Libya Restart, A journey Analysis · 7 UNIMED actions in North Africa in the next three years: upscaling the Libyan experience Francisco Matte Bon, UNIMED President Libya was the

REPORT BY

Mediterranean Universities Union UNIMED

2020

A J O U R N E Y A N A L Y S I S

ThisworkislicensedunderaCreativeCommonsAttribution4.0InternationalLicense(CCBY4.0).Thismeans that you are free to: Share –copy and redistribute thematerial in anymedium or format;Adapt–remix,transform,andbuilduponthematerialYoumaydosoforanypurpose.However,youmustgiveappropriatecredit,providealinktothelicense,andindicateifchangesweremade.TocitetheReportUNIMED,LibyaRestart,AjourneyAnalysis,UNIMED,Rome,2020

2

Table of Contents

3 Acknowledgments

4AbriefoverviewoftheMediterraneanUniversitiesUnion,UNIMED

6UNIMEDactionsinNorthAfricainthenextthreeyears:uscalingtheLibyanexperienceFranciscoMatteBon,UNIMEDPresident

7 UNIMEDandLibya:actionstowardscooperationHmaidBenAziza,UNIMEDSecretaryGeneral

8 WhyLibyarestart?MarcelloScalisi,UNIMEDDirector

9 MethodologicalNote

11 TheLibyanHigherEducationSystem

13 LibyanUniversitiesindepth:factandfigures

13 Generaloverview

18Governanceandautonomy:TheLibyancaseinaglobalapproach,SilviaMarchionne

32 QualityAssurance:theLibyanSystem,MartinaZipoli

3

37Libyanuniversitiesnationalandinternationaldimensions:partnership,networking,mobility,Anne-LaurencePastorini

42ThecooperationthroughEuropeanCommissionfundedprojects,RanieroChelli

60LibyanUniversitiesinthesocietyatlarge:research,industryandcivilsocietycooperation,MarcoDiDonato

65NeedsandconstraintsoftheLibyanHigherEducationSystem:aSWOTanalysis

67 Recommendations

74 Authorsprofiles

76 Bibliography

78 AnnexI,Survey

83 AnnexII,UNIMEDAssociatedUniversities

4

Acknowledgments

ThisresearchhasbeenentirelysupportedbyUNIMED,MediterraneanUniversitiesUnionaspartofitsstrategicvisiontowardsLibya.Specialthanksgotoallthecolleagues,directlyandindirectly,involvedthat greatly assisted the research. We thank all the Libyan Universities partners and the LibyanMinistryofEducationfortheassistanceandcommentsthatgreatlyimprovedtheresearch.WewouldalsoliketoshowourgratitudetotheEUDelegationinLibya,totheEUpartnersandtotheEUprojectleaderswhosharedwithustheirviewsandsuggestionsandcontributedinadecisivemannertoenrichtheresearchpapercontents.

AnyerrorindataandstatisticsreportedintheLibyaRestartpaperisthesoleresponsibilityofUNIMEDresearchteamandrepresentsonlyUNIMEDviews.

5

A brief overview of the Mediterranean Universities Union, UNIMED

UNIMED - Mediterranean Universities Union, founded in October 1991, is an association ofUniversitiesfromcountriesoftheMediterraneanbasin(www.uni-med.net).Itcounts130associatedUniversitiescomingfrom23countriesofbothshoresofMediterranean(dataupdatedtoMay2020)1.UNIMEDaims at developinguniversity research andeducation in the Euro-Mediterraneanarea inorder to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation. TheUniversities in theUNIMED network operate inmany different fields, and thus UNIMED operates onmany differentfronts.TheimagethatbestrepresentsourassociationisthatofaUniversityWithoutWalls.

UNIMEDcarriesoutthefollowingactivitiesinfavouroftheassociatedUniversities:! Promotetheinternationaldimensionofuniversities;! Encouragetheparticipationofitsmembersininternationalprojects;! Planningandfundraisingactivities:informationoncallsforpapersandopportunitiesoffered

by international organizations and theEuropeanCommission, partnership search, technicalassistance,planning,dissemination;

! Promotemobility intheEuro-Mediterraneanregionforstudents,researchersandacademicstaff;

! CreatethematicSubNetworkstofosterscientificcooperationwithinspecificfields;! Organise meetings, discussions, seminars and roundtables both at a national and

internationallevel;! Provide training for academic and administrative staff of Universities, particularly for the

personnelofInternationalRelationsOffices(IROs).Through the many initiatives carried out over two decades, UNIMED has promoted collaborationamong the universities of the Mediterranean, becoming a point of reference for internationaluniversitycooperation.UNIMEDSubNetworksUNIMED has also supported the establishment of a second-level network, constituted ofSubNetworks focused on specific sectors. The SubNetworks structure allows for an intensiveexchange of information among the participating actors from both Mediterranean shores for thecreationofpartnerships, collaborationsandprojects. Theaimof the SubNetworks is to strengtheneconomic and social cohesion, in order to promote cross-border, transnational and interregionalcooperationontheonesideand,ontheotherside,localsustainabledevelopment.

1The full list of UNIMED Associated Universities is in Annex II

6

The activities of the SubNetworks intend to increase the cooperation among Euro-Mediterraneanuniversities, promote the development and harmonization of their educational systems so as toencourage,amongotherthings,thereformsoftheBolognaProcessandthemodernizationofHigherEducationsystemsintheMediterranean.UNIMEDhascurrentlyestablishedthefollowingSubNetworks:

! FoodandWater

! TransportsandLogistics

! Employability

! eLearningandOpenEducation

! MediterraneanTourism

! BlueMed

! SportandPhysicalActivity

! Migration

! Journalism

! MobilityandInterculturalDialogue

! SafetyandSecurityofCriticalInfrastructures

7

UNIMED actions in North Africa in the next three years: upscaling the Libyan experience FranciscoMatteBon,UNIMEDPresidentLibyawasthelastcountryintheMediterraneanareaapproachedbyUNIMED.Todayseveralprojectsareongoing,someothersareintheprocesstobeevaluated,otherintheprocesstobeimaginedalltogether.WhendealingwithLibya,duethespecificsituationofthecountry(nowadaysaswellasinthe contemporary history), it is quite natural to imagine and design national proposals, ideas,projects.Libyanneedsareveryspecific,tighlyrealatedtoitsgeographicallocation,theeventsofitsrecent history, political dynamics and traditional social structures. On the other hand, supportingLibya, even throughnational-tailoredmeasures,means supporting thewholeNorth-African region,for example reducing pressure on Tunisia. Despite the different needs, those countries’ faiths arenecessarily inter-connected. Supporting Libyan Higher Education System is indeed a key factor forsupportingaccessofSub-SaharanAfricancountriestoamorequalityeducationasmostofthem(e.g.Chad) have strong links with Libya. Supporting Libyameans also designing and testing actions forHigher Education in crisis contexts, measuring the degree of transferability of good practices incomplex scenarios, for the benefit of Libya and other countries living similar conditions: Syria andYemen,justtomentionsome.LibyaRestartwillnotremainanunicuum,anisolateexperiment.Onthecontrary,itwillrepresentamilestone of UNIMED’s activities in the region, a first step towards a deeper and more reliableunderstandingoftheMediterranean.UNIMEDanalysisandstudieswillallowabetterunderstandingof the needs of South-Mediterranean countries, in terms of economic, social and politicaltransformation,andhowitallrelatestoeducation.Theregionischangingandweneedupdatedandinnovativeinstrumentstofacethosechanges,especiallyinthefieldofeducation.WithLibyaRestartwe have also deconstructed apparently well rooted stereotypes such as the lack of willingness ofLibyanpartnerstocooperate,theimpossibilitytoworkinsuchcriticalconditions,theimpossibilitytocooperatewith both East andWest parts of the country together. Libya Restart represents a pilotinitiative for UNIMED, which has proven to be successful also thanks to the strong contributionprovidedbyLibyancolleaguesandfriendsinthecollectionofdataandwritingofthepaper.Itistheresults of several different hands, which shared a vision. It demonstrates the added value of ournetwork: the actual, fruitful, intense participation of UNIMED members and the most profoundexerciseofknowledgesharing.Wemadeafirststepintherightdirection,morewillfollows.Actionsspeaklouderthanwords.

8

UNIMED and Libya: actions towards cooperation HmaidBenAziza,UNIMEDSecretaryGeneralSince the end of the last century, Higher Education throughout the world has undergone a deepchange, inthewayitfunctionsandinrelationtoitsgovernance, intermsofdecisionsandstrategicorientationswhileofferingtraining,lookingforabetteradaptationtothedemandsofthejobmarketand the emergence of new profiles introduced by the digital revolution. To face these challenges,solutionsmustbecollective.TheLibyanUniversitiescannotremainatthemarginsofthisrevolution.That iswhy thepresent report has beendrafted,with themeaningful title of LibyaRestart,whichreports the results of a survey collected by 16 universities (15 public and 1 private), including 12universitieslocatedinthewestofthecountryand4intheeast.Thissurveyisrepresentativeofthescale of the institutions involved; and when the analysis highlights the heterogeneity of thecomponents of the Libyan University System (in terms of quantity and quality), the reportdemonstratestobeagoodreferencetounderstandtherealityofthesystem:itsobstacles,needsandopportunities.Akeyconceptseemstodominatetheanalysis:‘rebuildingthecountry’hereandnow,wheretheuniversityiscalledupontoplayamajorroleinthereconstructionprocess.Thechallengeisto pacify the country through knowledge, through the values of peace and harmony, throughdevelopmentandinterregionaldialogue.It isamatterofdefininganationalstrategyfortheHigherEducationsystem,settingclearreachableobjectivesandtracingthemeanstobeputinplacefortheirrealization. Without doubts, this can only be achieved, as the analysis shows, through successfulcooperation with international partners, sharing experiences and participating actively indevelopmentprogramsimplementedonaglobalscale.Libyahas itsplace:all thepotentialandthecommitmentaretheretosuccessfullyintegrateanddevelopitsuniversities.

9

Why Libya Restart?

MarcelloScalisi,UNIMEDDirector

UNIMEDhasbeenoperatingforaboutthirtyyearstofostertheacademicandscientificcooperationofuniversitieslocatedonthetwoshoresoftheMediterranean.Forthedevelopmentofitsactivities,UNIMED made good use of different national and European cooperation programs by constantlytryingtoenlarge its rangeofcooperation. In theabsenceofamultiannualprogrammingdocumentsince 2017, Libya has benefitted by annual Special Measures. Consequently, the participation ofLibyanUniversitiesinEuropeancooperationschemeshasbeen,untilrecentyears,verylimited.

The recently changed Libyan political framework, following the fall of Gaddafi’s regime and theresultantendoftheinternationalembargo,leadtheinternationalcommunityandUNIMEDinprimistouse the Erasmus+CapacityBuildingprogramas aprimary tool to explorepossible collaborationpaths with Libyan Universities. Erasmus+ has represented a key to open the door for a fruitfulcooperation,forfreshrelationshipwithLibyanactors,forabetterunderstandingthecomplexLibyanscenario.We therefore activated our university network, created stable and coherent channels ofcommunication,establishedrelationshipswithLibyanuniversitiesinordertojointlyopenthewayfora long-lasting collaboration framework, with the only country of the southern shore of theMediterranean that, at that time, was not yet part of the UNIMED network. Our actions in thecountrybroughtexcellentresultssincethebeginning,andthismainlythankstotheexpertiseofournetworkmembersandthewillingnessofLibyanHigherEducationInstitutionstocooperatetoboosttheirinternationalexporsure.WiththefirstCapacityBuildingproject,ENROL(coordinatedbyoneofourItalianassociateduniversity,theUniversityofCalabria)wehadtheopportunitytoconcretelygetin touchwith several anddifferentuniversities,which in turnallowedus tounderstand the LibyanHigherEducationsystemanduniversities’strengthsandweaknesses.Withourpastexperienceasarich background,we started this journey analysis to have a comprehensive and up-to-date pictureovertheLibyanHigherEducationsystem.TheinteractionwithLibyancolleagues,awide-rangingdeskresearch and an empirical analysis lead us towards surprising results.What we have immediatelyseenisthat,despiteafairlysignificantinternationalisolationandclosure,whichlastedover40years,andevenduringacivilwarwithmuddledboundaries,theHigherEducationsystemnotonlydidnotcollapsebutmaintaineditsactivities,itsstructures,itsautonomyandalineofcooperationbetweentheEastandtheWestofthecountry.Cuncurrently,overtime,thenumberandvarietyofcooperationprojectshaveincreased.

Libyansystemhasproventohavedynamismandautonomy, inaproblematiccontext.UNIMEDhasengaged in the Libya Restart initiative to highlight the Libyan enormous potential and its crucialimportanceforthewholeMediterranean.Apotentialthatitismainlyrelatedtoitseducationsystem.The result is a truthful testimonyof the vitality of the Libyan academic community. Thanks to thisworkweaimtooffer toprofessionals, colleaguesworking in the fieldof international cooperation,andalsointernationalinstitutions,astartingpointfordiscussionandafoundationtostartimagininghow to support country’s reconstruction, how to build a dialogue that has too often beeninterrupted.WiththeLibyans,fortheLibyans.

10

Methodological Note ThisreportreliesonquantitativeandqualitativemethodsandhasbeenwrittenbydirectlyinvolvingLibyanpartners, colleaguesand friends.This study is the resultofalmostoneyearof researchandwritingconductedbytheUNIMEDteam(RanieroChelli,MarcoDiDonato,SilviaMarchionne,Anne-LaurencePastorini,EugenioPlataniaandMartinaZipoli)incollaborationwiththeLibyanUniversitiesandtheLibyanMinistryofEducation.The research was structured in three phases: a quantitative analysis, a qualitative analysis and avalidationprocessby theLibyanpartners.During the firstquantitativephase,UNIMEDsubmittedasurvey(AnnexItothisreport)to18LibyanUniversitiesselectedasfollows:

1. Sizeandrelevanceoftheinstitutionatthenationallevel;2. Geographicaldistribution;3. BalanceamongpartnersinvolvedandnotinvolvedinEUfundedprojects;4. UniversitiesalreadyincontactwithUNIMEDbecauseofpreviouscollaboration;

16outof18answershavebeenreceivedandanalyzedbytheUNIMEDteam.PleasefindherebelowthelistofparticipatingUniversities:

! UniversityofZawia! MisurataUniversity! SirteUniversity! UniversityofElmergib! SabrathaUniversity! SebhaUniversity! LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity! UniversityofBenghazi! TheUniversityofAjdabiya! OmarAl-MukhtarUniversity! BaniWaleedUniversity! UniversityofGharyan! UniversityofTripoli! UniversityofAljufra! LibyanAcademy! Al-AsmaryaIslamicUniversity

Quantitative resultswerecarefullyanalyzedandaqualitativeanalysis followed,allowing to furtherintegratedatawheremore informationwasneeded,or furtherexplore interestingandmeaningfulresults.All interviewstookplaceviaSkypewithDirectorsofInternationalcooperationofficesandin one case with the Vice-President of the University of Tripoli representing the Ministry ofEducation2.

2 It was a direct decision of the Ministry of education to delegate Dr. Mabrouk al-Fares from the University of Tripoli as Ministry representative for the purposes of Libya Restart paper.

11

HereisthelistoftheinterviewsperformedbytheUNIMEDteamduringthemonthofMay20183:! UniversityofZawia:Dr.AbdulbasetKriama! MisurataUniversity:Dr.AliBakeer! SirteUniversity:Dr.JibrielAbusaleem! UniversityofElmergib:Dr.MohamedElrawemi! SabrathaUniversity:Dr.HamzaMuftah! SebhaUniversity:Dr.MayoufMayouf! LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity:Dr.SalmaBoukhtawa! UniversityofBenghazi:Dr.AhmedAlrasheed! TheUniversityofAjdabiya:Dr.AbedOriby! OmarAl-MukhtarUniversity:Dr.SabahLamlom! UniversityofTripoli:Dr.MohamedAl-Griw! MinistryofEducation-Libya:Dr.Mabroukal-Fares

During the interviews, the UNIMED team has followed a semi-structured approach where furtherquestionswere addressed to the Libyan universities on different topics: on the national educationsystem,countrysecurity,lawreforms,Universityinternationalcooperationperformances,Universityresearchattitude,University rolewithin society at large.Additionally, theUNIMED teamconsultedand validated the already published bibliography on the topic, by investigating primary sources inArabicandsecondarysourcesproducedbyInternationalorganisationsinEnglish,FrenchandItalian.Pleaseheadtothebibliographysectionforadetailedlistofconsultedbooksandarticles.Finally,wesentthedraftreporttoalltheparticipatingUniversitiestobevalidatedandbyaskingforanyadditionalcomments.Suggestionsandcommentswere integrated intothereportandthustheUNIMEDresearchteamwasabletofinaliseitintothecurrentversionofthedocument.ForallthetermsanddefinitionstranslatedfromtheArabiclanguage,theUNIMEDteamdecidednottouseascientifictransliteration.buttousethemostcommonversionavailableontheweb,inordertofacilitatethereadabilityofthetextalsotoanon-specialistpublic.

3The transcription criteria chosen for reporting from Arabic into English the Universities name has been to report it according to the following criteria:

1) as described in the Participant Portal of the European Commission (in order to facilitate the searchability by potential partners reading this document);

2) As reported in University official document submitted to UNIMED request of membership adhesion; 3) As reported in University or Ministry of Education official document analyzed during the report writing.

12

The Libyan Higher Education System ThehistoryoftheLibyanHigherEducation(HE)SystemstartsinDecember1955withaRoyalDecreeestablishingtheUniversityofLibya(al-Jama’aal-Libya)thankstotheeffortsoftheKingIdrisI.PlaceofestablishmentofthefirsttwoFaculties(FacultyofArtsandFacultyofEducation,foundedthroughtheRoyalDecree)wasBenghazi.WiththisfirstUniversityofLibya,theKingdomsetupthebasisforthecreationofseveralotherUniversitiesinthenearfuture(asforeseenbyarticle1ofthesameRoyalDecree). It is fundamental to note that in the King’s vision, the University of Libyawas not solelyintended as the University of Benghazi and for the Benghazi area, instead it was intended as anational hub. In this sense, we can lately understand the creation of the University of Tripoli,establishedunderthisspecificlabelin19734.AccordingtoEuropeanCommissionstatistics,publishedin2016undertheTempusprogramme5,fromthat date the number of Libyan Universities constantly increased, as did the number of HigherTechnicalandVocationalcenters.

StatisticsfromtheReportHigherEducationinLibya,September,2016

Year PublicUniversities PrivateUniversities HigherTechnicalandVocationalcenters

1999 14 - 512004 10

(plus15DepartmentalUniversities)

- 65

2016 13 16(7accredited)

114

20186 24 8accreditedbytheNationalCenterfor

QualityAssuranceandAccreditationof

EducationalandTrainingInstitutions

114

TheTempusHigherEducationinLibya20167reportmentioned13universities.Nowadays,theHigherEducationSystem inLibya iscomposedof24publicuniversities8 locatedallover thecountryand8accreditedprivateuniversities,aswellas technicalandvocationalschools,whicharealsomanaged

4 This is clearly expressed in the statute of the University of Tripoli (UoT) provided by UoT offices. 5 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), International Project Management Office - OGPI - University of Alicante, Higher Education in Libya, September, 2016. 6Data provided by the Libyan Ministry of Education office (September 2018) 7 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), International Project Management Office - OGPI - University of Alicante, Higher Education in Libya, September, 2016. 8 Data provided by the Libyan Ministry of Education office (September 2018). According to other University sources the number of number of both accredited private universities and the total number of private universities has increased in the end of 2018, beginning of 2019.

13

by the Ministry of Education through a dedicated board. In the past two years (2016-2018), thenumber of universities has consistently increased. In several cases, the new universities werebranchesofalreadyexistingoneswhichreceivedautonomy.For instance, theUniversityofAljufra9wascreatedin1993aspartoftheSirteUniversityandlaterbecameindependentin2017.In2016,forall the Libyan universities, the total number of faculties was 160. Nowadays, and only taking intoaccount the 16 contributing universities, there are 231 faculties in public universities plus 8accredited faculties in private universities. This extension and expansion seems to ensure a widergeographicalpresenceoftheHEsystem.Higher Education in Libya is free for Libyan students, except for private institutions and for somespecificMaster’sDegreesinpublicuniversitieswhere(affordable)feesarerequested.ByregulationsoftheMinistryofEducation,foreignstudentshavetopayfeesfortheirstudiesinLibya.

GeneralstatisticsfromtheMinistryofEducation,2018

Studentsinpublicuniversities:graduatelevel10 450883

Studentsinpublicuniversities:postgraduatelevel 9299

Studentsinprivateuniversities:graduatelevel N/A

Studentsinpublicuniversities:postgraduatelevel N/A

Academicprogrammesinpublicuniversities:graduatelevel11 1263

Academicprogrammesinpublicuniversities:graduatelevel 354

Academicprogrammesinprivateuniversities:graduatelevel 53

Academicprogrammesinprivateuniversities:graduatelevel N/A

Facultystaffinpublicuniversities:graduatelevel 15494

Facultystaffinpublicuniversities:postgraduatelevel 1.190

Facultystaffinprivateuniversities:graduatelevel N/A

Facultystaffinprivateuniversities:postgraduatelevel N/A

Universitieswithpostgraduateprogrammes 12

Facultieswithpostgraduateprogrammes 71

Departmentswithpostgraduateprogrammes(M.Sc.) 367

Departmentswithpostgraduateprogrammes(Ph.D.) 43

DepartmentswithpostgraduateprogrammesinHumanities 206

DepartmentswithpostgraduateprogrammesinAppliedsciences 158

DepartmentswithpostgraduateprogrammesinMedicalsciences 46

9 Same criteria for transliteration as explained above in footnote 1. 10 This data refer to 2013. 11 Please note that last data available for this statistic refers to 2013.

14

Libyan Universities in depth: fact and figures General overview

Amongthe16contributinguniversities,wehavecollectedanswersfrom15publicuniversitiesand1privateinstitution(theLibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity).Aspergeographicaldistribution,12arelocatedintheWesternpartofthecountry(Al-AsmaryaIslamicUniversity12,UniversityofAljufra,BaniWaleedUniversity13,UniversityofElmergib,UniversityofGharyan14,LibyanAcademy,MisurataUniversity, Sabratha University, Sebha University, Sirte University, University of Tripoli15 andUniversity of Zawia) and 4 in the Eastern part of the country (University of Benghazi, LibyanInternationalMedical University, TheUniversity of Ajdabiya andOmar Al-MukhtarUniversity). Theinclusion of a private university allowed us to understand the difference in the institutionalfunctioning and with regards to the relation with the Ministry of Education; at the same time,includinguniversitiesfromalloverthecountryallowedustoperformamorecomprehensiveanalysis,sticking as close as possible to the reality of this country. BothWestern and Eastern Universitiesmentionedthatdespitethesituation,cooperationstillexistsamongthem,andthisisoneofthemostrelevantunforeseen results thatwe found.At the international relationsoffices level, for instance,directorsareincontact,meetregularlyandshareinformation.Asanexample,somecolleaguesfromWesternUniversitiesgaveusthecontactdetailsofstaff inEasternuniversities,askingusto involvethem in the Libya Restart initiative. Also, they have, in the recent past, facilitated contacts forinvolvingEasternUniversitiesinEUfundedprojectsandinitiatives.

Profile of the Higher Education Institutions in Libya Accordingtothesurveyconducted,theHigherEducationInstitutionsinLibyaaremoreteachingthanresearchoriented.Answerstooursurveyshowedthat3areresearchoriented,11teachingorientedand2orientedtowardsvocationaltraining.

12 Same criteria for transliteration as explained above in footnote 1. 13 Same criteria for transliteration as explained above in footnote 1. 14 Same criteria for transliteration as explained above in footnote 1. 15 Same criteria for transliteration as explained above in footnote 1.

15

Q:Howwouldyoudescribethemissionofyourinstitutions?

ElaborationofdataandstatisticsfromUNIMEDsurvey,2018

Asmentionedabove,accordingtothestatisticsanddata fromtheMinistryofEducation, inAugust2018therewere231facultiesinpublicuniversitiesplus8Facultiesaccreditedforprivateuniversities,foratotalof1.263AcademicdegreesBachelorcourses16and354AcademicdegreesMastercourses.Thefollowingtablehighlights,forthebenefitofourargumentandinordertoeasethereadabilityofthedocument,someofthedatawehavealreadyshowninpages15-16,namelythedistributionatthenationallevelforpost-graduateprogrammes:

Universitieswithpostgraduateprogrammes 12

Facultieswithpostgraduateprogrammes 71

Departmentswithpostgraduateprogrammes(Master) 367

Departmentswithpostgraduateprogrammes(PhD) 43

Please note that in the private sector, the 8 private Universities are able to offer only Bachelorstudiesup-todate(foratotalof53courses)andin2018nopost-graduatecourseswereavailable.Withregardstothescientificdomains,academicpostgraduatesprogrammesaredividedasfollows:

! Humanities:206! Appliedsciences:158! Medicalsciences:46

Thesituationofthecontributinguniversitiesisquiteheterogeneousintermsofnumbers:! frommin6tomax26faculties;! frommin80tomax3804academicstaff;! frommin200tomax8540administrativestaff;! frommin254517toaroundmax75000students.

16 Please note that last data available for this statistic refers to 2013. 17 Libyan International Medical University has 1016 students but we focused only public universities to have a real term of comparison.

16

Degrees offered in the Libyan Higher Education System IntheLibyanHigherEducationSystem,aBachelor’sdegreeimpliesfrom4to6yearsofstudies(5fordentistry,sciences,pharmacy,engineering;6formedicine).AMaster’sdegreeimplies2or3yearsofstudies,dependingon thespecialization,whilePhDdegree implies3 to4yearsofstudies.Amongthe16contributinguniversities,only5offeracompletecycle:fromBachelortoPhD.Fewonesarecurrently working on their PhD programmes. During the qualitative interview, one contributorpointedoutthatthemajorityofLibyanPhDholdersarecurrentlygraduatedfromaforeignuniversityandhighlightedthedifferenceinqualityofPhDprogrammesofferedinothercountrieswithrespecttoLibya.

Q:Degreeoffered18


Based on Article 107 of the Libyan Decision number 50119, the Libyan credit system is defined asfollows:Unitcredit:onehouroftheoreticallessonortwohoursofweeklypracticalactivityduringthespecificorgeneraleducationaltermsprovided.

As alreadymentioned previously, Libyan universities aremultidisciplinary institutions as they offercourses ranging from applied sciences to humanities (with a majority of the latter). The LibyanInternationalMedical University (it is useful to remind again that it is a totally private institution)appearsasanexceptionasitisauniversityspecialisedinmedicine.

18 B = Bachelor’s Degree; M = Master’s Degree; PhD = Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) 19 The Libyan Decision number 501 is one of the crucial document in order to understand the Libyan Higher Education system and is the legal basis for running the system.

17

Academic staff Beforeentering intonumbersofacademic staff currentlyemployed in theLibyanHigherEducationSystem, we believe it would be useful to briefly describe the steps and the categories for careeradvancement.Herebelowthecareeradvancementpathforacademicstaff20:

! Assistantlecturer-Requirements:Master’sdegree! Lecturer-Requirements:PhDdegreeorMaster’sdegreeplus4yearsofteachingasassistant

lectureand1scientificpublication;! Assistantprofessor -Requirements:PhDdegree,3yearsof teachingas lecturer,3scientific

publications or Master’s degree, 4 years of experience as a Lecturer and 3 scientificpublications;

! Associateprofessor-Requirements:PhDdegree,4yearsofexperienceasAssistantprofessorand4scientificpublicationsorMaster’sdegree,6yearsofexperienceasAssistantprofessorand5scientificpublications;

! Fullprofessor -Requirements:PhDdegree,4yearsofexperienceasanAssociateprofessorand5scientificpublications21.

Thefollowingfigure,basedonthefulldataofintervieweduniversities,showsthatformorethanhalfofthetotalacademicstaffcounted,teachingismainlydeliveredbyassistantlecturers.

Libyanprofessorsaccordingtotheiracademicposition


Thepercentageoffullprofessorsamongalltheacademicstaffinpublicuniversitiesvariesfrom1,2%to4,8%.AttheLibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity,thispercentageisupto11%.

20 Based on the contents of Al-Jamahiriyya al-’Arabiyya al-Libiyya al-Sha’biyya al-Ishtirakiyya al-’Athma, Qarar al-Lajna al-Sha’biyya al-’Amma - Raqm 501 li-l-sana 1378 (2010 masihi). The Libyan Decision number 501 is one of the crucial document in order to understand the Libyan Higher Education system and is the legal basis for running the system. 21 Elaboration of data and statistics provided in the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) studies

18

Repartition between national and foreign staff in the contributing universities LibyanUniversitiescanhireforeignstaff foracademicandadministrativepositions,howeverLibyanandforeignstaffaremanagedbytwodifferentoffices.AlongwiththeanswerscollectedbyUNIMED,15outofthe16contributinguniversitieshaveforeignacademicstaff,rangingfromaminimumof5to a maximum of 105 people. Alike, 11 out of 16 universities have foreign administrative staff,rangingfromaminimumof2toamaximumof200people.Inbothcases,werealisedthatforeignstaff (both academic and administrative) is mainly composed of people coming from other ArabcountriesandfromAfrica,whomovedtoLibyawiththeirfamiliesalsoforotherreasons(i.e.familymemberswhoworkonoilplatformsorinprivatecompaniesorwhoescapedfromregionalconflictsduringthepastyears).Thepercentageofacademicstaffinrelationtothetotalstaff-meaningadministrativeandacademic,Libyan and foreign staff - varies in a range from 18% to 53%. This is valid for all the intervieweduniversities except for University of Elmergib and Bani Waleed University, where the proportionbetweenacademicandadministrativestaffisquiteequal.

Students Consideringthe15publiccontributinguniversities,thetotalnumberofstudentsregisteredgoesfromaround2500to75000units,onatotalnumberofLibyanstudentsinPublicUniversitiesof450883units for graduate studies and 9 299 for post-graduate studies. During the Gaddafi era, Libyanuniversities were used to welcoming foreign incoming students. All the 16 universities currentlyintegrate foreign students, mostly already living in Libya, representing 0.28% to 3.58% of thestudentsenrolledinpublicuniversities.AttheLibyanInternationalMedicalUniversitytheyrepresentinstead7.55%.Hereitappliesthesameargumentusedabovefortheforeignstaff:ratherthanbeingattractedbytheLibyanHEsystem,theabsolutemajorityoftheseforeignstudentsarepartoffamiliesemigrated into Libya for employment-related reasons or because of regional tensions in the pastyears.

According to our results, the supervision rate for the public universities (meaning the number ofacademicstaffrelatedtothenumberofstudents,i.e.howmanyteachersevery100students)rangesfrom1.42%to9.67%.AtLIMUthispercentageis20%.

Thanks to the resources provided by the Ministry of Education, we found that a total of 6 204studentsenrolledinthe15publicuniversitiesinterviewedarecurrentlystudyingabroad(intheformofinternships,trainships,stages,etc).Numbervariesfrom2to1591unitspereachinstitution.Moredetails can be found below in the paragraph: Libyan universities national and internationaldimensions:partnership,networking,mobility.AccordingtotheGeneralPeople’sCommitteeof2005,studentswhobenefitfromanationalscholarshiphavetowork,onceback,at leastdoublethetimespentabroadstudying,inordertoreversetheirexperienceforthebenefitofthelocalsystem22.

22 This provision is foreseen in article 17 of the decision n. 43 of 2005.

19

Governance and autonomy: The Libyan case in a global approach

Amongthevariousfactorsinfluencingtheresultsofhighereducationsystemsandtheirperformance,literature has identified governance as a key determinant23. A good governance structure andfavourable regulatory conditions can promote innovative behavior among higher educationinstitutions,enabledevelopmentofstrongqualityassurancesystems,andfacilitatethedesigningofeffective financingmechanisms.One of the key elements that has been a recent focus in HigherEducation reforms worldwide is indeed University Governance. The concept addresses howUniversities and Higher Education systems define their goals, implement them, manage theirinstitutionsandmonitortheirachievements.Akeyelement indefininguniversitygovernance istheoverallframeworkofthesystemandtheinteractionbetweeninstitutionandstate.AltbachandSalmi24reportthatthecrucialcharacteristicsofsuccessfulworldclassuniversitiesare:leadership,governmentpolicy,funding,theabilitytocontinuallyfocusonaclearsetofgoalsandinstitutionalpolicies,developmentofastrongacademicculture,andqualityoftheacademicstaff.University governance is therefore an importantdriverof change:how institutions aremanaged isoneofthemostdecisivefactorsinachievingtheirgoals.Therearemanygovernancemodelsthatvaryaccording to the national context, the type of institution, the historical legacy, and other cultural,political,and,sometimes,economicfactors.Itisclearthatthereisnosinglemodelor“one-size-fits-all”approach. It isalsoclear thatchoosingagovernancemodel foradoptionbyagiven institutionmustbeawellthoughtoutdecision.AsTrakmansuggestedin2008,“Goodgovernanceismuchabouttimingandjudgment: itrequiresboardsofgovernorstorecognisewhenagovernancemodel isnotworking,why,andhowtorepairit25.”Thereisawidevarietyofgovernancemodels;however,mostofthemcanbedefinedbasedonthetensionorbalancebetweenthreemainforces: state,marketforcesandacademicexcellence,plusthecapacitytoexertacademicfreedom.Takingintoaccounthowthesethreemainforcesinteract,at one end of the spectrum there are centrally-driven, state-controlled universities and universitysystems; private, profit-oriented corporate institutions are at the other end of the spectrum, andvaryingdegreesofpowerforacademicstaffandacademicinterestsexistinbetween.Basedonwhichforceispredominant,UniversityGovernanceModelscanbeidentified.

23 P. Aghion, P.M. Dewatripont, C. Hoxby, A. Mas-Colell, A. Sapir, Higher Aspirations: an Agenda for Reforming European Universities, BRUEGEL, Brussels, 2008 (http://www.bruegel.org/publications/publication-detail/publication/1-higher-aspirations-an-agenda-for-reforming-european-universities/). 24 P. Altbach, J. Salmi, The Road to Academic Excellence: the Making of World, Class Research Universities. Directions in Development, World Bank, Washington D.C., 2011 25 L. Trakman, Modeling university governance, in “Higher Education Quarterly”, 62 ( 1-2), 2008, pp. 63–83.

20

The tension between government-led andmarket-driven higher education governance practices isseenworldwide. In the past twodecades,many countries haveopted to grantmore autonomy touniversitiesandtomovefromstate-controlledtostate-steeredsystems26.Among the variety of governance models, the academic-driven governance models are the mosttraditionalandarebasedontheassumptionthatuniversitiesshouldbegovernedbyacademicstaff.InAcademic Governance, academic staff have the most representation and the greatest voice indefiningthemissionandmanagementoftheuniversity.CorporateGovernance,ontheotherhand,has emerged as a response to financial crises and following the need for universities to managefinancialresourcesmoreresponsibly.ThismodelisprevalentinAustralia,theU.S.,andtheU.K.,andit emerged as a response to the need to improve public university management. CorporateGovernance operates under the assumption that applying corporate approaches, such as financialaccountability,helpstoimproveoutcomes.Thismodelusuallyimpliesthattheheadoftheuniversityis a professional corporate manager as opposed to an academic one. Trustee Governance givesmanagement powers to appointed “trustee,” usually in the form of a Board of Trustees (BoT). Itsmembersarenotelectedwithintheinstitution,nordotheyrepresentthedifferentstakeholders.TheBoTusuallyhasfiduciaryresponsibilitiesandduediligenceinprotectingthetrust,includingdisclosinganyfactorsthatmightconstituteaconflictofinterestwiththattrust.RepresentationalGovernanceoccurswhengovernanceisvestedinawidearrayofstakeholders,includingstudents,academicstaff,alumni,corporatepartners,government,andcivilsociety.It isclear that theadoptionofagovernanceapproach isan importantdecision inagiventimeandcontextforaninstitutionoruniversitysystem.Itisalsoevidentthattheneedtomodifyandadjustittochangingtimesisanimportantelementofsuccess.Finally,theamalgammodel27(Birnbaum,1991)provides a combination of Academic, Corporate, Trustee, and Representational governance. The 26 J. Fielden, Global Trends in University Governance, in “World Bank Education Working Paper Series”, Washington D.C., 2008. 27 R. Birnbaum, Faculty in Governance: The role of Senates and Joint Committees, in “Academic Decision Making”, 18 (3), 1991, pp. 8–25

21

advantageoftheamalgammodelisthatitincorporatesthestrengthsofeachmodeltobettersuittheneedsofaninstitutionatagivenpointintimeortomeetspecificobjectives.Inthenextparagraphs,ourreportdescribesthegovernancemodelappliedintheLibyanHigherEducationsystem.ManagementorientationinHEIsinLibyaAmong the questions we submitted to Libyan representatives, they were asked to provide theorganisation chart of their institution and to explain their management model. According to theanalysisoftheorganizationalchartscollected,LibyanUniversitiesslightlydifferfromoneanotherintheirorganizationalstructureandhierarchy.Inthelastyears,developmentshavebeenmadeinthegovernancesystem,herefollowsanoverviewofthemodelsapplied.DespiteingeneralthemanagerialismmodelofgovernanceisweakinLibya,wefoundthatforSirteUniversityandSebhaUniversitytheBoardofTrusteesisthefirstandmostimportantgoverningbodyoftheUniversity28.InanAnglo-Saxondefinition,theBoardofTrusteesnormallyisthegoverningbodyencompassingmanyduties and responsibilities. TheBoard is responsible for the strategic planningandoversightofthePresident,whois inturnresponsibleforcarryingouttheplansoftheBoardofTrustees. Under the leadership of the Board Chair, the trustees offer advice and counsel to thePresident.TheBoardofTrusteesisresponsiblefordevelopingandapprovingtheUniversity’smission,strategic goals and objectives, and establishing policies related to programs and services. Anotherdutyofthetrusteesistoapprovetheannualbudgetandtosetmajorprogramfees.However, itmustbenotedthatbothSebhaandSirtearetwoexceptions inthegeneralscenarioofLibyanHigherEducationInstitutions,asalltheotherUniversitieshavenoBoardofTrustees.Inorderto show concrete examples, we can look at the organizational chart of theUniversity of Tripoli,wherenoBoTispresent,butaMajlisal-Jama’a(UniversityCouncil)actingaboveall,andabovetheRa’isal-Jama’a(UniversityPresident).AnotherexampleofanorganisationalchartwheretheUniversityCouncilisthemandecisionbodyisthe organogram of University of Elmergib. Founded in 1991, this university is a non-profit publichighereducation institution located inthesmallcityofAlKhums(populationrangeof250000-499999inhabitants),Tripolitania,whichhasalsobranchcampusesinthefollowinglocation(s):Msallata,Elgarboly,GasrAkhyar. In itsorganizationalstructure, theUniversityCouncil ismainlycomposedofthe University President and the Facultymembers at the same level of hierarchy, while there areseveral offices dependingdirectly from theUniversity President (Ra’is al-Jama’a), from the culturalrelationsoffice to the internalaffairsoffice, fromtheofficeof researchand innovationto the legaldepartment.

28 We particularly thank Dr. Jibriel Abu Saleem (Sirte University) and Dr. Mayouf Alì Mayouf (Sebha University) for providing us with the chart.

22

SirteUniversityandSebhaUniversityorganisationchart

UniversityofTripoliorganizationchart

23

UniversityofElmergiborganisationchart

PleasenotethattheorganisationalchartofUniversityofElmergibisslightlydifferentfromtheoneofUniversityofTripoli showedbefore,due to the fact that inUniversityofElmergib facultymembersareatthesameleveloftheUniversityPresidentintheUniversityCouncil,whileintheUniversityofTripolithePresidentholdsthedecision-makingpowerandallfacultiesdependonhim.This allowsus to confirm that, despite similarities, organisational governancemodels in the LibyanHigher Education system present differences according to the weight given to the academiccomponent.IntheLibyancontext,evenwiththepresenceofaBoardofTrusteessuchasinSirteandSebhaUniversities,internalorganisationcanvaryfromoneuniversitytoanother.Alluniversitieshavea Vice-President for Academic Affairs; some also have a Vice-President for Financial andAdministrativeaffairs,whileinotheruniversitiesfinancialandadministrativeissuesaremanagedbythe Secretary General. At the Libyan International Medical University (the only private institutioninvolved in the UNIMED survey), the Quality Assurance Office depends on the Head of BuildingCapacityAdministrationandtheInternationalCooperationOfficedependsdirectlyontheUniversityPresident. University of Gharyan also designed a Vice-President for Student Affairs. As for theInternational Relations Office and Quality Assurance Office, they normally depend on the Vice-PresidentforScientificand/orAcademicAffairs.

24

As a last example collected during our research, there is also the casewhere all branches directlydependsolelyontheUniversityPresident,suchasithappensattheUniversityofGharyan29.

UniversityofGharyanorganizationalchart

Mission and University strategy The clarity of the mission and goals of the university is the first element in assessing universitygovernance. In the caseof Libyanuniversities, theuniversitymission isnot formallydefinedat thenational level, due to the absence of a national law that stipulates the objectives and generalorganizationofthehighereducationsystem.Therefore,thegeneralmissionanditsspecificgoalsareformallyandclearlystatedbyeachuniversity.Thisimpliesthattheuniversityengagesintheprocessofdefiningitsownmission,uniqueinrespecttoallotheruniversitiesinthecountry.Itwasreportedby respondents that the university reflects on its institutionalmission every five years andmakeschangesifnecessary.Similarly,thegoalsoftheuniversityarereportedtobemodifiedoccasionally.

29 We thank Dr. Seddeq Ghrare for providing this.

25

Generally speaking, the actors involved in defining the university mission and goals includerepresentativesfromtheuniversity itself, fromthecivilsociety, industryandbusinessstakeholders,alumniandinternationalpartners,particularlythoseinvolvedinfundraising.Whilesettinggoals,themainconcernistoalignthemwiththeoverallinstitutionalmission.Strong leadership and strategic planning are key elements of awell-performing university. Severalelementsoftheday-to-dayuniversitymanagementbecomethereforecriticalfortheperformanceoftheinstitution,anddefinetowhatextentauniversityisresults-basedmanaged,suchastheexistenceofastrategicplanthroughinternalreportsandroadmaps.Keyelementsshouldbediscussedduringthe strategic definition process: processes for the achievement of goals, detailed action plans, thevisionofeducation,internalregulationsandprocedures,etc.ThefindingsofouranalysisshowthatuniversitiesinLibyaarepartiallyautonomousindefiningtheirownmissionanduniversitystrategy.The graph below shows how the majority of universities from our study declared to be partiallyindependent in theprocessofmissiondefinition,while sevenof themperceive themselvesas fullyautonomous.DespitetheyallfollowtheregulationsfromtheMinistryofEducation,theydeclaredtobefullyautonomousinthedefinitionofmissionandstrategy.Amongthosesevenuniversities,thereisthecaseoftheLibyanInternationalMedicalUniversitywhichistheonlymedicalprivateuniversityin the country. However, it is worth underlining that the other six universities that perceive theirautonomyindefiningthemissionanduniversitystrategy,areallpublicuniversities.

Degreeofautonomyinmissiondefinitionanduniversitystrategy


Severalreasonscanexplainthisperceptionoffullautonomybysomeuniversities.Wedonotclaimtobeexhaustive,butamongthesewecouldmentionthefollowingones:

! thehistoryoftheuniversity(old/ancientuniversitiesversusmorerecent/younguniversities)! thesizeoftheuniversity(biguniversitiesversussmalluniversities)! the geographical position (thepublicuniversitieswhodeclared tobe fully autonomousare

alsolocatedintheEastregion)! the political/historical situation (after the collapse of Gaddafi regime, universities perceive

themselvestobemoreautonomousbecauseofthefalloftheancientregimestructure).

26

In the framework of our analysis, it is important to note that the survey submitted to Libyanuniversitiescanbeconsideredasaself-evaluationexercise,thereforetheinterpretationofdatahastobetakenintoconsiderationwithcautionandnotinanabsolutesense.Veryoften,thegovernancedimensionofautonomycouldbemisinterpretedbycentralisedsystemuniversitieswiththedegreeofindependence,whichisaverydifferentconcept.

Generally speaking, universities that have declared to have a partial autonomy in defining theirmission and strategy, have also admitted that there is a lack of clear strategy by theMinistry ofEducation,especiallywithregardstocurriculadevelopment.This lackofstrategybytheMinistryofEducation implies that issues aremanaged on a local and institutional perspective instead of on along-termoverallperspective. It is importanttonotethatthelackofahighereducationstrategyatthenational levelmight leadtheLibyanuniversitiestoperceivemoreinstitutionalautonomywithintheirinstitution,duetotheabsenceofanationalregulationwhichcouldindeedgenerateastrongerfeeling of autonomy in the matter. The real challenge is to allow universities to benefit fromnational policies and strategies, on which basis each institution can define its own strategicinstitutionalplan.Inthisframework,amongtheneedsexpressedbytheLibyanuniversities,thereisthe need to enhance the role and operativity of the University Council. Normally, centralgovernmentshaveclearleadingroles,leavingsomeroomforuniversitiestobeinnovativeand/ortoaccommodate localneeds ina timelymanner.This isnot thecase forLibyanuniversities,whichdonot have a national vision for theHE system from theMinistry of Education.Nevertheless, on theotherhand,individualuniversities’missionsdonotneedtobecentrallydefined:foruniversitiestobeabletopursuetheirindividualgoals,itismainlyimportanttohaveawell-definedmissionthattailorsto the specific needs of the single university.What shall be addressed in Libya is the capacity ofuniversities todefinetheirownmissionandstrategywhilebeingsupportedbyaclearvisionat thenationallevel.

TheinterviewswehadwithLibyanrepresentativesshowthat,thedefinitionoftheuniversitymission,despitetheperceptionofautonomy,translatesintocentralization,regulation,andoftengovernmentcontrolover theHE system.Not surprisingly, there is a strong inverse correlationbetweenmissionandautonomy. Themore systems are centralised, the least autonomy is given to the universities,whichisthecaseforLibya.Thefalloftheregimehasalsoinfluencedthefeelingofautonomy,whereautonomy(bothacademicandfinancial,asseenfurtherinthereport)isindeedverylimited.

Selection of Decision Makers ! Withregardstotheselectionofdecision-makersinuniversitiesbodies,thecurrentsystem

forassignmentofresponsibilitypositionsisthenomination:! UniversitypresidentsarenominatedbytheMinistryofEducation;! Vice-presidentsarenominatedbytheMinistryofEducationbasedontherecommendationof

theuniversityPresident;! FacultydeansarenominatedbytheUniversityPresident;! Theuniversitycounciliscomposedof:President,Vice-presidents,Deans.! ThePresidenthastheautonomytochoosetheprofessorsforeachfacultytobetheDean30.

30 From UNIMED Survey, 2018

27

Academic autonomy Autonomy concerns the relationship between each Higher Education institution and the centralauthority. ItmeasureshowfreelyHE institutionscantakedecisions in thecontextof therulesandregulationsthatshapeeachhighereducationsystem.Inthisreportweareexaminingthisdimensionin3subdimensions:

! academicautonomy:degreeoffreedomindecision-makingonacademicissues! financialautonomy:degreeoffreedomindecision-makingonfinancialissues! humanresourcesautonomy:degreeoffreedomindecision-makingonHRmanagement

With regards to academic autonomy, we refer to the decisions related to teaching (study fields,student numbers, students selection, introduction of new programs and curricula structure) anddecisions related to research activities (programs, research teams), that can be regulated by thecentralauthorityorfreelymanagedbyinstitutions.Traditionally,intheLibyanHEsystemprogrammesandcurriculaarefirstlydevelopedandapprovedby faculties and universities.Universities have autonomy in determining the admission proceduresand the overall number of students admitted at the institution and within different programs.However, there has recently been a trend towards centralising the reform of programmes andcurricula,whichaimsat standardisingabout60-70%of thecontentofall subjectsat theuniversitylevel31. This was done through meetings which took place in various universities, and with thedepartment heads of the various fields of specialization. Therefore, we can say that universityacademicautonomyinLibyaisrelativelylow:universitieshaveapartiallevelofautonomy,butalltheirdecisionsinacademicmattershavetobelaterapprovedbythecentralgovernment,namelythe Ministry of Education. Generally speaking, private universities follow the curricula of publicuniversities. During a whole-academic-year-system, students are required to study 10-12 courseseachyear,whileinthesemester-system,atotalof130–136credithoursarerequiredonaverageforthe Bachelor’s degree, which may peak at 150 credit hours in the field of engineering. TheUniversitiesinterviewedstatedtohavepartialautonomyindecidingonthetypesofcoursesoffered,on the curricula structure (diploma, conditions of issues, assessment of students and format ofexams) and in the introduction of new academic programs. However, although the university can(anddoes) introduce changes to the curricula and/or newprograms anddecideon thenumberofhours per programper year, itmust receive approval by theMinistry of Educationbefore actuallyimplementinganyofthesechanges.Itisworthmentioning,asdonebefore,thatouranalysisisbasedontheperceptionofhavingmoreorless autonomy as expressed by the interviewed universities. Indeed, sometimes the perception ofhaving little autonomy in respect to academic issues or financial matters, is justified by theknowledgeof theweak legal framework regulating thegovernance systemof thehighereducationinstitutions in Libya, and/or by a misunderstanding and a different interpretation of institutionalmechanismsrelatedtonon-writtenlawsregulatingtheperformanceofuniversities.

Degreeofautonomyindefiningthecurriculastructure 31 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011

28


Degreeofautonomyinintroducingnewprograms


Intheanalysisofacademicautonomy,itisworthpayingsomeattentiontoassessmentmethods,asassessmentand student’sevaluationhave tobe consideredasa sub-dimensionof the institutionalautonomy. In Libyan universities, exams are the most common form of assessing students'performance.Other assessment types, such as accomplishing projects, termpapers or groupworkareuseddependingonthenatureandlevelofthecourseandnumberofstudentsregistered.Usually,therearetwotermoryearexams,andafinalexam,besideshomeworks,inordertoassessstudents'performance in each course. In thewhole-academic-year-system students are required to pass allcoursesoftheyeartoprogresstothenextyear.Universityorfacultyregulationsmayallowstudentstoretakethefinalexambeforethebeginningofthefollowingyeariftheyfailinacertainnumberofcourses, and they can progress to the next year if they fail for a second time in only one or twocourses. Students take examinations for these past courses together with the finals of the new

29

academicyear32.Degreesareawardedwhenstudentshavepassedallrequiredcourses inaspecificfieldofstudy.AccordingtoUNIMEDexperienceintheprojectsPAgESandENBRAIN(formoredetailsontheproject,see the following paragraph of the current report:The cooperation through European Commissionfunded projects: Erasmus+, H2020, FP7), Libyan Universities prefer to update the already existingCurriculainsteadofintroducingnewcourses.Thisisbecausetheperceptionisthattheprocedureforadmitting and accrediting newprograms is a highly bureaucratised and complex one. At the sametime, thepresenceofdissuadingnon-written laws in theaccreditationprocedures, and thealmostcertainty of delays (estimated time for accreditation ranges from a few weeks to 1/2 years) isdiscouraging Universities to apply for new programs. Instead, they prefer to update, adapt andmodify existing programs, inwhich case the procedures are simpler and faster, requiring only theapprovaloftheUniversitygovernancebodies.

Degreeofautonomyinstudentsadmission


AllstudentsareeligibletostudyinhighereducationinstitutionsinLibya.DuringthehistoryofLibya,everyyeartheGeneralPeople'sCommittee(inacronymGPCE,theinstitutionthatrulesthecountryandsubsequentlyregulatesthemanagementofhighereducation institutions,students'admissions,andtuitionfees)determinestheregulationsforstudents'admissiontohighereducationinstitutions,by taking into consideration the results of the examinations of the so-called “Secondary SchoolLeavingCertificate",theneedsofthesocietyandtheinstitutionscapacities,aswellasthestudents'specializations33. According to these criteria, students can apply to the different departments orspecializationsatpublicorprivateuniversities,technicalcollegesorhighvocational institutions.Foradmission to post graduate studies, students are required to have a Bachelor’s degree and take aplacement exam or be interviewed. Public universities are autonomous to some extent. They

32 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011 33 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011

30

operate under the supervision of the so-called “National Committee of Universities", which isresponsibleforimplementingtheGPCEpolicyforhighereducationandactsasacoordinatoramongtheseuniversities34.Oneaspectthatisworththeattentionisthegrantingofscholarships,thatshowsacentralisedsystemandatop-downapproach.TheMinistryofEducationsendsalistwiththenamesofthebeststudentsatthefinalexams,whocanreceivescholarships.There isnorestrictionpolicy:thesamestudentcanbenefitfromascholarshipforaMaster’sdegreeandlaterforthePhDcourse.

Degreeofautonomyinresearchareas


ThechartaboveshowsthatuniversitiesinLibyahaveagreaterdegreeofautonomyinresearchfields,comparedtoteachingissues,althoughitwasseenthattheuniversityprofileismuchmoreteaching-oriented than research-oriented. Universities are currently engaged in establishing (if not alreadydone)researchunitsandcentreswithineachfacultyoftheuniversity.Researchisindeedanintegralpartofacademicstaffresponsibilities inuniversities.Research isdonethroughresearchactivitiescarried out by individuals or research-groups of academics, in order to meet promotionrequirements,forprofessionaldevelopmentorasapartoftheirpost-graduateduties.Universitiesand other higher education institutions participate in solving social, economical and technologicalproblemsandchallengesthroughscientificresearch.In general, research is government funded by a very high percentage. The National Authority forScientificResearch(NASR)throughvariousresearchcentres,supervisesscientificresearchinLibya35.Despitethat,someactivitiessufferfromalackofmanagementandsomeresearchcentersarenotproperlyactivated.ThiswouldleadtosaythatthebiggestpriorityforLibyanuniversitiesintheareaof research is establishing research priorities, promoting specialization strategies withinuniversitiesandsupportingexistingresearchcentresandresearchunits.Moreover,lackoffunding

34 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011 35 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011. For more information about NASR it is possible to visit: http://ali.ly/ar/ (Last access May 2019)

31

has been amajor issuementioned bymost of the respondents, and the specialization strategy isconsideredbymostofthemasthebestsolutiontofacetheissue.

Financial autonomy TheMinistryofEducationallocatesanannualbudgetforeachuniversityandtechnicalcollege,basedon a suggested budget issued by the very institutions, and according to some criteria such asinstitution'spopulation,currentinfrastructure,neededconstructionsandfacilities,etc.students'feesare very small, we can say symbolic. Students pay only registration fees in the beginning of theacademic year or semester. Other limited financial resources are generated through grants,investments, and services provided to the public. On the other hand, as it is easy to understand,private higher institutions are self-financed: the main financial resources are students’ fees andservices provided to the public. From a legal point of view, Libyan universities, under anycircumstances,arenotauthorisedtoaccepttuitionfees.Findings show that universities in Libya rely heavily on fundings received by the centralgovernment.Onlyveryfewuniversitiescanalsorelyonotherfunds,as it isthecasefortheLibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity,OmarAl-MukhtarUniversityandTheUniversityofAjdabiya.Theseinstitutions rely also on funds from private companies, such as businesses, industries and privateowners.Verylittlefundingisreceivedfromloansandgrantsobtainedbyinternationalorganizations,outsourcingandcontracts.Universitiescansurelybenefitfromfurtherdevelopingthesealternativesources of revenue, and from further engaging in research or provision of continuing educationservices, but still they have very limited autonomy in managing and allocating the financialresourcesavailable.

Degreeofautonomyinallocationoffinancialresources


Havingverylimitedautonomyinallocatingfinancialresourcesisclearlyoneofthebiggestbarrierstoauniversityfinancialautonomy,whichismostlyaffectedbythecurrentregulationsandthelackofanationalstrategyfordevelopingresearchactivitiesandknowledge-transferactivities(justtogivean

32

example of how the limited financial autonomy has an impact on the daily management ofuniversities). Restrictive measures in Libya, such as limitations on foreign currency transactions,restrictionsonwiretransfersortheabsenceof independentbankaccountsforeachUniversity,arefurther reducing the financial autonomy of universities and preventing their internationalcooperationdevelopment.

Human resources autonomy Humanresourcesautonomy (both foracademicandadministrative staff) is thewayHE institutionscanmanagetheirstaffeitheraccordingtoastrongdedicatedregulationdecidedbynationallawandcentral administrative levels, or more freely according to internal rules (subject only to nationallabourregulation).Foreachposition(professor,researcher,academicstaffinvolvedinthirdmissionactivities)rulesmayvaryandmaybeexploredseparately. Inparticularforthird-missionactivities,thecentralauthoritymayimposetimelimitsforthestaffinvolved.InthecaseofLibyanuniversities,at the university level, facultymembers are appointed by the University President36 based on therecommendationsbytheconcerneddepartmentandfaculty.Academicstaffappointmentsathigherinstitutions and scientific research centres are made by the GPCE&SR37 based on therecommendations of the National Committee for Technical Education and National Authority forScientific Research. In private higher institutions, academic staff members are appointed throughcontracts for one semester, one year or longer. Having said that, administrative staff autonomy isperceived as slightly higher than academic staff autonomy, because the university has a certaindegreeoffreedomwhendecidingonaspectsofhumanresourcemanagement,as longasdecisionscomplywiththenationallawgoverningemploymentforadministrativestaff.Togiveanexample,seethefigurebelow:

Degreeofautonomyinhumanresourcespolicyfortechnical-administrativestaff


36 Sometimes referred as “chancellor” as per official denomination used in official documentation. 37 GPCE&SR is the General People’s Committee for Education & Scientific Research which is a body that according to the law, entitled "Law No. 18 for Education" stipulates the conditions and criteria for the establishment of public and private institutions, concerning the higher education sector in Libya, included public and private universities, technical colleges, and academies.

33

Quality Assurance: the Libyan System

Quality in Higher Education, according to Article 11 of theWorld Declaration onHigher EducationpublishedbytheUnitedNations(1998)38isdefinedas:

(a) Quality in higher education is a multidimensional concept, which should embrace all itsfunctions, and activities: teaching and academic programs, research and scholarship, staffing,students, buildings, facilities, equipment, services to the community and the academicenvironment. Internal self-evaluation and external review, conducted openly by independentspecialists, if possiblewith international expertise, are vital for enhancingquality. Independentnational bodies should be establishedand comparative standards of quality, recognisedat theinternational level, should be defined. Due attention should be paid to specific institutional,national and regional contexts in order to take into account diversity and to avoid uniformity.Stakeholdersshouldbeanintegralpartoftheinstitutionalevaluationprocess.(b) Quality also requires that higher education should be characterised by its internationaldimension: exchange of knowledge, interactive networking,mobility of teachers and students,and international research projects,while taking into account the national cultural values andcircumstances.(c) To attain and sustain national, regional or international quality, certain components areparticularly relevant, notably careful selection of staff and continuous staff development, inparticular through the promotion of appropriate programs for academic staff development,including teaching/learning methodology and mobility between countries, between highereducationinstitutions,andbetweenhighereducationinstitutionsandtheworldofwork,aswellas student mobility within and between countries. The new information technologies are animportanttoolinthisprocess,owingtotheirimpactontheacquisitionofknowledgeandknow-how.

QualityAssuranceinHigherEducationreferstotheprocessofmaintainingstandardsinareliableandconsistentway,grantingexcellenceinperformance,performingprocedures,processesorsystemstosafeguard and improve the quality of education and other activities39, and ultimately it makesuniversitiesaccountablefortheirprovisionofknowledge,ensuringpublictrustintheirfunctionandimpact.QualityAssuranceisnaturallyrelatedtothegovernanceandmanagementoftheinstitution,its capacity to operate autonomously being accountable, responsible and responsive. The strategicposition and role of universities in the development of any country and of the national policy isbeyond doubt. The university mission in a knowledge-based society is primarily to promoteknowledge,throughresearchandteaching.Inorderforuniversitiestoaccomplishhigh-stakesgoalsand fulfil their mission, it is essential to find ways to achieve sustainable quality standards inteachingand learning. The integrationofQualityAssuranceprinciples intoHigherEducation,whilehavingthebaseobjectivesofdefiningandrecognisingquality,hasanadditionaladdedvalueduetothe important socio-economic role that education plays in developing local, national and globalsocieties.ThisisparticularlytruewhenitcomestotheLibyancase.

38 http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/wche/declaration_eng.htm. (Last access: December 2018) 39 AA. VV., Audits of quality assurance systems of Finnish higher education institutions. Audit manual for 2008-2011, Finnish Higher Education Evaluation Council (FINHEEC), Tampere, 2008.

34

The Libyan context The education system in Libya has seen rapid development shape its future. It has significantlyimprovedandadvancedcomparedtootherdevelopingcountries40.However,accordingtotheBritishCouncil,roughly90%ofuniversitylevelstudentsareenrolledinpublicuniversities,thatarestrainingtomeet thedemand41. In2011,a revisionandrewritingofnationalcurriculawasundertaken,withthemain purpose of removing Gaddafi's influence and the teaching of the Green Book. However,Libyan universities faced a number of challenges, among them the security situation, that hasresultedinade-prioritizationanddelayofanyreformeffortsconcerninghighereducation.Inaddition,duetothepoliticaldivision,severaluniversitybranchesbecomeseparateuniversities,leadingtoinstitutionalfragmentation,decliningqualityofresearchandteachingprocesses,andthelackoffacilitiestosupporteducation(i.e. libraries, laboratories,archives)42.Evidencethathasbeendefinitely confirmed by our research work during the survey, but also that comes out during theimplementationof several EU fundedprojects. TheReport of the EuropeanCommissiononHigherEducationinLibya,201143identifiesamongthemajorchallengesalsothelackofanationalstrategicplan fostering quality over quantity; outdated curricula, teaching and assessmentmethods (whichstruggle toalignwith internationalquality standards, scientificdevelopmentsand theneedsof themarket).“Qualitycanonlybeachievedwhenallthestaffmembersintheuniversitycontinuallyfocusonenhancingandexpanding their collectiveawarenessandcapabilities forenforcingandadoptingnew teachingmethodologies and developing new curricula, based on the institutionalmission andsound clear outcome objectives.”44 It goes without saying that the process of improvement andexpansion of the capacity of the Libyan universities includes having a well-functioning qualityassurancesystemasakeycomponent.

National Quality Assurance Framework for Higher Education in Libya TheNationalCenterforQualityAssuranceandAccreditationofEducationalandTrainingInstitutions(NCQAA)hasbeenestablished inLibya in2006by theLibyanMinisterofEducation,withonemainoffice inTripoli. It isresponsiblefortherecognitionandequivalenceofdiplomas,accreditationandquality assurance of the public and private higher education institutions (Report of the EuropeanCommission Higher Education in Libya, 201645). The NCQAA accredits all educational institutionswithin all scientific and vocational fields in Libya. Two smaller departments were then opened inBenghaziandSebha(tocovertheeasternandsouthernareasofLibyaandtoreducethepressureonthe Tripolimain administration) but later closed.After 2011 and todate, there are twooffices forQualityAssuranceandAccreditationinLibya:oneislocatedinTripoliandasecondoneopenedinal-

40 A. Tamtam, F. Gallagher, A.. G. Olabic, S. Naherd, Higher education in Libya, system under stress, in “Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences”, 29, 2011, pp.742-751. 41 AA. VV., BTI 2018 Country Report — Libya, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh, 2018. 42 AA. VV., BTI 2018 Country Report — Libya, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh, 2018. 43 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011 44 M. S. Ambarek, The need for Quality Management Systems in Libyan universities, in “Libyan J Med”, 5, 2010 45 Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), International Project Management Office - OGPI - University of Alicante, Higher Education in Libya, September, 2016.

35

Beida46.ThedepartmentsinTripoliandal-Beidaarenowfollowingtheexactsameprocedures;theywork closely together, however they are still formally independent from each other. The twodepartments can receive applications by anyone in the country, notwithstanding the provenience.TheCenterhaspublishedthefirstaccreditationandqualityassurancestandardsforLibyanhighereducationinstitutions,accordingtowhichthequalityofhighereducationsysteminthecountryisevaluated. The guidelines are shared with all HE institutions and define the requirements foruniversities tocomplywith.Forthepurposeof theLibyaRestartReport itwasnotpossibleto fullyanalyzetheseguidelines,thereforeeveryreferenceisbasedonsecondarysources.

According to the Report of the European Commission on Higher Education in Libya, 201147, theaccreditationbodywasfoundedtodesignandimplementasystem“forevaluation,accreditationandquality assurance in public and private higher education institutions”. The center is owned andmonitoredby the LibyanMinistryof Education (while it is formally a separatebody), andoperatesunder theumbrellaof theMinistrywithregard toadministrationand funding.Therules, standardsandproceduresforqualityassuranceandaccreditationareestablishedbythelawn.50148. It isnotcleartowhatextenttheQAofficeisabletoadviseandinfluencetheMinistryofEducationinrespectto higher education policy, if deemed necessary for the benefit of HE institutions. Other than theNationalCenterforQualityAssuranceandAccreditationofEducationalandTraining,thereisnootheroffice or institution responsible for accreditation and quality assurance, either private orgovernmental in Libya49. While the Ministry is uniquely responsible for practically all aspects inrelationtothemanagementofhighereducationinstitutions,students’admissionandtuitionfees,ithas little to do with curricula, teaching or examinations offered by universities and colleges.Traditionally,programsandcurriculaaredevelopedbyfacultiesanduniversities,andlaterapprovedby the Ministry, with a bottom-up approach. In this process, the National Center for QualityAssuranceandAccreditationofEducationalandTrainingInstitutionsshouldactasthemissinglinkbetweenthepropositionbyacademicsandthefinalapprovalbytheMinistry,ensuringcompliancewithqualitystandardsbothintermsofteachingmethodologyandcontentsoftheprogramsoffered.

The cooperation between universities and theNational Center also implies occasional visits to theuniversityonbehalfofateamfromtheNationalCenter.Visitsarescheduledwithoutnoticeandmayrequireaccesstoarchivesanddocumentsoftheinstitution.Inthewordsofarespondent“Theycancomeanytimetomonitorandvisit”.Thevisitshaveamajorfocusontheadministrative,financialandlogisticaspects(criteriaandstandardsarethoroughlydetailedintheguidelines)50.

While theNational Center forQuality Assurance and Accreditation is in charge of accreditation aswell,veryfewinformationwereavailabletoUNIMEDinthisregards,especiallyonthecriteriausedfortheaccreditationof institutionsand/oreducationalprogrammes.Asreportedbyarespondent51for the accreditation of the whole institution, an application is sent to the NCQAA and initially 46 A small city around 200 km far from Benghazi, always in the East of the country. 47Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of Higher Education, Brussels, January, 2011 48 Al-Jamahiriyya al-’Arabiyya al-Libiyya al-Sha’biyya al-Ishtirakiyya al-’Athma, Qarar al-Lajna al-Sha’biyya al-’Amma - Raqm 501 li-l-sana 1378 (2010 masihi). 49 A. Aloreibi, M. D. Carey, English language teaching in Libya after Gaddafi, in R. Kirkpatrick (edited by), English Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa, Springer, Cham, 2017, pp. 93-114. 50 A. Aloreibi, M. D. Carey, English language teaching in Libya after Gaddafi, in R. Kirkpatrick (edited by), English Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa, Springer, Cham, 2017, pp. 93-114. 51 UNIMED survey, 2018

36

reviewedbyacommittee,whichestablishesifitcanbeaccepted,notifiestheapplicantandcollectsafee.Theapplicationthengoesthroughanacademicandadministrativeassessment,butitseemsthatthestandardsandcriteriausedfortheassessmentarenotclearneitherdetailed.Attheendoftheprocess, the committee only advises through a recommendation on whether the standards foraccreditation are either present, partially present or not present. The criteria for institutionalaccreditationarenotavailableforconsultation,arerestrictedforinternaluseattheNCQAA(atleast,thatwasin2014asreportedbyarespondent52).Therefore,thequalityandadequacyoftheprocessisdifficulttoverify,astheaccreditationcriteriaarenotavailableforthepublictoview.Accreditationmay last from 2 to 5 years, depending on various aspects, such as the programs offered and therecommendationsoftheassessingcommittee53.Allpublicuniversitiesfundedbefore2006havenotgone through the process of accreditation and have been considered accredited de-facto. Theprocessisundergoingforallprivateuniversities.Asrecalledatthebeginningofthisreport,24publicuniversitiesand8privateuniversitieshavebeenaccreditedorconsideredaccredited.

Quality Assurance at the Institutional level in Libyan Universities The NCQAA mandates that all higher education institutions in the country have Quality andPerformanceEvaluationoffices(QPEOs),toworkdirectlywiththegoverningbodyinTripoli,closertotheNational Center in Tripoli or in al-Beida.Amongall theUniversities interviewed, 15outof 16stated to have a Quality Assurance system. The QPEO at the University work directly with theNationalCentertodevelopacultureofqualityassuranceattheinstitution,throughtheorganizationofconferences,seminars,workshopsandpublicationstosustainthequalityofHEinallregionsofthecountry.AccordingtotheresultswecollectedfromtheinterviewwiththeMinistryofEducation,theQPEOattheUniversityperformsthefollowingtasks:

! Suggests/proposesstandardsforeducationandoffersthemforaccreditationandfollow-up;! Proposesstandardsforperformanceandqualitycontrolinuniversityeducation,withregard

toprofessors,curricula,laboratories,buildings,administration,processes;! Supervises information exchange among local, regional and international institutions, and

comparesthestandardsappliedbyothernationalandforeignuniversitieswiththoseappliedinhis/herownuniversity,andendeavourstodevelopandadoptthem;

! ProposesthesettingupofmeasuresandguidelinesforthedevelopmentofperformanceandQAinuniversityeducation;

! Conducts and participates in self-studies in order to harmonize university education withwhatisneededinthelabourmarket,andputsrecommendationsinthisregard;

! Writes periodic and annual reports on the office activities, conducting regular self-assessments.

52 UNIMED survey, 2018 53 A. Aloreibi, M. D. Carey, English language teaching in Libya after Gaddafi, in R. Kirkpatrick (edited by), English Education Policy in the Middle East and North Africa, Springer, Cham, 2017, pp. 93-114.

37

FromUNIMEDsurvey54,itemergesthattheQAsystemattheuniversitydealswithdifferentissues.

Q:Ifexistent,is/aretheQAsystem(s)addressthefollowingitems:


Inotherwords,theQPEOdealswithensuringcomplianceoftheuniversityeducationandprocesseswithQAstandard,andfosterstheadoptionofqualitystandardsattheinstitution.Thecompliancetothe standards onbehalf ofmanagers and teachers at the institutional level, andwhether teachingpracticesactuallyderiveandaligntothesemainpolicies,seemstobestillawork-in-progressinmostinstitutions.Itisnotacasethatonly4outof16oftherespondentinstitutionshaveaddedaspecificreference to improvingQAmeasures in theirplans for thenext years55, andonly6outof 16havespecifically indicated the will to have capacity building on quality processes/qualitymanagement/qualityassuranceandevaluationfortheiradministrativestaff56.

Despite it is compulsory for all institutions to have aQAoffice, in someuniversities it is yet to beestablished,orisnotfullyoperative.Whenasked“Whenwasthelasttimethataninstitutionalself-assessmentwasconducted?”only9outof16universitieshaveresponded;amongresponses,mostoftheself-assessmentshavebeenconductedquiterecently(overthepast3years).Inaddition,officesaresupposed to followupand implementallgeneralpoliciesofqualityassuranceandperformanceassessmentproceduresallovertheuniversity,both intheacademicandadministrativeaspects,butthere is no clear specification of which thesemeasures and procedures are.Quality Assurance isthereforemostlyapplied inregardstoadministrativeandfinancialmatters(forwhichcriteriaarespecificallydesigned),ratherthantoteaching/learningpracticesandmethodologies57.

54 UNIMED survey, 2018 55 UNIMED survey, 2018 56 UNIMED survey, 2018 57 A. Aloreibi, The Impact of the Adopted Quality Assurance Procedures and Teaching Practices at the University of Ajdabiya on the Learners' Learning Behavior, Unpublished

38

Libyan universities national and international dimensions: partnership, networking, mobility As it hasbeenwrittenbyDaniela Kaisth58, “supportingHigher Education in crisis, post-conflict andtransitionisanimperativeforthenextcentury”59and“neglectingstudentsandscholarsduringcrisisandconflictisaseriousmistake”60.Webelieveitispossibletoaddtwomoredimensionsthatdeserveattention:duringconflictandpost-conflictperiod it isnecessary to supportnotonlyeducationbutalsoHigherEducationinaharmonisedway,toguaranteeacontinuitylineinthestudents’educationpath;secondly,itisvitalinconflictedareastosupportUniversitiesasfundamentalplayersforsocietyreconstructionfromthesocial,culturalandeconomicpointsofview.Inthissense,weembracethefindings of the book Higher Education and Post-Conflict recovery when the author describesUniversities intervention inpost-waror in-warareas,providingbenefits forshort-termstabilization,providing non violent alternative to youths, providing humanitarian and relief services throughstudents,andskillsforstablejobs.Inaddition,Universitiesarekeyactorsforlong-termstabilization61.IfwehaveacloserlookattheLibyancase,itisfundamentaltonotethatLibyanUniversitiesappeartobethemainreliableactorinthecountryafterthecivilwarandoneofthefew,ifnottheonlyactor, able to survive the political division between East andWest. This has been clearly statedduringseveral interviewsandbydifferentrespondents.Duringour interviews,wediscoveredthatcooperation among International Relation Offices, and especially International Relations Offices’directors,seemstobeconstantandongoing,andmainlyindependentfrompoliticalissues,insuchaway that Universities from the western part of the countries actively participated in providingcontacts of their colleagues from the East (i.e. University of Benghazi and Omar Al-MukhtarUniversity). Universities continued to work and cooperate despite the presence of terroristorganizations such as Daesh62 in the city of Sirte, and despite the destruction of local facilities.Indeed,theyfeltevenmoretheircrucialroleforthefutureofthecountry.Inthis framework,theEuropeanUnionsupport intheshort,mediumand longterm,appearstobedecisive, also due to the good reputation of the European Commission in the country. Despitehistorical relationwith theUnitedStatesand theUnitedKingdom,EuropeanUnionmember states(especially France, Germany, Italy and Spain) are considered as key players in the field of HigherEducationandthisisveryclearifwehavealookattheparticipationoftheLibyanUniversitiesintheErasmusPlusKA2CapacityBuildingActionsfundedafter2011.ParticularlyforItalyandFrance,thisisalsotheresultofthediplomaticmissionsthatoperatedinTripoliduringtherecentyears,despitethewell-knownproblemsofthecountry.International cooperation and mobility are crucial for knowledge transfer, skills improvements,intercultural dialogue. It has an impact on research and also serves for strengthening graduate

58 IIE (Institute of International Education) Vice President at the time she wrote the article quoted. 59 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/IIEB/IIEB0115/index.php#/16 (Last access June 2018) 60 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/IIEB/IIEB0115/index.php#/16 (Last access June 2018) 61 S. Milton, Higher Education and Post-Conflict recovery, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2017. 62 Arab acronym for ISIS.

39

employability. International Relation Offices are the main actors inside the university for thepromotion, planning, management and follow-up of all kind of international activities. All the 16universitieshaveanInternationalRelationOfficethat,aspreviouslymentioned,dependsontheVice-president for Academic Affairs. The director is nominated by the University President based oncriteria like experience, competences and English language skills. The composition of these officesdependsontheuniversity:itcanbecomposedbyadirector,avice-directorandseveralagents,orbyonlyonedirector andone assistant.According toour results, IROsdirectors createdapermanentgroupofIROs(includingbothEasternandWesternuniversities)andmeetevery2or3monthsforsharing experiences and information. This is additional proof that cooperation in the countrycontinues despite political instability and that academic cooperation is not fully involved in thecountry tensions. This does notmean thatUniversities’ representatives are not suffering from thecrisis conditions, or that they are not touched by the political and institutional instability of thecountry. Far from it. Nevertheless, universities are playing a compensatory role and are acting assciencediplomacypractitioners.Apart from theacademicbackgroundsof the involved staff,whichfacilitatescooperationoncommongrounds,thisisalsopossiblethankstopersonalrelations(averystrongfactorintheLibyanexperience),relativesmallnumberofcountrycitizens(around6millions,meaning2millionslessthanLondon,andconsideringthattheabsolutemajorityofthepopulationisconcentratedonthecoastalpartofthecountry),andinevitablywhendiscussingofLibya,tribalandfamiliesloyalties.WhenaskingtotheIROsstaffwhataretheirmainmissions,wenotedaperfectconcordanceintheperceptionoftheirroleamongtheinterviewedUniversities:

! responsible for thecooperationwith local,nationaland internationaluniversitiesorbodies(includingtheenterprises),throughMemorandumofUnderstanding(MOU)orprojects;

! coordinationforthestudents/staffmobility;! promotetheuniversityvisibilityattheinternationallevel;! playeroftheuniversityinternationalisation.

Cooperation among Libyan universities Amongall theresponsescollected,6universities reportedhavingnoagreementswithotherLibyanuniversities.Weinvestigatedfurtherthisaspectwiththequalitativeinterviews,whichconfirmedthatcooperation exists between Libyan universities but without written agreements, because of thecountrytraditions.Cooperationtakesdifferentforms:jointresearch,exchangeofstudentsandstaff,research evaluation, exams examination, IROs Directors meeting regularly for sharing experiencesandinformations,etc.Thistakesplacesdespitethelackofformalinstitutionalagreements.

Cooperation with international universities Thesituation isverydifferent fromoneuniversity toanother.Someareengaged inmanyactivitieswith international institutionsandactors,othershavevery little internationalpresence.There isanevident historical factor: young universities such as the University of Aljufra and the University of

40

Gharyan were established only recently and still need time to create networks, find partners,establishagreements.Another key factor is theparticipation inEuropean fundedprojects:mostofthe existing international agreements have been favoured by the joint participation in Europeanprojects of European and Libyan universities. These agreements target mainly: educational andscientificcooperation,studentsandstaffexchanges,jointresearchactions.Agreementswithforeignuniversities exist mainly with universities located in Egypt, Britain, Tunisia, the United Kingdom,TurkeyandJordan.

NumberofInternationalagreementsdeclaredbytheintervieweduniversities


All the9 Libyanuniversitieswhichhavebeen involved in Tempusor Erasmus+projects in thepastyears, have participated to our survey. Four for them have also declared having amobility office,managedbytheIROs,toboostinternationalcooperationandmobility.

41

Mobility funded by national programs Aspreviouslymentioned,thankstoanationalprogramfundedbylocalgovernment,6204studentsfromthe16universitiesinvestigatedduringtheUNIMEDresearcharecurrentlystudyingabroad.Theprocessistwofold:ontheoneside,thetoptengraduatesfromsecondaryschoolareofferedbytheMinistryofEducationtheopportunitytopursuetheirstudiesabroad;ontheotherside,theMinistryof Education itself decides whether giving approval or not for additional scholarships, with a top-downapproachtowardsuniversitydepartments.Scholarshipscanfundeachlevelofgraduationandonepersoncanbenefitfromseveralscholarships. Inoursurveyeduniversities,themostpartofthescholars study for Master and PhD degrees. Students are free to choose their hosting university,regardlessofuniversityagreements.

LibyanUniversitiesparticipationatthemobilityfundedbynationalprogram

University Numberofexpatriatestudentsabroad

TheUniversityofAjdabiya 27

Al-AsmaryaIslamicUniversity 386

BaniWaleedUniversity 109

UniversityofBenghazi 1561

UniversityofElmergib 644

UniversityofGharyan 400

LibyanAcademy 4

LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity 2

MisurataUniversity 6

OmarAl-MukhtarUniversity 879

SabrathaUniversity 76

SebhaUniversity 779

SirteUniversity 428

UniversityofTripoli 800

UniversityofZawia 640

UniversityofAljufra N/A63

TOTAL 6204


63 No data provided from the University of Aljufra

42

The geographic coverage of these scholarships is quite spread: from other Arab countries (Egypt,Tunisia,Morocco,Jordan),toEurope(Britain,France,Germany,Italy,Spain,Portugal),totheUSAandCanada,andAsia(specificallyMalaysia).

Mobility funded by EU projects In2015-2016thereweresixErasmusprojectsrunningwhichinvolvedLibyanUniversities,withatotalfundingof€143000,and32plannedmobilitiestoEurope,short-termacademicmobilityprogrammesfor students (3-12 months) and staff (5-60 days) and long-term programmes for all levels ofeducation,namelyBA,MA,PhD,whichwerefullyfunded,accordingtotheLibyaDeskatEUHQ64.TheLibyanUniversitiesinvolvedintheprojectsweretheMisurataUniversity,theUniversityofTripoliandthe University of Zawia, and their European partners were the universities of Granada, Riga andTallinn. In the framework of the Erasmus + International CreditMobility (KA107) programme, theuniversities of Misurata and Zawia signed an agreement for students mobility towards Spain andTurkey;andagreementswithGermanyandUnitedKingdomtodevelopbilateralmobilityschemesforacademics. It is worth mentioning that mobility development is highly affected by restrictionsimposedbythecountry’srealityandregulations.This isparticularlytruewhenwelookatthe(few)Embassiesoperative inTripoli acceptingVisaapplications for Libyan studentsandprofessors, ifweconsiderthefinancialrequirementswhicharedemandedforVisaapplications,aswellastheactualfacilitiesavailablefortravellers(thereareonlytwoairportsinthecountrywhichareoperativeatthemoment,Mitiga-TripoliandMisurata,withvery fewdestinationsavailable,TunisiaandTurkey,plussomeflightstoSaudiArabia,Lebanon,EgyptandJordanbutnodirectflightwithEurope).ThefollowingfigurereportshowIROsreceiveinformationoninternationalmobilityprograms:

Q:Informationoninternationalmobilityprogramsreachesyouthrough:


64 https://www.euneighbours.eu/en/south/eu-in-action/stories/europe-opens-libyan-students (Last access December 2018). 65 Only 15 Universities answered to this question. Consequently the total number of answers represented in the graph is equal to 15 and not 16.

43

Informationarrivesmainlythroughtheadministrativecircuit,buttheinformalwayremainsrelevant.At regional or international level, improvements can be made to strengthen the circulation ofinformation. In thissense, theNationalErasmusOfficeplays (andshouldplay)acrucial role. In theverymomenttheUNIMEDresearchwasconcluded(June2018),theNationalErasmusOfficerinLibyawas still under appointment, and this represented a severe limit for the definition of a nationalstrategy to exploit the benefits offered by the Erasmus+ programme. The nomination of Mr. AliBakeer (fromMisurataUniversity) as the newNational ErasmusOfficer in the period between theendof2018andthebeginningof2019,mayfillthisdelayandpushtheLibyanUniversitiestowardsamore comprehensive and coherent action in taking advantage of the opportunities opened by theEuropeanCommission.TheNEOwillhopefullyplayamediatorrolebetweenEuropeandtheLibyanHigherEducation Institutionsbypushingbothsystemstowardsamutualunderstanding in termsofneedsandopportunities.

The cooperation through European Commission funded projects

According to our sources, before 2012 therewere no Libyan institutions involved in any Europeanfunded project. The first European project inwhich LibyanUniversitieswere involvedwas FOCUS-FosteringQualityAssuranceCultureatLibyanUniversities,startedin2011.Please find below the list of projects funded by the European Commission in the framework ofErasmus+ as describedby the EuropeanCommission itself in the Erasmus+ for higher education inLibyapaperpublishedonMarch201866.At themoment this current researchwasconcluded (June2018), UNIMED was able to providemore detailed information on several European programmesinvolving(ornot)Libyanuniversities.Thesedataarereported inthefollowingtablesanddedicatedsheets67.

Internationalcreditmobility(ICM)

2017 2016 2015

ProposalsreceivedinvolvingLibya 6 3 6

ProjectsselectedinvolvingLibya 4 2 4

StudentsandstaffmovingtoEurope 27 11 21

StudentsandstaffmovingtoLibya 5 0 0

Percentageofregionalbudget 0.35 0.14 0.41

66 https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/erasmus-plus/factsheets/neighbourhood/erasmusplus_libya_2017.pdf (Last access June 2018). 67 The list has to be intended as non exhaustive and it is open to external contribution by sending an email to authors at [email protected]

44

ErasmusMundusJointMasterDegrees68

2017 2016 2015 2014

TotalEMJMDsselected 39 27 15 11

Totalproposalsreceived 122 92 76 61

ProposalsreceivedinvolvingLibya 0 0 0 0

EMJMDsselectedinvolvingLibya 0 0 0 0

FullpartnersfromLibyainEMJMDs 0 0 0 0

AssociatesfromLibyainEMJMDs 0 0 0 0

Capacity-buildingforHigherEducationprojects

2017 2016 2015

Proposalsreceivedincalloverall 833 736 515

Projectsselectedincalloverall 149 147 138

ProposalsreceivedinvolvingLibya 3 2 5

ProjectsselectedinvolvingLibya 1 2 1

ProjectscoordinatedbyLibya 0 0 0

LibyainJeanMonnet

2017 2016 2015 2014

Proposalsreceivedincalloverall 1117 1034 879 493

Projectsselectedincall 238 270 260 212

ApplicationsfromLibya 0 0 0 0

SelectedprojectsfromLibya 0 0 0 0

NetworksinvolvingpartnersfromLibya 0 0 0 0

68 Regarding EM Master’s scholarships Libya it can be noted that from 2004 until 2017 (in 13 years) Libya HE system benefited of only 3 scholarships (200 and 2012 from global budget and 2017 from regional budget). Regarding EM Doctoral fellowships (2010-17) no fellowship has been awarded for nationals of Libya.

45

EuropeanCommission

TEMPUS FOCUS-FosteringQualityAssuranceCultureatLibyanUniversities

Start:15/10/2011-End:14/07/2015ProjectReference:517399-TEMPUS-1-2011-1-ESTEMPUS-JPGR

EUGrant:396,053.01EURCoordinatedby:UniversidaddeAlicante

Partners:UniversityofCollegeCork,RoyalInstituteofTechnology,LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity,OmarAl-MukhtarUniversity,UniversityofBenghazi,Högskoleverket(SwedishNational

AgencyforHigherEducation)

The project objective addresses the development of sustainable Quality Culture andCapacity Building in Libyan Universities. As its title suggests, the project FOCUSes onsupporting themodernisation agendaof Libyanuniversities through thepromotionofQA and enhancingquality awareness at theuniversity level. FOCUS,more specifically,aims at developing a viable and sustainable QA system within Libyan universitiesthrough the implementation of a capacity building programme, the development of aquality strategic plan and the enhancement of QA methodologies and mechanisms,whichareinlinewiththenationalandTempuspriority.

46

EuropeanCommission

FP7WELL-WaterandEnergyforLifeinLibya

Start:01-07-2012-End:31-12-2014

ProjectReference:295143EUGrant:495,769.27 EUR

Coordinatedby:GeneralWaterauthority-AlghiraanJanzour,Libya Partners:CentrodeInvestigaciónde.RecursosyConsumosEnergéticos(CIRCE),REDINNSRL,

FundacióCTMCentreTecnològic.

TheWELLproject(WaterandEnergyforLifeinLibya)aimstostrengthenthecapacitiesoftheGeneralWaterAuthoritywhileturningitintoaninternationalcentreofexcellenceand reinforcing the cooperation capacities and researchactivities in Libya’swater andenergysectorsbydefiningresearchpriorities inwaterandenergytorespondtosocio-economicneeds,facilitatingparticipationintheEuropeanwaterresearchinitiativesandinclusion in the European Research Area. Europe needs to improve its knowledge ontheseareas.Waterandenergychallengesaresosensitivetoclimaticcircumstances,andthereforetoclimate change. The EU needs well developed data-sets and models to be able toidentify thebest responses to the current – and future -water and energy problems.The development of new technologies and approaches are needed to tackle theseproblems.ThistaskcannotbeperformedwithoutthecoordinationoftheEUwithothercountries,especiallythoseclosercountriesthatarefacingsimilarproblems,as it istheLibyacase.Considering the actual crisis (water shortage) in Libya, theWELL project represents amodel to overtake “standard” CSA project, pointing out the importance of theGovernanceinsidetheTripleHelix(Policy,ResearchandBusiness)inLibyaandfosteringcapacitiesofGWAtoparticipateatFP7calls.

ThespecificobjectivesoftheWELLprojectare:

! Bettercoordinationbetweenpolicy,researchandbusinessinLibya.! Enablingbetterparticipationinframeworkprogrammes.! EnhancementofEU-LibyaS&Tpartnershipinenergyandwaterresearch.! Capacitybuildingforsolvingspecificenergyandwaterissues.! GWA’sstrengtheningandcooperationcapacityreinforcement.! Energyandwaterresearchresultsdissemination.! FosteringinnovationinLibyathroughactiveparticipationofSMEsinFP7.! Increase jobopportunities thatencouragegenderequality in Libya, inparticular

foryoungscientists.

47

EuropeanCommission

TEMPUS

BUCUM-BuildingCapacityinUniversityManagement

Start:15-10-2012-End:14-10-2016

ProjectReference:530485-TEMPUS-1-2012-1-UK-TEMPUSJPGREUGrant:1,073,137.74EURwebsite:www.bucum.eu

Coordinatedby:CardiffMetropolitanUniversityPartners:SalamancaUniversity,IonianUniversity,LaSapienzaUniversity,MagnaChartaObservatory,EuropeanStudentUnion,OselConsultancy,Shooflypublishing,Leadershipfoundation,ArabAcademyforScienceandTechnology,AlexandriaUniversity,SuezCanalUniversity,SuperiorInstituteforScienceandTechnology,CadiAyyadUniversity,LebaneseUniversity,ModernUniversityofBusinessandScience,MisurataUniversity,Universityof

Zawia,MOELibya,MOHEEgypt,MOHELebanon,MOHEMorocco.

ThisisaregionalJEPinGovernanceReforminvolvingtenuniversitiesinLibya,Morocco,EgyptandLebanonsatisfyingtheregionalpriority‘UniversityManagementandStudentServices’.Thewiderobjectiveoftheproject istodemonstratethatgoodmanagementpracticescanbuild sustainableHEcooperationbetweennations.Theprojectdoes thisbyaddressing thechallenges facing themanagementofaglobaluniversity in the21stCentury. There are five specific objectives which are: 1. To identify the commondeficiencies in University Management throughout the four partner countries. 2. Totrain/retrain university staff in newmanagement approaches including short courses,Master level modules and e-learning material. 3. To establish centres of goodgovernanceateachpartneruniversity.4.Toinstallrigorousqualityassuranceprocesses.5. To demonstrate thatwith goodmanagement, strong bridges can be built betweenfourENPIcountries.Theprojectwilladviseonkeymanagementskillsandstructuresanduse a ‘training the trainers’methodologywhere fifty trainerswill be trained. Initially,commonneedswillbe identifiedbyascopingprocess ledbytheUKbasedLeadershipFoundation. These results will feed back to the development of a number of shortcourses,Master’slevelmodulesandanAdaptive,web-basedLearningSystem.Thiswillenable three levels of management to be addressed: existing managers, aspiringmanagers and potentialmanagers (graduate studentswhowish to pursue a career inuniversitymanagement). TheMaster’smodules can be assembled to form aMaster'sdegree in University Management. The short courses will be accredited by theuniversities and the four Ministries will accredit the new Master’s programme. EachpartnerUniversitywillformaCentreofGoodGovernancewhichwillbethefocusforthetrainingandnetworking.Thecentreswillbedisseminatingagentsandensurethelong-termsustainabilityoftheprojectoutcomes.

48

TEMPUS

UNIGOV-ModernisingUniversityGovernanceandManagementinLibya

Start:15-10-2012-End:14-10-2015ProjectReference:530720-TEMPUS-1-2012-1-ESTEMPUS-JPGR

EUGrant:885,128.93EURwebsite:www.tempus-unigov.eu

Coordinatedby:UniversidaddeAlicantePartners:LondonMetropolitanUniversity,SlovakUniversityofTechnologyinBratislava,

TallinnUniversityofTechnology,LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity,SebhaUniversity,UniversityofElmergib,UniversityofBenghazi,MisurataUniversity,UniversityofZawia,

OmarAl-MukhtarUniversity, MOELibya

ModernisingUNIversityGOVernanceandManagement in Libya is a three-yearprojectco-fundedbytheEuropeanCommission’sTempusprogramme.ItaimsatfacilitatingandreinforcingtheongoinggovernancereformsinLibyanhighereducationsystemthroughenhancing accountability and promoting institutional autonomy. Libyan highereducationinstitutions(HEIs)andresearchactivitieswereoncecompletelysupportedbythecountry.However,theyarenowexposedtoanewandfree-marketeconomyafterthecivilwaranddramaticpoliticalreform.IncreasingconcernshaveraisedonfinancingandgovernanceofHEIsinthecountryandinfact,itisoneofthemainchallengesintheeducationsystem.WiththesupportoftheLibyanMinistryofHigherEducationandScientificResearch,sixpublicandoneprivateuniversities inLibyawillworktogetherwithfourEuropeanHEIs(see partners) to achieve these specific objectives: ensuring sound financialmanagement and financial accountability and strengthening universities networkingcapacities.

49

EuropeanCommission

TEMPUSMC-EnMaDevelopmentandImplementationofaMasterCourse"EnergyManagement"inthree

LibyanUniversities

Start:1/12/2013-End:31/11/2017ProjectReference:544603-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-DE-TEMPUS-JPCR

EUGrant:722,503.58EURCoordinatedby:HamburgUniversityofTechnology

Partners:UniversitàdegliStudidiFirenze,UniversityofInnsbruck,UniversitatAutònomadeBarcelona,SebhaUniversity,UniversityofBenghazi,UniversityofTripoli

Goal of the Mc-EnMa project is to support Libyan universities during the ongoingrestructuring process after the civil war on their way tomeet European higher educationstandards in the medium term. Additionally, a contribution to an improved energymanagement within the Libyan energy system will be made taking e.g. environmentalaspects into consideration.Due to huge oil and gas resources the Libyan energy system isprimarily based on fossil fuels so far, even though there is great potential in renewableenergies-especiallyfortheuseofdirectsolarradiationforheatand/orelectricitygenerationaswellaswindforelectricityprovision.ThusthespecificgoaloftheMc-EnMaprojectisthedevelopment and implementation of a Master Course "Energy Management" given thestudentsadetailed insight intoallaspects related toenergywitha special focusonLibyanconditions.Thisincludesaspectslikeenergyefficiency,energytradingandmarkets,fossilandrenewable sources of energy as well as energy transport, energy use and sustainabilityaspects.ThisMCwillbeimplementedinthreeuniversitiesinLibya.Itwillbedesignedtobeeasily transferable to other universities with a similar structure. To ensure high-qualityresults as well as a sustainable implementation within the Libyan partner universities aqualitymanagement systemwillbe implemented throughout theoverallprojectaswell asthe Master Course itself. This includes e.g. a "train the trainer"-course and a qualityassessment system for the various courses. The content of the courseswill be available inEnglishaswellasprobably inArabic tocontributetoan incrementalopeningof theLibyanuniversitiestonon-Arabicstudents.TheparticipatinguniversitiesfromLibyawillalsodevelopapromotionkittomakethisMCmorepopularintheircountry.Besidesthis,thecontentofthedifferentcourseswillbemadeavailableonthewebtoalloweasyaccessforallstudents.

50

EuropeanCommission

FP7STAGE-STE-ScientificandTechnologicalAllianceforGuaranteeingtheEuropeanExcellencein

ConcentratingSolarThermalEnergy

Start:01-02-2014-End:31-01-2018ProjectReference:609837website:www.stage-ste.euEUGrant:9,997,207EUR

Coordinatedby:CentrodeInvestigacionesEnergéticas,MedioambientalesyTecnológicas(CIMEAT)

LibyanPartners:Thecenterforsolarenergyresearchandstudies(CSERS)

ConcentratingSolarThermalEnergyencompassesSolarThermalElectricity (STE),SolarFuels,SolarProcessHeatandSolarDesalination thatarecalled toplayamajor role inattainingenergysustainability inourmodernsocietiesduetotheiruniquefeatures:1)Solar energy offers the highest renewable energy potential to our planet; 2) STE canprovidedispatchablepower ina technicallyandeconomicallyviableway,bymeansofthermal energy storage and/or hybridization, e.g. with biomass. However, significantresearcheffortsareneeded toachieve thisgoal. This IntegratedResearchProgramme(IRP) engages all major European research institutes, with relevant and recognisedactivities on STE and related technologies, in an integrated research structure tosuccessfullyaccomplishthefollowinggeneralobjectives:a)ConverttheconsortiumintoareferenceinstitutionforconcentratingsolarenergyresearchinEurope,creatinganewentity with effective governance structure; b) Enhance the cooperation between EUresearch institutions participating in the IRP to create EU added value; c) Synchronizethedifferentnationalresearchprogramstoavoidduplicationandtoachievebetterandfaster results; d) Accelerate the transfer of knowledge to the industry in order tomaintain and strengthen theexisting European industrial leadership in STE; e) Expandjoint activities among research centres by offering researchers and industry acomprehensiveportfolioofresearchcapabilities,bringingaddedvaluetoinnovationandindustry-driven technology; f) Establish the European reference association forpromoting and coordinating international cooperation in concentrating solar energyresearch.Tothatend,thisIRPpromotesCoordinationandSupportActions(CSA)and,inparallel, performs Coordinated Projects (CP) covering the full spectrum of currentconcentrating solar energy research topics selected to provide the highest EU addedvalueandfillingthegapsamongnationalprograms.

51

EuropeanCommission

TEMPUSTuningMEDA-TuningMiddleEastandNorthAfrica

Start:1/12/2013-End:30/11/2016

ProjectReference:543948-TEMPUS-1-2013-1-ES-TEMPUS-JPCREUGrant:1,207,333.20EUR

website:www.tuningmeda.orgCoordinatedby:UniversityofDeusto

Partners:RijksuniversiteitGroningen,LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalSciences,LondonSchoolofEconomicsandPoliticalSciences,AristotleUniversityofThessaloniki,

Universited’Angers,UniversitàDegliStudiDiPadova,UniversityofMalta,UniversityofCyprus,IslamicUniversityofGaza,InternationalUniversityforScienceandTechnology,Arab

InternationalUniversity,TheSyrianConsultingBureauforDevelopmentandInvestment,YarmoukUniversity,JordanUniversityofScienceandTechnology,HashemiteUniversity,

AssociationofArabUniversities,UniversityofMonastir,UniversityofJendouba,UniversityofTunis,ModernUniversityforBusinessandScience,HolySpiritUniversityofKaslik,UniversityofBalamand,BeirutArabUniversity,DirectorateGeneralOfHigherEducation,Lebanon,

LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity,OmarAl-MukhtarUniversity,UniversitéMouloudMammerideTiziouzou,Universitéd’Alger1,UniversityMohammedFirst,UniversitéMoulayIsmail,CairoUniversity,SuezCanalUniversity,PalestineAhliyehUniversityCollege/Bethlehem

The TuningMEDA project is aimed at the implementation of the Bologna tools in SouthernNeighbouring Area universities by building a framework of comparable, compatible andtransparentprogrammesofstudies.Inordertoachievethis,fourspecificobjectiveshavebeenidentified: toapplytheTuningmethodology inuniversitiesofSNA in foursubjectareas:LawandGoodGovernanceincludingHumanRights;HealthcareandNursing;ConstructionTrades,Engineering and Architecture; Tourism; to develop Tuning Reference Points in four subjectareas; to develop, implement, monitor and improve degree programmes for the first cycleprogrammes; and to promote regional and international cooperation between SNA and EUuniversities.TheprojectisdesignedtofacilitatethemodernisationofhighereducationinSNAby applying the Tuning methodology for the development of the degree programmes inpartner universities and development of the following lines: curricula design and delivery,employabilityofgraduates, recognitionof thedegreeprograms,qualityofhighereducation,and staff training. Themainoutput andoutcomesof theproject include:Awell-establishedgroup of trained academics andmanagers, Reference Points for the design and delivery ofdegree programmes Law and Good Governance including Human Rights; Healthcare andNursing; Construction Trades, Engineering and Architecture; Tourism; Four BA DegreeProgrammeProfiles,FourStudentLearningGuidesandDegreeProgrammeCurricula;RegionalSeminars; International Conferences; High Level International Policy Forums; Multilingualinteractivewebsite.

52

EuropeanCommission

Erasmus+,KA2–Capacity-buildingintheFieldofHigherEducation

ENROL-EmpoweringandNetworkingtheInternationalRelationshipsOfficesoftheLibyanUniversitySystem

Start:15-10-2015-End:14-05-2018ProjectReference:561654-EPP-1-2015-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

EUGrant:711,533EURwebsite:www.enrol.eu

Coordinatedby:UniversitàdellaCalabriaPartners:UNIMED,MediterraneanUniversitiesUnion,UniversidaddeGranada,UniversidaddeEvora,SirteUniversity,UniversityofTripoli,UniversityofZawia,MisurataUniversity.

Libya is undergoing a phase of dramatic changes with an inherent instability, which willhopefully find a positive solution in the near future, but the Libyan University system isstrugglingtoenhanceitspresenceontheInternationalScenarioinordertoexploitinfullitshigh potential in terms of knowledge and capabilities. In order to do this, the role ofInternational Relationships Offices is absolutely crucial and for these reasons the ENROLproposal is being submitted with a wide participation of Libyan Universities. Its specificobjectivesare: tobring theparticipatingLibyanAcademic Institutionscloserandcloser totheir European counterparts inorder to strengthen the cooperationand theexchangeofmutualbenefits.ThisMainobjectivecanbearticulated inthefollowingsubobjectives: toenhance the internationalization capabilities of International Relationships Offices of theinvolved Libyan Universities; to develop the networking among Libyan Academicinstitutions soas tomaximise the synergiesbetween themand the sharingofknowledgeand experiences regarding the internationalization process; To improve the operationalfunctioning of the IROs by strengthening the Quality Assurance and the financialmanagementsoastoguaranteebetterresultsofoperations. Itsmainexpectedoutcomesare: increased performance of International Relationships Offices (IRO) thanks to theextensive trainingdelivered to thestaff;The IROsarenetworkedand therefore they takeadvantage of the synergies coming from knowledge sharing; An e-learning platformwithonlinecoursesonthefunctioningofIROsandanonlineknowledgebaseareavailabletoallinterestedparties; TheAdministrative andquality assurance systemsof the target LibyanUniversities are in place. Hence the main impact expected is in terms of an enhancedpresenceandconnectionoftheLibyanUniversitiesontheEuropeanscenario.

53

EuropeanCommission

Horizon20205TOI_4EWAS-QuintupleHelixApproachtoTargetedOpenInnovationinEnergy,Water,

AgricultureintheSouthMediterraneanNeighborhood

Start:01-03-2016-End:28-02-2019ProjectReference:692523EUGrant:1,949,644.00EUR

Coordinatedby:UniversidadAutonomadeBarcelonaPartners:INNOVABIC–BusinessInnovationCentresrl,INNOLABSsrl,UNIMED,

MediterraneanUniversitiesUnion,EURECEESVFachhochschuleMünster,CentreForRenewableEnergySourcesAndSavingFondation,ITEMSInternational,GIRAFPMServicesGmbH,BerytechFoundation,An-NajahNationalUniversity,AgenceNationaleDeProtectionDeL’environnement,AgenceNationaleDeValorisationDesRésultatsDeLaRechercheEtDu

DéveloppementTechnologique-Algeria,MinistryofHigherEducationAndScientificResearch-Tunisia,AssociationR&DMAROC,InstitutNationalDeLaRechercheAgronomiqued'Algérie-Algeria,UnitedNationsEconomicandSocialCommissionforWesternAsia,AQAC,TurkiyeBilimselVeTeknolojikArastirmaKurumu,RoyalScientificSociety-Jordan,Chambre

DeCommerceEtd’IndustrieDuCentre-Tunisia,FederationofEgyptianIndustries/EnvironmentalComplianceOfficeandSustainableDevelopment,UniversityEngineering

ConsultingOffice-Libya,Ministèredel’EnseignementSupérieur,delaRechercheScientifiqueetdelaFormationdesCadres,DirectiondelaTechnologie,Morocco

The 5TOI_4EWAS project is focused on Targeted Open Innovation in energy, water andagriculture societal challenges through a balanced innovation-friendly ecosystem in theSouthern Mediterranean Neighborhood (SMN) based on quintuple helix and NEXUSapproach. The project will enhance and support regional smart specialization anddevelopment by increasing research capacity, effective mobility of younginnovators/researchers and shared knowledge to improve their participation in the EUresearcharea.Itwillcontributetotheestablishmentoffavourableandstableconditionsforinternationalcooperationandtheset-upofaCommonKnowledgeandInnovationSpaceofspecialization in the SMN for a real socio-economic impact, based on co-ownership andmutualbenefits.

54

EuropeanCommission

Erasmus+,KA2–Capacity-buildingintheFieldofHigherEducationEuNIT–EuropeanprojectdesigNandmanagementIntheSouthMediTerraneanregion

Start:15-10-2016-End:14-10-2019ProjectReference:573522-EPP-1-2016-1-FR-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

EUGrant:1,000,000EURwebsite:www.eunitproject.eu

Coordinatedby:Aix-MarseilleUniversitéPartners:UNIMED,MediterraneanUniversitiesUnion,UniversitàdegliStudidiRoma“LaSapienza”,UniversitàdiMessina,UniversidadedeSantiagodeCompostela,UniversitatdeBarcelona,UniversitéNiceSophiaAntipolis,UniversityofSplit,PrincessSumayaUniversity

forTechnology,YarmoukUniversity,UniversitéAntonin,UniversitéSaint-JosephdeBeyrouth,UniversityofBalamand,MisurataUniversity,UniversityofTripoli,Universityof

Zawia.

EuNIT targets the management and operation of HEIs in Jordan, Lebanon and Libya byfocusing on increasing their international activity. In order for HEIs in these countries toincrease their participation in international cooperation projects and benefit fromopportunitiesavailabletothemthroughprogrammessuchasErasmus+,H2020andENI,theyrequiregreaterexpertiseinprojectdesignandmanagement.EuNITaimstoequiptheseHEIswith the necessary skills and resources. It will produce: -A comprehensive trainingprogramme for 24 selected staff from 8 partner HEIs in Jordan, Lebanon and Libya,combining theory, practical work and international travel, adapted to the needs of SouthMediterranean HEIs to enable them to increase their participation in EU initiatives andinternational cooperation. -8 EU project design and management units dedicated to EUcooperation and researchprojects set up in partnerHEIs in Jordan, Lebanonand Libya. -AregionalnetworkbringingtogetherHEIsintheSouthMediterraneanregionfortheexchangeof good practices and experience in project design andmanagement. -2 external trainingsessionsrunbyJordanian,LebaneseandLibyantrainersreachingouttoHEIsacrossJordan,Lebanon&Libyatargeting80staff.-MassiveOpenOnlineCourses inEUprojectdesignandmanagement accessible to all HEIs. The project aims to impact the 8 partner HEIs fromJordan, Lebanonand Libya. Then, thedissemination strategywill enableactivities to reachfirstly all HEIs in Jordan, Lebanon and Libya and secondly other Partner Countries in theSouth Mediterranean region. HEIs in the countries concerned should become moreindependent indesigningandmanagingEUprojects,beingable to increase theamountofproject applications they submit, and targeting more closely their needs in terms ofdevelopingandmodernisingtheirHEI.Tothiseffect,HEIsintheSouthMediterraneanregionwillbeabletodevelopsustainableinternationalpartnership

55

EuropeanCommission

Erasmus+KA2–Capacity-buildingintheFieldofHigherEducation

INSTARTProject–Euro-AfricanNetworkofExcellenceforEntrepreneurshipandInnovation

Start:15-10-2016-End:14-10-2019

ProjectReference:573967-EPP-1-2016-1-ES-EPPKA2-CBHE-JPEUGrant:704,491.66EUR

Coordinatedby:UniversidaddeLasPalmasdeGranCanariaPartners:(OnlyforLibya)*UniversityofZawia,MisurataUniversity.

ThemainobjectiveoftheINSTARTprojectistoimprovetheknowledgetriangleeducation-innovation-research by promoting innovation in Universities in the SouthMediterraneanregionandtransferoftechnologyfromuniversitiestoenterprises inorderto increasethelevelof innovationandtechnology insouthMediterraneansociety ingeneral throughtheimplementation of a Network of Excellence for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Bothconcepts of entrepreneurship and innovation give businesses the ability to promote andsustainthedynamicsandprocessesofcreativitybasedmainlyonidentification,design,andoptimizationof innovation,whetherstrategic, technological,organizationalandsocialandextendingtheiractivitiestoothersectors.Thisnetworkofexcellencewillfocusontraining,expertiseandtheexchangeofknow-howbetweenthemembersoftheconsortiumthatcanbe beneficial for twomain categories: - Businesses seeking to grow through innovation -Universitygraduateswhowant tocreate theirownbusinesses.Thetrainingwillbe in theformof short coursesandseminars inentrepreneurshipand innovation.Expertisewillbeconducted through technical actions: diagnostics, workshops, putting into practiceinnovative ideas… etc. Entrepreneurship will also include a component to support thecreation of a business. This modernization of training programs and new methods ofinteraction with the business sector will be reinforced by developing teachers’ trainingthroughthecreationofnewcurricula,andimprovementinthelevelofexpertiseinthefieldofentrepreneurshipand innovation.Theproject suggestsa value-building strategyof theresults of training and research in "Management of innovation and entrepreneurship"through the transferof knowledgeacquired in theproject to theeconomic sector. Todothis,theprojectaimsatthecreationbyprofessorsandexpertsfromeachinstitution,ofacircleofknowledgeandknow-howonthemanagementofinnovationandentrepreneurshiptosustaintheachievementsoftheproject.

*DuethehugeamountofpartnerswelistedonlytheLibyanbeneficiaries.TheConsortiumiscomposedof4Universities,andoneScientificandTechnologicalPark fromEUcountries -Spain,Portugal, ItalyandPoland-and12Universities fromAlgeria,Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia with support from social partners as Chambers of Commerce, Clusters, Networks andAssociationsfromtheseMEDcountries.Thefulllistishereavailable:http://instart.ulpgc.es/partners/(LastaccessMay2019).

56

EuropeanUnion

SupporttoLibyaforEconomicIntegration,DiversificationandSustainableDevelopment(SLEiDSE)

Start:2016End:2019website:www.sleidse.org

Coordinatedby:ExpertiseFrancePartners:InternationalTradeCentre,ChambredeCommerceFranco-Libyenne,LibyanMinistry

ofPlanning,LibyanMinistryofFinance,TripoliUniversity,BenghaziUniversity,ZawiaUniversity,SebhaUniversity,SirteUniversity,AjdabiyaUniversity,MisurataUniversity,Omar

AlMukhtarUniversity,AlGabalAlGharbiUniversity,LibyanMunicipalities(Bani-walidMunicipality,GhryainMunicipality,JaloMunicipality,SukalGommaMunicipality,TurbokMunicipality),Libyanenterprises(LibyanEnterpriseIncubators–Tripoli,LibyanEnterprise

Incubators–Benghazi,LibyanEnterpriseIncubators–Misurata)Support to Libya for Economic Integration, Diversification and Sustainable Development(SLEiDSE) is a four-year programme funded by the European Union and implemented byExpertiseFrance.ItaimstopromotethedevelopmentofadynamicanddiversifiedMicro,SmallandMediumEnterpriseSector(MSME)inallregionsofLibya,capableofcreatingemploymentand livelihoods for Libyans, and in particular for women and youth, through widely andaccessibleMSMEsupportservices.Therefore,itsupportsyoungandwomenentrepreneurswhowanttodeveloptheirownactivitiesand lackresources,knowledgeandsupport.For instance,SLEIDSEprogrammeprovidesfutureentrepreneurswithonlinetrainingsessions inpartnershipwithITC.Inapost-crisiscontext,whereunemploymentreachesrecordsanddomesticeconomyishighlydependent on oil-related activities, supporting the youth in creating and developing privatebusinesses is a crucial issue for Libya. Its objective is to open the way for a sustainablediversification of the economy and a domestic growth based on awide panelof activities. Inwidely opening its service offer to young Libyans, SLEIDSE Programme is an ambitiouscontributiontopavethewayforabetterfutureinLibya.Inorder toachieve theseobjectives,SLEIDSEprogrammerealisesaseriesofactivities incloserelation with major economic players in Libya: to support the development of young andwomenentrepreneurswhowanttodeveloptheirownactivitiesandlackresources,knowledgeandsupport; to improve theattractivenessofentrepreneurcareersamong theyouthand thewomen, communicatingon theentrepreneurship anddeveloping amentoringprogramme; toimproveaccesstofinancetoMSMEsandentrepreneursbysetting-upcreditlinesandguaranteefund in close cooperation with the Libyan authorities and financial institutions; to raise thecapacities of business support organizations so they can give strong support to MSMs andentrepreneurs.

57

EuropeanCommission

Erasmus+,KA2–Capacity-buildingintheFieldofHigherEducation

EnBRAIN-BuildingcapacityinrenewableandsustainableenergyforLibya

Start:15-10-2017-End:14-10-2020ProjectReference:586221-EPP-1-2017-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

EUGrant:743,136EURwebsite:www.enbrain-project.comCoordinatedby:PolitecnicodiTorino

Partners:UNIMED,MediterraneanUniversitiesUnion,UniversitatdeBarcelona,UniversidaddeEvora,SirteUniversity,UniversityofTripoli,UniversityofZawia,MisurataUniversity,Sebha

University

Africa is a crucial player to tackle the world energy challenge since major global energy,climateandsustainablegoalsdependonthefutureofthisregion.EnergydemandinAfricawill increase by 50% from 2012 to 2040 according to the International Energy Agency.AlthoughAfricangreenhousegaseswillsharearound5%ofglobalemissionsat2040,majorclimate change impacts will hit this vulnerable region with extreme weather events andsocio-economicdisruptions.Finally,theachievementof2030SustainableDevelopmentgoalswilldependonhowtheaccesstoaffordable,reliable,sustainableandmodernenergywillbeprovided in Africa. Beyond these challenges, energy can be a game-changer to promotesustainabledevelopmentinAfrica.NorthernAfricahasakeyrolebecauseofitsoverlookingposition on Europe, its historical tradition in the energy field and the huge potential inrenewable sources. Libya has the largest proven oil reserves in Africa as well as a hugepotential for renewable energy, however, the country still depends on fossil fuels. Thecurrentconflictanditsreflectionontheenergyscenehavemadeurgentatransitionofthenational energy system. The overall objective of this proposal is to develop an innovativeeducationalplatformbasedonnewcoursesanddigital toolsabletocapturethedisruptingchangesofthefutureenergytransitionbasedonthegrowinguseofrenewableenergyandaccess tomodern energy services. AMaster in Renewable and Sustainable Energywill beconceivedbasedonamulti-levelapproachtocapacitybuilding.Inaddition,theprojectaimstoengagecitizensinsustainabilityviathecreationofaMOOCforcitizens.Inthelong-term,this project will affect three target groups including 1) government, with an increase ofeconomic development and job creation, 2) organizations, with a multi-stakeholdercommitment from the public to the private sector, and 3) individuals,with an increase ofskillsandengagement.

58

EuropeanCommission


WHEEL–NetworkfortheModernisationoftheHigherEducationSectorinLibya

Start:15/01/2019-End:14/01/2022ProjectReference:598610-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP

EUGrant:997,997EURCoordinatedby:UniversityofGenova

Partners:UniversidaddeAlicante,Al-AsmaryaIslamicUniversity,BaniWaleedUniversity,LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversity,MisurataUniversity,SebhaUniversity,SirteUniversity,UniversityofBenghazi,UniversityofElmergib,UniversityofTripoli,UniversityofZawia.

WHEEL is a logical next step to act on the findings from theUNIGOV project on themainchallenges facing Libyan HEIs. In a divided country, with no reliable countrywide HE datacollection since the outbreak of the 2011 revolution, a vision of the role of HE ismissing.Libyan universities are limited in their ability to collaborate& share knowledge. They alsosufferfromlackoffunding,poortechnologicalcapabilitiesandnopossibilitiesofprofessionaldevelopment.To address all of the above, WHEEL will formalise a Network of HEIs to foster inter-institutional collaboration and dialogue and to allow the Consortium, which representsaround75%of Libya’suniversitypopulation, toactasaunifiedvoice in lobbying forpolicydevelopments. The Network will gather a comprehensive dataset of current HE statisticscollectedthroughtheWHEELproject(Blueprintpolicydocument).Thecreationofanonlineplatform to facilitate the activities of this Network will be accompanied by technologicalupgrades within each Libyan HEI. Themain efforts will go towards improving institutionalmanagement,capacityandotherkeyfunctions(qualityassurance,developmentofresearch&innovationcapacities,etc.)throughaseriesof‘trainthetrainer’workshopsandregional&nationalconferences.As the Libyan members of the Consortium will own all outcomes and products after theprojectends,theWHEELNetworkanditsfindingswillbesustainableinthelong-term.Intheshortterm,theConsortium’sinstitutionalandtechnologicalcapacitieswillbeimprovedandtheHEIswill possess qualified and trained staff to continue to progress these capabilities.Effective regional& national dissemination through newsletters& socialmediawill attractnon-member HEIs to the Network, which will gain a critical mass to influence policy andpromotedevelopment inother localHEIs, but also to continue todevelopandexpand theNetwork,whichcrossespoliticalandgeographicalborders.

59

EuropeanCommission


PAgES,Post-CrisisJournalisminPost-CrisisLibya:ABottom-upApproachtotheDevelopmentofaCross-MediaJournalismMasterProgram

Start:15/01/2019-End:14/01/2022

ProjectReference:598349-EPP-1-2018-1-IT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JPEUGrant:890,892.00EUR

website:www.pages-project.lyCoordinatedby:LiberaUniversitàdiLingueeComunicazione–IULM

Partners:UNIMED,UnionedelleUniversitàdelMediterraneo,UniversidadedeAveiro,UniversidaddeGranada,SapienzaUniversitàdiRoma,UniversityofTripoli,SirteUniversity,

MisurataUniversity,UniversityofZawia

PAgESaimsat contributing to themodernizationof theHE in Libya throughabottom-upapproach for the design and pilot of a Master Course in Cross-Media Journalism. TheMaster targetsyoungpeoplestudyingcommunicationandyoungprofessionals,whowishtospecialiseinthestrategicfieldofdigitaljournalism.TheMasterCoursewillbedesignedbymeansofaparticipatoryapproach, involvingteachersfromtheEUandLibya,studentsand journalists. Teacherswill be providedwith the required skills for the delivery of theMasterCoursethroughasetofCBinitiatives:onlineRepositoryforTrainingFaculty,onlineSpace for discussion and study visits at two EU universities. The length of the MasterCourseisof2years(120ECTS),anditwillbetaughtinEnglish.Theaimoftheprojectistopromotelocalexpertise,andweexpecttheMastertobeheldinallLibyanUniversities.Thefirstyearwillbepilotedduringthelifetimeoftheproject.“Media freedom is increasingly limited by political and criminal violence that has madeobjective reporting dangerous. Many journalists and media outlets have censoredthemselves”(FreedomintheWorldReport,2017).Theendofdictatorshiptriggeredmanyhopes,butinstitutionalchangecouldnotprovidesocietywithallinstrumentsnecessarytopoliticaldebate.Itwouldbenaive,ontheotherhand,toputfaithontechnology,accordingto a misunderstood Internet-centrism: social media can be a powerful tool, but peoplemust be trained to fully understand their utility. It is necessary to define new skills andengender a new awareness of the part played by information in the building of ademocratic country. Euro-Mediterranean cooperation is of paramount importance, withrespect to thisgoal.SpecificObjectives: toexchangebestpractices in the fieldofHEandcross-mediajournalismbymeansofananalysisofthestateoftheart;tocreateorimproveMultimediaLabs inLibyanUniversitiestosupporttechnical training; tobuildcapacitiesofstaff through a training framework and study visits at the EU universities; to develop acurriculuminCross-MediaJournalismbasedonawideconsultation;toset-upandofferaMasterPrograminCross-MediaJournalisminLibya.

60

EuropeanCommission


LibyaUp-LabsofInnovationandBusinessforYoungActorsofstartUP

Start:15/11/2019-End:14/11/2022

ProjectReference:610482-EPP-1-2019-1-IT-EPP-KA2-CBHE-JPEUGrant:961,650.00

Coordinatedby:LinkCampusUniversity

Partners:FAKULTETAZAUPORABNEDRUZBENESTUDIJEVNOVIGORICIZAVOD(Slovenia),PARAGONLIMITED(Malta),UniversityofBenghazi,BrightStarUniversity,ElmergibUniversity,GharyanUniversity,MisurataUniversity,LibyanAcademyMisurata,SebhaUniversity,GulfofSidra

University,SirteUniversity,UniversityofTripoli,UniversityofZawia

The project aims to increase the cultural and entrepreneurial contribution of LibyanUniversities in the country's economic and social growth process. The goal is to improvetheirorganizationalskillstoconnectacademicresearchactivitiestothelabourmarketandcivilsociety,inparticularthroughtheimplementationofTTO-TechnologyTransferOffices(corresponding to the UTT - Technology Transfer Offices present in some Italianuniversities). In fact, Libyan Universities need support both to improve internalorganization,andtostrengthencoordinationandnetworkingactivitiesaimedatexpandingtheir international visibility. They play a primary role in promoting national innovationprocesses,alreadypossessinghighacademiclevels.However,theywouldbeabletofurtherstimulate internal developments only if they can disseminate their research resultssufficiently. Therefore, for the Libyan academic world, TTOs represent a window on thebusiness and job market, through which showing outside research and ideas, promotecreativity,enhancesocialdialogueandintroduceyoungpeopletoprofessions.Theproject,afterananalysisof thecountry's social, legalandeconomicsituation,aswellas the levelandpotentialofscientificandtechnologicalresearchintheuniversityenvironment,focusesonthedevelopmentoftheaforementioneddissemination/promotionsystem.Activities:! Develop innovative and multidisciplinary skills to promote the activities of Libyan

Universities;! Facilitatetheexchange,flowsandknowledgecreationbetweenuniversities;! Stimulate thespiritofenterpriseand theabilityofuniversities toconduct innovative

activities;! Createanationalandinternationalnetworkonthethemesoftheproject.

61

EuropeanCommission

ErasmusMundus

AlIdrisiI&II-Ascholarshipschemeforexchangeandcooperation

betweenEuropeandNorthAfrica

website:www.al-idrisi.euCoordinatedby:UniversidaddeGranada

Partners:Karl-Franzens-UniversitätGraz,UniversitédePoitiers,UniversitéJeanMonnet,AlmaMaterStudiorum-UniversitàdiBologna,UniversitàdegliStudidiPadova,UniversidadedeCoimbra,UniversitateaAlexandruIoanCuza,UniversitédesSciencesetdelaTechnologie

d’Oran“MohamedBoudiaf”,UniversitéBadjiMokhtar,CairoUniversity,TheOpenUniversity,UniversityofZawia,MisurataUniversity,UniversitéHassan1er,UniversitéHassanII,UniversitéSidiMohammedBenAbdellah,UniversitéAbdelmalekEssaâdi,

UniversitédeMonastir,UniversitédeCarthageErasmus Mundus - Al Idrisi I & II: A scholarship scheme for exchange and cooperationbetweenEuropeandNorthAfricaisanErasmusMundusAction2-Strand1partnershipforLot1 (Algeria,Egypt,Libya,Morocco,Tunisia) thatwillestablishanactive institution-basedmobility network among 19 North African and EU partner universities and 6 associateuniversities supportedby3associate institutionsand theMinistriesofHigherEducation inthe region. The project will allow undergraduate, master and doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows and academic and administrative staff to gain valuable experience,knowledgeandcontactsabroad.SomeNorthAfricanstudentswillevenhavethepossibilitytoreturntotheirhomecountriesholdingarelevantmasterordoctoraldegree.Theprojectfocuses strongly on regional needs in North Africa and the development of specific andrelevant areas that were defined by the partners. Furthermore, the project will provideimprovededucationandtrainingopportunitiesforvulnerablegroupsandsocio-economicallydisadvantagedstudentsandpromoteequalaccesstohighereducationforstudentsfromlessdevelopedareas.

62

Quick facts on Capacity Building Action in which UNIMED has been/is involved Theprevious general scheme regarding theCapacityBuilding actionshappening right now in Libyadoesnotreallyshowtheimpactoftheseprojectsinthecountry.Farfrombeingexhaustiveandcross-cutting,we still want to express our point of view (mainly as daily Erasmus+ practitioners) on thedevelopmentoftheLibyanuniversitiesinthisregard.Inthepast3years,startingwiththeexperienceof theENROLproject,wehavewitnessedastrong improvement in themanagementofErasmus+toolsandrulesonbehalfoftheLibyanuniversitiesandstaff,withaconstantimprovementoftheirperformanceintheprogramme.Theonly closedproject is so far ENROL, butwe can already say that the trainings receivedby theLibyanPartnershavebeenalreadyexploited. Fromourexperience, thishasbeenvery clearduringthepreparationoftheproposalsforthecall2017oftheErasmus+CapacityBuildingActionwhenwereceived,asUNIMED,several requests forpartnershipandprojectproposals.Very interesting fromourdataisthatarequesttofurtherdevelopaprojectproposalcamefromtheUniversityofZawiaasa direct result of a training performed in the framework of the EuNIT project. TheUniversity staffidentifiedsomespecificneedsoftheirownsystem(namelythelackofqualityresearchcenters)andasked, throughUNIMED, the supportofEuropeanPartners toengage ina capacitybuildingaction.Theywereabletocorrectlyidentifytheneeds,imagineaproperpartnershiptoanswertheseneedsand correctly use the Erasmus+ programme to define a proper proposal. Independently from theresultsofthesubmission,thewholeprocesscanbeconsideredasafirst,tangible,positiveresultoftheErasmus+actioninthecountry,providingawarenesstotheLibyanUniversityonhowtoexploitand correctly address the Erasmus+ programme for their own benefits and for their own furtherdevelopment.

Libyan Universities in the society at large: Scientific research, industry and civil society cooperation

Scientific research Recentstudies, suchasScience,Technology, Innovation,andDevelopment in theArabCountriesbyOmarBizri,recognisedthatthelevelofresearchoutputinLibyaisrelativelylow,mainlybecauseoffourreasons:

! Limitedfundingtoresearchactivities! Lackofresearchinfrastructuresandtechnicalinadequaciesofadministrativestaff! Limited amount of time and limited skills of academic staff to perform and supervise

researchactivities! Braindraineffect.

63

Researchandinnovationactionscanbedefined,asBizrisaid,asembryonic,andseveralinternationalorganizations(WorldBank,UNESCO,UNDP)recognisedtheneedtomoveforwardtowardsamorematurephasefortheresearchandinnovationenvironmentinthecountry.TheimprovementoftheresearchcapacitiesofLibyanresearchcentreshasbeenclearlyexpressedasapriorityduringseveralmeetingswithLibyanUniversitiesandcanbeconsideredasa“naturalconsequence”ofthetrainingLibyanUniversitiesarereceivingintheframeworkofEUfundedprojects,whichprovidedthemwithnew skills and capacities. Universities are the most relevant bodies interested and engaged inscientificresearchinvariousbranchesofknowledge.Inthissense,HigherEducationInstitutionsserveto support and find solutions to society challenges, providingexperts, scientists and researchers invariousfieldsofknowledgeinadditiontomodernequipmentandlaboratories.Another key element is international mobility of academics and students, which brings importantbenefits in terms of research and development, as it enhances knowledge flows, stimulates newideas,developscooperationforjointresearchandfostersinnovation,reducingtheriskofbraindrainby creating links for sustainable cooperation. Linkages between higher education institutions andother actors, such as private firms and research centers, also may help to develop innovationsustainable systems in Libya; as well, attracting foreign researchers/companiesmay improve localcapacityandenhanceresearchcooperationbetweeninstitutions.Manyissueshavetobestudiedandanalysed in Libya, whether they are social, systemic or economical (immigration, pollution,innovation, energy, water, etc) but for the benefit of the country researches should bemore andmore driven by national academics and students, which know best the history and the context inwhichtheyliveandstudy.Forthisreasons,inthelastyearstheWorldBankGrouphasdevelopedastrategyfortheMENAregionthatintendstopromotesocialinclusion,createopportunitiesforyoungpeople, further develop regional cooperation in sectors such as education and economy, theprotectionofrefugees,expandinganddeepeningpartnershipsinternationally.According to the results of theUNIGOV (ModernisingUNIversityGOVernance andManagement inLibya) project69, which aimed (among other things) to identify the challenges of Higher EducationInstitutionsinLibya,strengtheningscientificresearchisoneofthekeypriorities.Internationalranksof universities prove right the results of the UNIGOV project, as these ranks give high portion ofpercentage to researchers citation. There are no Libyan universities among QS world universityranking in2018,noramong the first4000universitieswithinother international superior rankings.Research quality and quantity of the Libyan universities are weak compared to internationaluniversities in Europe, but also compared to other North African countries. This is due tomanyfactors,includinglackofresearchmanagement,weaknessofstaffresearchskills,lackofITskillsandlackofaccesstonationalandinternationalfunds.Obviously,thelackofsecurity inthecountryandthewar-like-statedramaticallyaffectedUniversitiesperformances.Furthermore,toourknowledgeandthroughourcontactswiththeLibyanuniversities,weareawareofonlyafewFP7andH2020researchprojectsthathavebeencarriedoutinLibyasincetheopeningupoftheprogrammestotheMENAcountries.Inthissense,thereisahugeneedtotrainuniversity

69 The project has been funded in the framework of TEMPUS programme from 2012 to 2015 (last access December 2019).

64

staffmemberstoexpandtheircapacitytobemoreinvolvedinscientificresearchprojects,sothatnewpartnershipswillbebuiltacrosstheregionandonaninternationalscale.ThiswillcomplementtheWorldBankDevelopmentstrategyintheregionandsupporttheachievementoftheLibyavision2030andsustainabledevelopmentgoalsfor2030.Theseprogramsaresupportingnotonlytraining,butalsoinclusionandeconomicsustainabilityinthecountry.But,asstatedbyFalcoandForni“inanattempt to recommend a comprehensive vision with concrete actions to start relaunching theeconomicandsocialfabric inLibya, it iscrucialtofocusonthemost immediatechallengesthatthecountry is facing. For example, [...] improving education by providing a high-quality and unifiededucation system across Libya, from primary schools to universities, is beneficial also in terms ofexpandingopportunitiesinthelabourmarket,ashumancapitalisthemostvaluableasset”70.ResponsescollectedbyLibyanHEIsstaffoftenpointout thedifficulties faced inwritingupprojectsand accessing information on funding opportunities, due to the lack of expertise and qualifiedhumanresources(academicandadministrativestaff)dedicatedtothesetasks.HEIsstruggletoputforwardtheirideasconcerningresearchesindependently.Furthermore,evenresearchmanagementisa taskwhichrequiresasetofspecificskills (e.g. financialmanagement,organizationofactivities,etc)forwhichuniversitymembersarenottrained.ThislackofexpertiseiscurtailingthepotentialofHEIstodevelopfurtheronresearchandbeinvolvedininitiativeswhichcouldbehighlybeneficialtotheirstaffandstudentsintermsofresearchandinnovation.

Industry GraduatesemployabilityisoneofthemostimportantissuesforHigherEducation,notonlyforLibyanuniversities but for HEIs worldwide. To comply with this additional mission, universities have toestablish connections among education and research and their socio-economic context. Improvingrelations between universities, industry and local authorities is necessary to improve theemployabilityofgraduatesandthesocio-economicsustainabilityofthecountry.LibyanUniversitieswere for themostpartunabletoprovideuswiththeunemploymentrateof theirgraduatesandestimates range from 4% to 90%. One of our contributors mentioned that this rate is not easilyavailable because theGraduate Offices in the General Register and the faculties themselves areinactive. Other respondentsmentioned also the absence of an Alumni Office that would help tofollow-upontheemployabilityofthegraduatedstudents.Theresultsofthesurveyandourqualitativeinterviewsshowthattheemployabilityissueisnotyetapriorityfortheuniversity,fordifferentreasons:

! mainlyduetoalackofstrategyandtools;! theuniversityalreadyplaysitspartbyhiringgraduatesonteachingpositions;! theuniversityisnotresponsibleforthat.

The Universities surveyed stated that they establish relationships with firms and companiesessentiallydue to their researchactivities, receiving fundsby theseprivateactorsmostly fordoingspecificresearch.Someinstitutionssignedagreementswithfoundations,firmsor/andpublicentities

70 https://www.ispionline.it/it/pubblicazione/libya-vision-2030-economic-development-agenda-reconciliation-20644, (Last access December 2019)

65

in order to have themhire graduates froma specific discipline. These initiatives should be furtherdevelopedandstructuredinacomprehensivestrategy,includingboththeuniversity-withitsspecificeconomic environment - and the decision-makers, for a major adequation between universityeducationandmarketneeds.

WhenaskingUniversitieshowtoinvolveenterprisesintheuniversityactivities,inordertoensureanactive and continuous communication, the following comments and suggestionsweremade by 13outof16respondents:

! therelationshipbetweenuniversityandindustryshouldbestrengthenedthroughawin/winapproach;

! thereshouldbeamajorfocusonhardsciencessuchasengineeringand/orappliedsciences;! developingacademicprogramsandresearchprogramsaccordingtothemarketneeds;! developingtraineeshipprogramsforstudents;! organisingforums,workshopandseminars;! establishingincubators.

Whenfurtherinterviewed,respondentspointedouttheneedforagreatersupportonbehalfoftheMinistryofEducationtodevelopthiscooperationandtheneedtoinstillthecultureofemployabilityintheuniversities.

Civil Society cooperation Nowadaysuniversitiesarebecomingmoreandmorerelevant in theircapacity toaddresscountry’sproblemsandassist thesocietyat large, inexploringsolutionsand facilitatenationaldevelopment,through high-quality training, international cooperation, capacity building and interactions withsocial,politicalandeconomicactors. In2012,MiladElHarathi (UniversityofBenghazi)71 said: “Thepolicy expects the Libyan universities specifically to make an optimum contribution to nationaldevelopment by intensifying and diversifying their programs for the development of high levelmanpowerwithin the contextof theneedsof thenewLibyan society. […]Thepolicyalsoprovidesthatuniversity researchwill be relevant tonewLibya’sdevelopment goals andneeds. It is evidentfrom thesepolicy expectations that theuniversity institution shouldbe thebasic think tankof theLibyan society in all areas. It should continuously generate ideas and knowledge and disseminatethem,developskillsandabilitiesinallwhoseekknowledgewithinitswalls.TheuniversityinstitutioninnewLibyashouldbethevanguardofsocietalresponsestoemergentpolitical,economic,socialandenvironmentalproblems.”

This has been also confirmed during an interview with the representatives of the InternationalRelationsOfficeof theUniversityof Tripoli: theuniversitymission is, amongothers, to serve thecommunity.Activitiesandprogrammesshouldbeconceivedtoservethesocietyandfilltheneedsofthe Libyans, the University should be the starting point for reconstructing the society. HigherEducationInstitutionsfeelthecommitmenttowardsthesociety,servethecommunity“inadirectbutinformalway”,mayandshouldbethestartingpointforreconstructingthecountry.Universitiesdo 71 M. El Harathi, Quality Assurance Concepts of Institutionalization: Some Indicators towards Higher Educational Development Policy in Libya, in “Journal of Education and Vocational Research”, 3 (10), 2012, pp. 327-331.

66

not have a specific office dealing with the emerging societal challenges, and/or an administrativebody incloseconnectionwith thecivil society,capable toput theengagementofhighereducationinstitutionstowardsthesocietyasaformalpriority.Noristhereabudgetforeseenforthepurpose.TheMinistryofEducationdoesnothaveyetaformalstrategyfortheuniversity’sthirdmission.

However,UniversitiesfromtheEastandtheWestcananddoplayanimportantroleinfillingpoliticaldivision,theykeepworkingtogetherandsupporttheadvancementofthewholecountry.

Inadditionto theseconsiderations, it is interestingtomentionwhatemergedduringan interviewwehadwith themanagerof theAjdabiyaCityCulturalCenter,whichhasbeenalsoconfirmedbyother Libyan representatives during several interactions atUNIMEDmeetings: localUniversities inthecountryaredeeplyconnectedwiththesocietylifeandareconsideredbycitizensasoneofthemost (if not the most) reliable institutions in the country. The relevance of Higher EducationInstitutionshasbeenalso confirmedby themanagerof theAjdabiyaCityCultural Centerwhenherecalledhowpeopledecidedtocomebacktotheirhousesduringthecrisisof2011and2014onlywhenUniversities startedworking again. This becomes particularly significant if we consider thatuniversities (andgenerallyspeakingthepublicsector inLibya)wereusedduringtheGaddafieratoprovidejobplacestotheunemployedcitizens.SuchsignificanceofHEIsbothintermsofstabilityandasaneconomicdrivingfactoremergednotonlyfromourqualitativeinterviews,butalsoifwehaveacloserlooktostatistics:accordingtoETF72,“thepublicsectorisperceivedasanimportantsourceofemploymentandstabilitybyLibyancitizens.Theprivatesectoremploysonlyaround4%ofthelabourforce”73.

72 ETF is the European Training Foundation, the EU agency supporting countries surrounding the European Union to reform their education, training and labour market systems. For more information please consult their website here: https://www.etf.europa.eu/en/about. 73 https://www.etf.europa.eu/sites/default/files/m/01BE9A2F283BC6B2C1257D1E0041161A_Employment%20policies_Libya.pdf (Last access December 2019)

67

Needs and cons t ra in ts o f the L ibyan HE sys tem: a SWOT ana lys is

In the framework of the current analysis,we have understood that the political interventions andstrategies for Higher Education in Libya put in place in the past decades have, on the one side,introducednewconceptsandperspectivesforteaching/learningandresearchactivities,andallowedfor the creation of new and improved institutions, but on the other side have not prepareduniversities for the “increasing demand in higher education […] That unfortunately led to theproblemsthattheLibyanuniversitiesarecurrentlyfacingsuchasstudentovercrowding,continuouschange in bylaws, leadership and organisations (merging and re-merging of universities), reducedautonomy,dissociationfromsocietalneeds,stagnationandcompromisedstudentperformances74.”Having said that,our researchhasalso identifiedaquitehighnumberofpositiveopportunities fortheLibyanHigherEducation system, supportedby the strongwillofuniversities staffmembers fortraining, advancement, cooperation, improved quality of performances. We have thereforeconducted a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) Analysis, used to evaluate thesystem current features and to develop strategic planning. A SWOT analysis assesses internal andexternalfactors,aswellascurrentandfuturepotentialones.Identifyingcorestrengths,weaknesses,opportunitiesandthreatsleadtofact-basedanalysis,freshperspectivesandnewideas.Infewwords,wehavegroupedourresultsin:

! StrengthsdescribingwhatHEIsexcelatandwhatmakesthemuniqueandvaluable;! Weaknessesdescribingwhatstopstheinstitutionfromperformingattheiroptimumlevel;! Opportunitiesrefertofavourableexternalfactorsgivingasystemanadvantageorbenefit;! Threatsrefertofactorsthathavethepotentialtoharmthesystem.

ASWOTanalysisispresentedinavisualform,asyoucanseeinthefigurebelow.OurSWOTanalysisispresented inthefollowingdedicatedpage.Theanalysishasbeenusedastheknowledgebasetodevelopasetofrecommendations.

74 M. S. Ambarek, The need for Quality Management Systems in Libyan universities, in “Libyan J Med”, 5, 2010.

68

69

Recommendations75

ThemainobjectiveoftheLibyaRestartanalysiswastosetthebasis for futurecooperationbetweenthe LibyanHigher Education Institutions and the European ones. In order to facilitate this, UNIMEDidentified needs, constraints, barriers and opportunities of national, regional and internationalinterest.TheaimofthisfinalsectionofLibyaRestartistopresentourconclusions,drawnfromtheanalysisofthequestionnairesand interviews,andasaresultof thediscussionswithourLibyancolleagues.Thescopeistogenerateasetofrecommendationsforfurtherexploitationandfutureactions.Thewiderobjective is to provide a starting point for system improvement, to be discussed with Libyans andinternationalstakeholders,asabasisforreflectionanddialogueatthe2020LibyaRestartconference.The recommendations should not be intended as “written in the stone” but rather as “food forthoughts”,asaguidelinefortheirdevelopment,expansion,revision.Recommendationsaredirect,atdifferentlevels,towardsthefollowingactors:

! LibyanInstitutionsandnationalauthorities;! LibyanUniversitiesandingeneraltothewholeLibyanHigherEducationsystem;! EuropeanUniversitiesandtheEuropeanHigherEducationsystem;! EuropeanUnion,forthebenefitandsupportofexistingandfuturepolicies;! EuropeanCommission,withparticularregardtotheDirectorate-GeneralforEducation,Youth,

Sport and Culture, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Directorate-General forMigrationandHomeAffairs;

! European national authorities, such as agencies for international development andcooperation;

! International stakeholders, organizations and NGOs with a particular focus and interest onLibya,suchasIOMandUNHCR.

Recommendationsaregroupedintosections,accordingtothetopicsoftheanalysisconducted.Eachrecommendationisbrieflyexplainedandconcreteactionsareproposedasexamplesforthefollow-up.

75 These recommendations are the results of the SWOT analysis and do not represent in any case an exhaustive list of topics. The aim of Libya Restart is to discuss these recommendations with the relevant stakeholders in order to verify their effectiveness and promote concrete actions on their basis.

70

Governance and Autonomy Development of an effective and tailored university governance system through abenchmarkingsystem.Suchasystemwillallowinstitutionstoimprovetheirleadership,adequatemanagementandfunding-togetherwiththedevelopmentofcleargoalsandpolicies and performance improvement. One of the key elements that has been therecent focus in higher education reform worldwide is university governance. Thisconceptdescribeshowuniversitiesandhighereducationinstitutionsdefinetheirgoals,implementthem,managetheirinstitutionsandmonitortheirachievements.Theoverallframework of the system and the interaction between the institution and publicauthorities are crucial in defining university governance. Within this explanation,institutional autonomy and how it is perceived by the university community areconsidered important drivers of change: how institutions are managed is one of themost decisive factors in achieving their goals. Universities in Libya would need todevelopaspecificandtailoredgovernancesystemwhichcouldallowthemto improvemanagement and leadership, and the clear definition of goals and policies. In thisframework, to facilitate the process, Libyan Universities should introduce abenchmarkingsystem,whereuniversitiesfromtheEUandothercountriesintheSouth-Mediterranean region transfer and share good practices on university governance,especiallyonhowto improveuniversityperformances,definitionofgoalsandpolicies.Thisbenchmarkingstudycouldbealsofollowedbytheorganisationofadhocseminars,whereuniversitieswillmeettheirpeers,wherestaff(academicandadministrative)havetheopportunitytoincreasetheircapacitiesinleadership,managementandpolicies.

Support the LibyanMinistry of Education for the definition of a shared nationalstrategic vision for the Higher Education System through a reinforced role ofUniversityPresidentsCouncil.LibyanUniversitieswouldbenefitfromaparticipativeapproach in the re-definition of national policies and strategies for HE, which willgrantasolidcommonbasetoUniversities’institutionalplans.AstartingpointshouldbeenhancingandmakingmorerelevanttheroleofUniversityPresidentsCouncil intheprocess. Inagoodgovernanceuniversity system, it isvery important tohaveacomprehensivenational strategic vision forHigherEducation,onwhichuniversitiescanrelytodefinetheirowninstitutionalstrategicplans.Inthisregard,theroleoftheUniversity Presidents Council should be strengthened in the re-definition of thenationalstrategyforHE,bywhich institutionalplansshouldbe inspired.Toachievethis crucial objective, University Presidents should increase the number of regularmeetingstosetupthebasisforthedefinitionofthenationalstrategicvision,takinginto consideration the specificities of each university, theirmission and objectives.These meetings’ results should be shared with international partners and thenfollowed-up with the Ministry of Education, in order to co-design a vision andstrategyforHEatthenationallevel,framedintothenationalreformprocess.

71

Increasing University academic autonomy. Academic autonomy will allow a moreflexibleapproachtowardsteachinginnovation,pedagogicalmethodologies,introductionofnewcoursesandprogrammes,assessmentmethodologies,management.University’sacademic autonomy in Libya has proven to be relatively low: universities have partiallevelofautonomy,alltheirdecisionsinacademicmattershavetobelaterapprovedbythe central government,namely theMinistryofEducation.Recently, therehasbeenatrend towards centralising the reform of programmes and curricula, aimed atstandardising about 60-70% of the content of all subjects at the university level.Consequently, the necessity to increase university's academic autonomy in Libya hasbecome a priority in order to diversify the teaching and learning pedagogical offer,pedagogical methodologies and to have the possibility to introduce new courses andprogrammes.Autonomy canbe achievedbyorganising training activities for academicstaff, where they learn about new teaching practices, assessment methodologies,management of the academic offer, digital tools, etc. European universities andinternational organisations, at the vanguard of teaching and learning innovation, canshareexperiencesandgoodpracticesonhowtomanagenewand innovative teachingtechniquesandassessmentmethodologies.Withinthiscapacitybuildingaction,teachingguidelines,tailoredontheLibyanHESystem,couldalsobedevelopedforthebenefitoftheacademicstaffattheLibyanHEIs.Onalongtermperspective,theLibyanuniversitieswill benefit from the introduction of new tools and methodologies in their dailyacademic routine,ensuringamore flexibleapproachand increasing theirautonomy inrenewingandmanagingcoursesandprogrammes.

Increasing University financial autonomy. Universities should be granted higherautonomy inmanagingandallocatingavailable resources, indevelopingalternativesourcesofrevenue,throughprovisionofcontinuingeducationservices,participationininternationalprojects,cooperationwiththeindustrysector,etc.Verylittlefundingis received from loans and grants obtained by international organizations,outsourcing and contracts. Universities in Libya have very limited access to othersources of revenues, except for the budget and financing of the Ministry ofEducation. Instead, theyshouldbenefit fromfurtherdevelopingalternativesourcesof revenue, and from further engaging in research services or in the provision ofcontinuingeducationservices.IncreasingfinancialautonomyforuniversitiesinLibyawillbealongprocess,whichmaystartbyorganisingregularyearlymeetingsamonguniversityRectors,FinancialDirectorsandadministrativestaff,MinistryofEducationand Ministry of Finance aiming at sensitising all actors and stakeholders on theimportancetodiversifyfinancialresourcesfortheuniversities.

72

Qual i ty Assurance Constant training of university staff members to guarantee quality standards inperformanceandteaching/learningactivities.ForthebenefitoftheHEsystemanditsbeneficiaries,Universitiesshouldguaranteeaconstantupdateofuniversitystaffskills,inparticular on the following issues: quality assurance, institutional management,pedagogical innovation, teachingand researchmethodology.By trainingacademicandadministrative staff, the University can guarantee a high level of performance andefficiency,togetherwithahighqualitystandardofteachingandlearning,onalong-termbasis. The University should define a three-step awarding scheme: first raisingawarenessonthetopicsandtheirimportanceforHE,seconddefiningatrainingschemeforbothacademicsandadministrativepersonnel,thirdprovidingawardsforparticipantsas an incentive for professional growth. On a short-term basis, the University shouldbuild on existing Quality Assurance offices for the identification of needs and for theorganizationoftailoredtrainings,exploitingthepossibilitiesforcapacitybuildingofferedbyinternationalprogrammes.

Strengthening Quality and Performance Evaluation offices (QPEOs). To allowUniversitiestorelyonawell-definedandwidelysharedqualityculture,itiscrucialtoupscale and upgrade the existing Quality and Performance Evaluation offices, in away that they become a reference point to disseminate QA practices; define andsharequality indicators(notonlyforadministrativeandfinancial issuesbutalsoforteaching/learning processes); support managers, administrative and teachers inimproving the quality standards of the institution. As a long-term result, theUniversitywillbeempoweredintermsofmanagementandadministrationcapacity,aswellasbyraisingthequalityoftheeducationprovided.Onashort-termbasis,theQPEOsshould:designaninstitutionalstrategywhereQAmechanism,indicatorsandpractices are defined; raise awareness among colleagues, the university leadershipand academics on the importance of QA; support university staff in implementingquality processes; conduct periodical monitoring and assessments. A closercollaboration with the National Center for Quality Assurance and Accreditation ofEducational and Training Institutions (NCQAA) and the other QPEOs is furtherrecommended,intheframeworkofamorecomprehensivenationalstrategicplan,aswellasstrongcapacitybuildingactionishighlyrecommended.

Widening the scope of action of the National Center for Quality Assurance andAccreditation of Educational and Training Institutions (NCQAA) in supportinguniversities’QAprocesses.TheNCQAAshouldact as themissing linkbetweenHigherEducationInstitutionsandtheMinistryofEducation:itshouldwidenitsscopeofaction,notonlygrantingthecomplianceofUniversitiesintermsofadministrative,financialandlogistic aspects (criteria and standards are thoroughly detailed in the guidelines on

73

accreditation and quality assurance standards for Libyan HEIs), but also verifying thecompliancewith thehighest quality standards both in termsof teachingmethodologyandcontentsoftheprogramsoffered.EnlargingandenhancingtheroleoftheNCQAAinsupporting Universities towards curriculum innovation, assessment methods,modernizationofteachingandlearningexperiences,wouldgenerateatangibleincreaseinthequalityoftheeducationoffered.Thisshouldnotimplycentralization.Ontheotherhand, the National Center should support University’s academic autonomy offeringtraining and M&E instruments; increasing discussions with universities on how toconform to the highest international quality standards; providing universities withstrategicdirectives.Asanexample,theeducationsystemshouldestablishanawardforqualityandexcellenceatthedepartmentallevel,toinspiremoregoodworkandqualityineducation.

Making the process of accreditation of Universities more systematic andaccountable,inparticularincreasingcontrolovertheproliferationofprivateHigherEducationInstitutions.Institutionalaccreditationisparticularlyimportantbecauseithelpsdetermineifaninstitutionmeetsorexceedsminimumstandardsofquality,evaluates its credibility and proficiency. The process of institutional accreditationmust be made systematic and accountable, where the criteria for evaluation arewidely known. Particular attention must be paid to the establishment andaccreditationofprivatehighereducationinstitutions:it isvitaltoensurethequalityoftheeducationalprogramsoffered,toavoidanuncontrolledgrowthofinstitutionswhicharenotalignedwiththenationalstrategyforHEandwiththehighestqualitystandards.

In terna t iona l Coopera t ion

Strengthening Universities’ exposure and performance at the international level.International cooperation and mobility are key tassels for the country’s developingprocess, allowing for knowledge transfer, skills improvements, exchange of goodpractices and human resources development (both for academics and administrativestaff).Universities’exposureattheinternational levelmayhaveanimpactonresearchactivitiesaswellasongraduates’employability,enhancing thecapacityofUniversitiestoproduceachangeinsociety.DespitesomeHEIsareinvolvedinseveral internationalinitiatives, there still are Universities which have very little international exposure,limitingtheirpossibilitiesof improvingthroughcooperationandbytakingpart instudyvisits “seeing with their own eyes” what happens in more advanced institutions. EUMembers States are considered key players for Libyan Universities, as it is alsodemonstratedbytheparticipationofLibyanUniversitiesintheErasmusPlusprogrammepost2011.ThesupportoftheEuropeanUnionintheshortandmediumtermseemsto

74

bedecisiveaboveallintermsofcapacitybuildingactions,reinforcingthepossibilitiesforLibyaninstitutionstonetworkattheregionalandinternationallevelsandtolearnfromthe exchange with more experienced institutions. On the long term, it would bebeneficialforLibyatobenefitofmobilityprogrammesand/ordedicatedfundsforLibya(i.e. a special windowwithin the E+ programme formobility, as it has been done forTunisiaandAlgeria).

Funding of science diplomacy actions, giving them relevance and recognition. Inpost-crisis contexts, it is necessary to guarantee a continuity line in the students’education path and support Universities as fundamental player for societyreconstruction. Universities can be, and are, above and beyond political divisions:LibyanUniversitiesseemtobeamongthefewactors,ifnottheonly,abletosurviveto the political division between East and West and capable of dialogue withinternationalUniversities andorganizationsdespitepolitical instability andmobilitylimitations.InternationalRelationsOffices,researchersandacademicsareconstantlyin contact at the national and international levels, pursuing joint actions andconsultations for advancement. Universities need to continue working andcooperate, within national borders and beyond, to directly advance a country'snationalneeds, toaddress cross-border interests, tomeetglobal challenges. In theshort run, science diplomacy actions will support exchanges of knowledge andfacilitate international scientific-diplomatic cooperation, providingopportunities fordialogue that are at the moment simply not possible. In the long term, scientificcollaboration can be a way to make diplomacy through "parallel means", easingpoliticaltensions,guaranteeingstability,mitigatingtheeconomiccrisis,reducingthecountry'sisolation,supportinglong-termstabilization.

WideningtheoutreachofLibyanUniversities:a) enhancing the pan-African dimension of the Libyan Higher Education system,exploring the possibilities to develop Intra-African programmes on common topics ofinterestforHEIsandstrengtheningSouth-Southcooperationarrangements.Duetothegeographical location of some institutions (e.g. Sebha University) Libyan Universitiesshould be considered as natural receptors and interlocutors for reaching the Sub-SaharanAfricanregion,soitisrecommendedtoencouragethisdimensionandpromoteregionalpartnership.b) promoting the participation of Libyan Higher Education Institutions in researchprogrammes focused on sensible issues that have an impact in the region andworldwide,andforwhichLibyancontributionbringsadditionalvalue(i.e.migration).c) expand the geographical scope of international cooperation in Libya, engaging intocooperation programmes and mobilities the less involved universities, the moreperipheral and/or youngest universities, to allow them to benefit frominternationalizationandregionalcollaborations.

75

Univers i t ies in the soc ie ty a t la rge Prioritization of the National Research Agenda. Libya needs to move forwardtowardsamorematureresearchandinnovationenvironmentinthecountry,whereUniversities are able to engage in high-quality scientific research activities andsupportthedefinitionofsuccessfulactionstacklingthechallengesofsociety.HigherEducation Institutions have the potential of providing expertise, scientists andscholars, so that research outcomes really contribute to country’s developments.However, Universities will be able to do so only relying upon trained and skilledhumanresources,andwellequippedandfunctioninginfrastructures;byanefficientframework for R&I management; benefitting from specialization strategies withinuniversities.Intheshortterm,improvingthecapacityofuniversitiestoproduceandmanage research activities, allowing students to engage in high-quality scientificresearch,istheminimumrequirementforLibya.Inthelongrun,aNationalResearchAgenda(incooperationwiththeMinistryofEducation)willframeresearchactivitiesin amore comprehensive vision for the country, improving the overall capacity ofgenerating valuable research and sustainable advancement. Moreover, a reliable,accountableandefficientnationalresearchsystemwillbemoreattractiveforforeignresearchers and companies, andwill reduce the gaps generatedby a severebrain-draineffect.

EnhancingthesocialrelevanceofUniversitiesincooperationwithlocalactors.Duringourresearchwork,itclearlyemergedthatUniversities(bothintheeastandwestpartofthe country) are considered by citizens as one of the most (if not the most) reliableinstitutions in the country. HEIs are expected to generate stability, to drive economicgrowth(bothintermsofofferingjobplacesandintermsofgraduatesemployability),tofill political divisions, to serve the community. However, Libyan HEIs do not yet havededicatedoffices(orfunds)dealingwiththeirsocialdimension,neitherdotheyrelyonaformalstrategybytheMinistryofEducationfortheuniversity’sthirdmission.Curriculaandprogrammesshouldbedesignedtostrengthengraduatesemployability,toservetheneedsofthesociety,sothattheUniversitybecomesthestartingpointforreconstructingthecountry.Universitiesshouldestablishdurableandstablerelationswiththeactorsofthe civil society, reinforce the transfer capacity with industries, create and promotesynergieswithlocalactorsandorganizationsforafruitfuluseofresourcesandtoavoidduplication of efforts, engage in the co-creation of policies with decision-makers forsustainabledevelopment.Thiswouldonlybepossiblestartingbydefiningacooperationscheme between national authorities, HEIs and socio-economic stakeholders to fostermutualdialogue,employability, sustainabledevelopment. In the long run, thiswin-winapproach and the continuous communication flow between decision-makers,universitiesandstakeholderswillgenerate,ontheoneside,avisionforthecountry inwhichallmainplayers are involved,on theotherhand, a strategic alliance supportinggrowthandsocialcohesion.

76

Authors Profiles Raniero Chelli Activesince1985inEuropeanprojects(mainlyinRTD,trainingandinternationalcooperation),asaCommissionOfficial (ESPRITProgramme85-88),ProjectManager,ProjectDesign specialist, Evaluatorand reviewer,Qualityassurancemanager,NationalDelegateinISTmanagementCommitteesandasatraineronEUprogrammesandfunding.HeiscurrentlytheCoordinatorofEUprojectatUNIMED,tofacilitateaccesstoEUfundingbyidentifyingappropriate calls for proposals, helping them in setting up successful proposals and consortia, and whereapplicable, supporting themanagement of selected projectswith a particular emphasis onQuality Assurance.Overtheyears,hehasmanagedmorethan10significantprojectsfundedbytheEuropeanCommissionthroughR&DFrameworkProgrammes,TEMPUS,Erasmus+andEuromedHeritageandhehasconsequentlyacquiredanoutstanding experience in managing large and complex international publicly funded projects, especially asregardstheplanningtheactivitiesofhighlydiversifiedconsortia,conflictsresolutionandadministrativematters.

Marco Di Donato PhDresearcherinPoliticalThinkingandPoliticalCommunication,MarcoDiDonatoalsoholdsaMaster’sDegreecum laude inArabic languageand IslamicStudiesat theL'OrientaleUniversityofNaples (Italy).He focuseshisresearch on the Islamist movement in the Middle East area. Author of several publications with Italian andInternational publishing houses, in 2015 he published his first monograph on “Hezbollah, the LebaneseResistanceMovement”editedbyMimesis,in2018hepublishedhissecondmonographonSalafismandin2019histhirdoneonIslamicpoliticalthought.ProficientinArabicandEnglish,hewasprofessor(2013-2015)of“Islamand Politics” course at FUA (Florence University of Arts) in Florence. Since 2014, he is part of the UNIMEDResearchUnit.From2016-2018heworkedasProfessorof"HistoryofIslamicCountries"and"IslamicThought"attheUniversityofTrento.Inthelastacademicyear(2018/2019)hehasbeenprofessorin“Radicalizationtheories”attheUniversityofSiena.

Silvia Marchionne SilviaMarchionneholdsaPostgraduateMaster’sDegreeinInternationalCooperationandDevelopment,withafocusonMiddleEastandNorthAfricaregion,aMaster’sDegreein“ArabicLanguageandIslamicStudies”attheL'OrientaleUniversityofNaplesandaBachelor’sDegreeinLanguagesandInterculturalCommunication.PartoftheUNIMEDteamsince2013,sheworkswithinUNIMEDintheInternationalProjectsandNetworkingTeamasProject Manager. She gained experience in research activities and analysis for Euro-Mediterranean andinternationalprojects,inproposalwriting,monitoringandevaluationandinprojectmanagement(withparticularfocusongovernanceofhighereducationandemployabilityissuesintheMENAregion).Sheisalsoinchargeofnetworking activities with UNIMED universitymembers. Furthermore, she acts as external consultant for theWorldBankprogramme“UniversityGovernanceandQualityAssuranceofHigherEducationintheMENAregion”focusingherresearch.

77

Anne Laurence Pastorini Anne-LaurencePastorinijoinedUNIMEDin2017wheresheactsasprojectmanagerandcontributestoresearchandnetworkingactivities.SheholdsaMaster’sDegreeinInternationallaw-internationaladministration(Paris1Panthéon-Sorbonneuniversity)andgainedexperience in international cooperationwithindifferent institutionssuch as the FAO office in Ecuador, CISP (italian NGO) and the French Embassy in Algeria, FrenchMinistry ofForeignAffairs,WorldBankRegionalOfficeinDakar.Universitycooperationhasbeenthemaindirectionwithinthis positions with a focus on the Maghreb region. Before joining UNIMED, she was in charge of theMediterranean-ArabworldpartnershipsforParis1Panthéon-SorbonneUniversitywheresheaccompaniedalsothecreationoftheChaireMaghreb.activityonAlgeriaandTunisia.ShespeaksArabic,EnglishandFrench.

Eugenio Platania EugenioPlataniaholdsaPostgraduateMaster’sDegree in international relationsanddiplomatic studiesandaMaster’sDegreeinLaw,withafocusonindustrialpolicyintheEuropean,FrenchandItalianlegalsystem.PartoftheUNIMEDsinceMarch2019,heworkswithinUNIMEDinthe internationalprojectsandnetworkingteamasAssistantProjectManager.Hehasbeenworking inthefieldof internationalcooperation intheMediterraneanarea since 2015 thanks to his experience as junior consultant at the CIHEAM-Headquarters in Paris. He iscurrentlyaTeachingAssistantattheDepartmentofEuropeanLawoftheUniversityofRome“LaSapienza”.HespeaksItalian,EnglishandFrench.

Martina Zipoli Martina Zipoli has joined the International projects and networking team of UNIMED in 2016. She holds aBachelor’s Degree in Political Sciences and Cooperation Studies (Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy) and aMaster’sDegreeinPublicAdministration(MPA)fromtheUniversityofBergen(Norway)withaspecificfocusonorganisationsandpolitics,andonHigherEducationInstitutions.ShehasbeenworkingwithEUfundedprojectsinthefieldofeducationsince2014,andgainedexperienceinproposalswriting,researchactivities,monitoringandevaluation, and projectmanagement. She speaks Italian, English andNorwegian, and has some knowledge ofSpanishandFrench.

78

BibliographyAA.VV.,BTI2018CountryReport—Libya,BertelsmannStiftung,Gütersloh,2018.AA.VV.,AuditsofqualityassurancesystemsofFinnishhighereducationinstitutions.Auditmanualfor2008-2011,FinnishHigherEducationEvaluationCouncil(FINHEEC),Tampere,2008.AA.VV.,ExploringthechallengesforHigherEducationinLibya.AprojectUNIGOVreport,September,2016.AA.VV.,TherealityofHigherEducationinLibya,LOOPS-TheLibyanOrganizationofPublicPoliciesandStrategies,May,2016.AA.VV.,UNESCO,UNESCO’scountryplanforLibya,2017.Abughres W. S., Mgheder M. A., Albhbah A. M. A pilot study on Open Educational Resources andexperientialcarriedoutbyhighereducationinLibya,in“al-Majallaal-Jamiyaal-Asmariyyali-l-’Ulumal-Asasiyyawaal-Tatbiqiyya”,30(2),2017,pp.92-100.Aghion P., Dewatripont P.M., Hoxby C., Mas-Colell A., Sapir A. Higher Aspirations: an Agenda forReformingEuropeanUniversities,BRUEGEL,Brussels,2008.Al-Jamahiriyyaal-’Arabiyyaal-Libiyyaal-Sha’biyyaal-Ishtirakiyyaal-’Athma,Qararal-Lajnaal-Sha’biyyaal-’Amma-Raqm501li-l-sana1378(2010masihi).AloreibiA.,Carey,M.D.EnglishlanguageteachinginLibyaafterGaddafi,inR.Kirkpatrick(editedby),EnglishEducationPolicyintheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica,Springer,Cham,2017,pp.93-114.Aloreibi A. The Impact of the Adopted Quality Assurance Procedures and Teaching Practices at theUniversityofAjdabiyaontheLearners'LearningBehavior,UnpublishedAltbachP.,SalmiJ.TheRoadtoAcademicExcellence:theMakingofWorld,ClassResearchUniversities.DirectionsinDevelopment,WorldBank,WashingtonD.C.,2011.AmbarekM.STheneedforQualityManagementSystemsinLibyanuniversities, in“LibyanJMed”,5,2010.BirnbaumR.FacultyinGovernance:TheroleofSenatesandJointCommittees,in“AcademicDecisionMaking”,18(3),1991,pp.8–25.Bizri O. Science, technology, innovation, and development in the Arab countries, Academic Press,Amsterdam,2018.

79

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), EU-TEMPUS Libya Review of HigherEducation,Brussels,January,2011.Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), International Project ManagementOffice-OGPI-UniversityofAlicante,HigherEducationinLibya,September,2016.El Harathi M. Quality Assurance Concepts of Institutionalization: Some Indicators towards HigherEducational Development Policy in Libya, in “Journal of Education and Vocational Research”, 3 (10),2012,pp.327-331.El-Fakhri M., Bukhatwa S. Higher education in Libya: Challenges and future plans, in “LibyanInternationalMedicalUniversityJournal”,1,2016,pp.27-34.Fielden J.Global Trends inUniversityGovernance, in “WorldBank EducationWorking Paper Series”,WashingtonD.C.,2008.MiltonS.HigherEducationandPost-Conflictrecovery,PalgraveMacmillan,London,2017.TamtamA., Gallagher F.,Olabic A.G., Naherd S. Higher education in Libya, systemunder stress, in“Procedia-SocialandBehavioralSciences”,29,2011,pp.742-751.TrakmanL.Modelinguniversitygovernance, in“HigherEducationQuarterly”,62(1-2),2008,pp.63–83.

80

Annex I

Survey

State of play in Libyan Higher education system

81

Thissurvey,addressedtouniversityrepresentatives,aimsatdrawingupanobjectiveandcurrentstateofplayinLibyanuniversities.Theanalysisofthissurveywillhelpdefininguniversitiesneedsandproposeactionstostrengthentheircapacities.

EmailAddress:GENERALINFORMATIONSAboutyourUniversity1.Howwouldyoudescribetheprofileofyourinstitution?Pleasechooseoneoption.

MoreteachingthanresearchorientedMoreresearchthanteachingorientedHigherNationalCollege

2.Howwouldyoudescribethemissionofyourinstitutions.Pleasechooseone:TeachingResearchVocationalintegration

3.YearFounded4.Type(checkallthatapply):

ForprofitIndependentPrivatePublicNotforProfitOtherComments

5.Degreesoffered(checkallthatapply):BachelorMasterDoctorateCertificateDiplomaOtherComments

6.NumberofLibyanstudents7.NumberofLibyanprofessors(Pleasespecifythecategoriesaccordingtoacademicstatus–fullprofessor,associateprofessor–Typologiesofcontract)8.NumberofLibyanadministrativeStaff9.NumberofForeignstudents10.NumberofForeignacademicstaff11.NumberofForeignadministrativestaff12.Numberofexpatriatestudentsabroad(Pleaseprovidegeographicallocation-mobility+typeofscholarships)13.Pleaseexplaintheselectionprocessofeachofthefollowing:

PresidentVice-President

82

UniversityCouncilDean

14.Pleaseattachtheacademicandadministrativeorganigram(organizationalchart)ofyouruniversity(inEnglishandinArabic)FUNDINGANDAUTONOMY1.Whatarethedifferentsourcesoffundingfortheuniversity?

FundsfromtheStateorregionalauthorities(budgetallocation,grants,other)TuitionfeesforstudentsFundsfromtheownersoftheinstitution(ifprivate)Fundsraisedfromprivateenterprises(industrial,commercial)LoansfrombanksLoansfrominternationalorganizationsFundsobtainedthroughcontracts(consulting,outsourcingofservices)RevenuesfromResearchGrants

2.WhatisthedegreeofautonomyoftheUniversityonthefollowingitems:(selectamong3options:fullydependent;partiallydependent/autonomous;fullyautonomous)MissiondefinitionandUniversitystrategyDefinitionofshort-termobjectivesandlong-termobjectivesThestructureofthecurricula(diplomas,conditionsofissue)Thetotalnumberofstudentsadmitted?(I.e.cantheuniversityrefuseanyenrolments)?TheintroductionofnewprogramsIdentificationofareasofresearchAcademicpartnershipswithotherinstitutionsHumanresourcespolicy:foracademicstaffHumanresourcespolicy:forTechnical-AdministrativestaffTheallocationofavailablefinancialresources

QUALITYASSURANCE1.IsthereaQualityAssurancesysteminyourinstitution?Yes/No2.Ifexistent,is/arethereQAsystem(s)toaddressthefollowingitems?

InstitutionallicensingAccreditationofinstitutionsorprogramsVariablebudgetallocationsarelinkedwithresultsAssessingLearningOutcomesImplementationofcorrectivemeasuresTeachingmethodologiesResearchFacilities

3.Whatarethemechanismsusedtofollowuponevaluations'results?EstablishingofActionPlansVariablebudgetallocationsarelinkedwithresults

83

ImplementationofcorrectivemeasuresOthers

4.Wholeadsthemechanismsusedtofollowuponevaluations'resultsoftheQAsystem?Andhowfrequentlyisthisdone?5.Whenwasthelasttimethataninstitutionalselfassessmentwasconducted?6.Whenwasthelasttimethataprogramwasaccredited?Bywhom?7.Howmanyprogramsofthetotalhavebeenaccreditedintheinstitution?8.Hastheinstitutionputinplacestandardisedsanctionsagainst:

ExaminationfraudUnethicalbehavioroffaculty(saleofexams)NoncompliancewithadmissionstandardsUnethicalmanagementoffacultycareersOthers

9.Doestheinstitutionfollowastandardisedprocessforprocurement?10.Dostudentsevaluatetheirlearningexperience,theircourses,theirlecturers?11.Pleasedescribestudentsinvolvement(uniongroupsetc.)NATIONALANDINTERNATIONALCOOPERATION1.Isthereaninternationalofficeinyouruniversity/institution?Ifyes,howistheselectionofthedirectorandthemembersmade?2.WhatistheInternationalofficeinchargeforandwhatisitsrole?3.HowmanyagreementswithLibyanuniversitieshavebeenestablished?(pleaselistthem)4.Whattypeofagreementsarethey?5.HowmanyagreementswithForeignuniversitieshavebeenestablished?(pleaselistthem)6.Whattypeofagreementsarethey?7.Isthereadepartmentresponsibleformobilityprogramsinyouruniversity?Yes/No/Comments8.Informationoninternationalmobilityprogramsreachesyouthrough:(Pleaseselectthemostappropriateanswer)

TheadministrativecircuitTheuniversitywebsiteFromthehostuniversityBywordofmouth

UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRYCOOPERATION1.Howisitpossible,accordingtoyourview,toinvolveenterprisesintheactivitiesofyourinstitutioninordertoensureanextensiveandcontinuouscommunicationbetweenHEIandtheirsocio-economicpartners?2.Howdoesyourinstitutiontackletheissueofemployabilityofgraduates?3.Pleaseprovidetheavailableunemploymentratesofgraduatedstudents(forexampleaverageunemploymentrate6monthsaftergraduation)4.HowdoyouconsidertheroleofvocationaltrainingcoursesoutsidetheUniversityCV?

84

FUTURESTRATEGIES1.PleasedescribetheScientificDomainsinwhichyourUniversitywouldliketoreceivecapacitybuildingtraining2.PleasedescribetheScientificDomainsinwhichyourUniversitywouldliketoenhanceitsresearchactivities3.Pleaseindicatethetop3ScientificDomainsinwhichyourUniversitywouldliketospecialiseintheforthcomingyears4.Pleaseindicate3administrativedomainsinwhichyourUniversitywouldliketoreceivecapacitybuildingtrainings5.PleaseidentifypossiblebarriersandconstraintsforScientificandUniversitycooperationbetweenLibyaandEuropeanHigherEducationInstitutions6.PleaseidentifypossiblebarriersandconstraintsforScientificandUniversitycooperationbetweenLibyaandArabHigherEducationInstitutions

85

Annex II

UNIMED Associated Universities

UNIMED - Mediterranean Universities Union

Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 244 |00186 Rome (Italy) | Tel. +39 06 68581430 [email protected] | www.uni-med.net

ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES UNIMED represents 130 members from 23 countries

ALBANIA European University of Tirana Metropolitan University of Tirana University of Aleksandër Moisiu Durrës

ALGERIA University of Algiers 1 University of Bouira University of El Oued University of Frères Mentouri-

Constantine 1 University of Mohamed Khider Biskra University of Sétif 2

CYPRUS Cyprus University of Technology Girne American University University of Cyprus

EGYPT Arab Academy for Science and

Technology and Maritime Transport University of Alexandria University of Cairo University of Damanhour University of Sadat City

FINLAND Tampere University

FRANCE Aix-Marseille University University of Montpellier University of Rouen

University of Strasbourg University Paris 1 Panthéon-

Sorbonne GREECE National and Kapodistrian University

of Athens

IRAQ Duhok Polytechnic University Middle Technical University University of Duhok Wasit University

ITALY Foro Italico University of Rome Gabriele D'Annunzio University of

Chieti-Pescara International Telematic University

UNINETTUNO International University of Language

and Media-IULM International University of Rome-

UNINT Link Campus University Marche Polytechnic University Mercatorum University Pegaso Telematic University Polytechnic of Turin Sapienza University of Rome University Cà Foscari University of Bari University of Bologna University of Cagliari University of Calabria University of Catania University for Foreigners of Perugia

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.uni-med.net/



University of Messina University of Modena and Reggio Emilia University of Padova University of Palermo University of Pavia University of Perugia University of Pisa University of Salento University of Sassari University of Siena University of Teramo University of Urbino

JORDAN Al-Ahliyya Amman University Amman Arab University Isra University Princess Sumaya University for

Technology University of Jordan University of Petra University of Yarmouk Zarqa University

LEBANON Antonine University Holy Spirit University of Kaslik International University of Beirut Lebanese International University Lebanese University

LIBYA Azzaytuna University Libyan Academy Misurata Libyan International Medical University Sebha University University of Aljufra University of Elmergib University of Gharyan University of Sabratha University of Sirte University of Tripoli University of Zawia

MOROCCO Hassan II Institute of Agronomy and

Veterinary Medicine International University of Rabat Mohammed V University University Ibn Tofail of Kenitra University of Sidi Mohamed Ben

Abdellah of Fès OMAN Middle East College

PALESTINE Al-Aqsa University Al-Quds Open University An-Najah National University Arab American University Islamic University of Gaza Palestine Technical University University of Bethlehem University of Birzeit University College of Applied

Sciences PORTUGAL University of Evora University of Tras-os-Montes and

Alto Douro QATAR Doha Institute for Graduate Studies

SPAIN University of Barcelona University of Girona University of Granada University of Murcia






SYRIA Academy of Health Sciences Al-Baath University Al-Furat University Al-Hawash Private University Al-Sham Private University Arab International University Arab University of Science and

Technology Tishreen University University of Al Andalus University of Aleppo University of Damascus

TUNISIA University of Carthage University of Kairouan University of La Manouba University of Monastir University of Sfax University of Sousse University of Tunis University of Tunis El Manar Virtual University of Tunis

TURKEY

Boğaziçi University Istanbul Aydin University Manisa Celal Bayar University Suleyman Demirel University

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Gulf Medical University YEMEN

University of Aden




UNIMED - Mediterranean Universities Union, founded in October 1991, is an association of Universities from theMediterranean basin countries. It counts 127 associated Universities coming from 23 countries of both shores of

the Mediterranean (data updated in December 2019). UNIMED’s aim is to develop university research and educationin the Euro-Mediterranean area in order to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation.

Documents

Libya Restart, A journey Analysis · 7 UNIMED actions in North Africa in the next three years: upscaling the Libyan experience Francisco Matte Bon, UNIMED President Libya was the