PRESS RELEASE
Rome, December 11th, 2024 – Last November 2024, UNIMED formally became Observer of the Western Mediterranean Forum for Higher Education, Research and Innovation, commonly referred to as 5+5 Dialogue.
The Western Mediterranean Forum comprises Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia. As a Trans-Mediterranean initiative, the “raison d’être” of the Dialogue 5+5 is to ensure closer cooperation between the five EU Member States and the five Arab Maghreb Countries through political dialogue and cooperation and by encouraging more effective resource management as a means of strengthening interdependence and regional development.
The main objectives of the Western Mediterranean Forum for Higher Education, Research and Innovation are structured into specific activities that are divided into three main axes (Networking, Research and Innovation, Higher Education) to promote and consolidate partnership in Scientific Research, Innovation and Higher Education to promote cooperation, social cohesion, youth employment and sustainable development in the Western Mediterranean Region.
“The Dialogue 5+5 initiative is crucial for strengthening cooperation between the Northern and Southern Mediterranean. With our extensive network and established track record in research and innovation, we are well-positioned to bring significant value to this collaboration.” said Marcello Scalisi, UNIMED Director, to announce the willingness of UNIMED to become an Observer of this key intergovernmental forum.
Last 5th December 2024, UNIMED – represented by its Director – participated in the the 17th Group of Senior Officials meeting in Lisbon, and in the 6th Ministerial Conference held on the 6th of December.
The 6th Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 Dialogue on Research, Innovation, and Higher Education was held in Lisbon under the Presidency of Portugal and the Co-Presidency of Mauritania.
The conference was attended by Ministers of Education, University and Research and the Heads of Delegation from Algeria, France, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Libya, Spain, Portugal, and Tunisia, along with observer delegates from the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), and UNIMED.
More information about the 6th Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 Dialogue on Research, Innovation, and Higher Education is available on the 5+5 Dialogue dedicated page.
To know more about the 5+5 Dialogue, you can visit the website https://www.fiveplusfiverihe.org/
