‘Twinning of Arab Universities’ Forum Aims to Achieve Strategic Research Goals
The Arab Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) is holding the first “Twinning of Arab Universities” forum at the organization’s headquarters in Tunis this week.
The two-day forum, which opens on Tuesday, comes within the framework of ALECSO’s efforts to strengthen and support joint Arab action to implement the Arab Strategy on Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation, which was adopted at the 28th Arab League Summit held in 2017.
“Twinning” agreements between Arab universities and scientific research centres are a key element of ALECSO’s plan for following up on that strategy, Mohamed Ould Amar, the organisation’s director general, said.
The gathering will bring together Arab and international academic and research organisations, institutions and centres to actively participate in implementing the strategy.
Mohammad Sanad Abu Darwish, chairman of ALECSO’s Preparatory and Scientific Committee and director of the organisation’s Science and Scientific Research Department, said in the forum’s brochure that the event aims to transform the results of the partnership agreements concluded between “twin” Arab universities during the event into practical applications that will benefit the Arab academic and research community.
Additional “twinning” partnerships, fellowship programmes, and research and scientific visits “will be the focus of attention and care” of the organisation’s Science and Scientific Research Department,” Darwish said.
“The forum will be a realistic achievement of the strategy’s general goals,” he added, as well as specific goals that stipulate the existence of cooperation mechanisms between scientific research institutions and educational institutions to achieve benefits from Arab human and economic resources, spread scientific culture in society, and advance research, development and innovation.
The forum has five objectives:
1- Getting to the actual and practical contribution of ALECSO, Arab universities, and relevant Arab and international bodies and institutions toward achieving the 2017 strategy’s goals.
2- Putting actual and practical application of strategy implementation mechanisms into effect.
3- Supporting the initiatives of participating Arab universities and research bodies that can help achieving the strategy.
4- Facilitating scientific exchanges among members of Arab universities and research bodies, as well as partner international academic and research institutions, with the aim of transferring experience and knowledge and increasing Arab scientific production.
5- Expanding the network and cooperation aspects between ALECSO, Arab universities, and Arab and international academic, scientific, and research bodies and institutions, in a way that serves common goals and works to achieve sustainable development.
The forum is being held in partnership with Arab and international universities and institutions, including Al-Fanar Media and the Union for the Mediterranean.
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