The final conference of the RAQMYAT project, dedicated to the integration of digital strategies in doctoral training in the humanities and social sciences (HSS), took place on 10-11 October 2024 at the La Manouba University Campus in Tunis. The event marked the conclusion of an ambitious project to modernise and enrich doctoral training in Tunisia.
Day One: Institutional opening and presentation of results
The opening ceremony brought together the presidents of the seven Tunisian partner universities, including Prof. Ameur Cherif, president of the University of La Manouba, the scientific coordinator of the project, and Prof. Jouhaina Gherib, initiator of the project, as well as numerous institutional figures, including Arbia Ben Othmane, director of the doctoral schools at the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Rajeh Khemiri, head of cooperation at the European Union Delegation in Tunisia, and Nesrine Baklouti, coordinator of the Erasmus+ National Office. Marcello Scalisi, Director of UNIMED, and Hmaïd Ben Aziza, Secretary General of UNIMED, and Angela Meyer representing the University of Vienna and Irène Pedreira from the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalisation at the University of Granada, were also present, and all stressed the importance of international partnerships in the success of the project and the need for close collaboration to maintain the participative spirit of the project and its future.
The first day continued with the presentation of the main results of the project. Digital strategies for doctoral schools, e-learning pathways and training programmes for trainers, as well as the organisation of doctoriales and summer schools were presented by the heads of the various partner institutions. The afternoon was devoted to discussions on the practical benefits of RAQMYAT for doctoral students, and to contributions from key players in the sustainable development of these new teaching methods.
Day two: prospects and sustainability of achievements
On the second day, the Tunisian partner universities presented their digital strategies developed within the framework of RAQMYAT. These presentations were followed by discussions with the Managing Director of the El-Khawarizmi Computing Centre on how to ensure the continuity of their achievements and the pooling of resources, in order to have a lasting impact on Tunisian higher education.
Towards a digital future!
This conference enabled participants to map out the future of doctoral training in Tunisia, fully integrating digital innovations. Ms. Silvia Marchionne, in charge of projects at UNIMED and coordinator of RAQMYAT, and Prof. Sihem Najar, the project’s scientific coordinator, presented the project’s sustainability plan and discussed with the partners the main future actions to ensure the sustainability of RAQMYAT’s results.
In closing, the partners thanked all the participants for their commitment and stressed the need to continue the momentum by strengthening university cooperation and supporting digitisation in the field of HSS.The RAQMYAT project has laid the foundations for a more inclusive and innovative future for higher education in Tunisia.
After four years of collaboration, the beneficiaries have shared their experiences and underlined the transformative impact of the project. This initiative has not only strengthened the digital skills of the partner institutions, but has also opened up new prospects for doctoral training in Tunisia.
Discover the final video of the RAQMYAT project to relive the highlights and the impact of this project on the Tunisian academic community!
For more information about the RAQMYAT project, visit the project website.
