility.

SCHOLARS AT RISK (SAR) is an international network of institutions, associations, and individuals whose collective mission is to protect scholars and promote academic freedom.
UNIMED is an Institutional partners since 2023 and it is involved in the SAR mission by promoting academic freedom through protection, advocacy and learning.

The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is an intergovernmental Euro-Mediterranean organisation which brings together all 28 countries of the European Union and 15 countries of the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean. The UfM’s mission is to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of projects and initiatives with tangible impact on civil society, with an emphasis on young people and women, in order to address the three strategic objectives of the region: stability, human development and integration. The cooperation agreement UfM-UNIMED is strictly related to enhance the higher education and research opportunities in the Southern Mediterranean countries, with particular attention to some crucial themes for this region: environment, climate change, blue economy, energy, transports, employability, international mobility, migration. It also includes possibilities of synergies within the framework of the UNIMED Subnetwork on Employability.