Since 1991 UNIMED is committed to enhance the cooperation and the dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean by bringing together Universities from many countries of the region.

After more than 30 years this commitment continues and has seen a growing number of Universities and further strategic actors joining the mission and enlarging the original regional dimension.

Despite the numerous challenges that the region and its neighboring countries are facing, we can see hope and positive change in the commitment of the Universities and even more in the commitment of their students.

Our Mediterranean Day celebration is dedicated to them! It is dedicated to all the voices we want to hear, and it is a renewed commitment for building a legacy that will not disappoint the next Mediterranean Generation.

These last years we have tried to open more and more spaces for the students within UNIMED activities offering new platforms for dialogue.

Starting from the oldest one and up to the newest, we are glad to present the Student Engagement activities we carry on and that represent a fresh and interesting view of the common values, the common roots and the different perspectives on the challenges we all face.

In 2017, UNIMED has launched the UNIMED Award, collateral prize of the Venice International Film Festival, resulting from the collaboration between la Biennale of Venice, the International University of Rome – UNINT and UNIMED. This annual award – now at its 8th edition, is assigned by a jury of international students coming from UNIMED associated universities to the competing movie that best reflects the value of cultural diversity, promotes freedom of artistic expression and cultural exchanges.

One year later, we launched the Start Cup Competition, in the framework of the ERASMUS+ Capacity Building project RESUME and as part of the initiatives organised by the UNIMED SubNetwork on Employability, whose objective is to promote cooperation between members on the theme of entrepreneurship and employability and to strengthen economic and social cohesion by promoting both cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation, as well as sustainable local development.

The “Start Cup Competition – Entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean”, now at its 5th edition, is a contest of entrepreneurial ideas developed by university students enrolled in one of the UNIMED university members around the Mediterranean and beyond. The main aim of the competition is to encourage participating teams from universities on both shores of the Mediterranean to present innovative ideas in the field of entrepreneurship.

Last but not least, the more recent initiative the Mediterranean Student Summit has been launched in 2022 and has just completed its 3rd edition. The main goal of the Mediterranean Student Summit is to increase mutual awareness and understanding among students from the Mediterranean region and to support the development of competencies that help them to work together on societal challenges and to establish meaningful connections. Last year the students drafted a series of recommendations for a better future of the Higher Education sector in the Mediterranean, with the support and contribution of UNIMED and ESN. These recommendations have been spread widely to invite all stakeholders to reflect on possible solutions and synergies.  This year’s edition recommendations are focusing on How to be an active Mediterranean student and will be available at the beginning of next year.