7 October 2020, Barcelona. UfM Secretary General, Nasser Kamel, met with Peter Wells, Chief of the Section for Higher Education of UNESCO, and Josep M. Vilalta, Director of the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) and Executive Secretary of the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP). The meeting was the occasion to strengthen the cooperation between UNESCO and the UfM in the field of higher education, opening pathways for future collaboration. The Secretary General emphasized that the UfM is a unique regional organization that gathers 42 Member States from the two shores of the Mediterranean that can give real and effective support to the… read more
PRIMA and UfM together call for greater attention to innovation and sustainability for rebuilding the region 16 July 2020. New Challenges, emerging trends and need of transformations: PRIMA and Union for the Mediterranean have promoted an online debate, discussing the first results of the survey on the agrifood sector, as well as concrete solutions and initiatives to address the challenges that are affecting the Mediterranean area. At the presence of UfM Secretary General and PRIMA Co-Chairs, the focus of the conversation has been from the very beginning on how to promote a rebound for the region after the pandemic has exacerbated the already existing problems from an economic, social and environmental point of view. To debate these challenges and the potential solutions ahead is even more relevant… read more
Research and innovation (R&I) are key priorities for the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), contributing to enhance regional cooperation and dialogue in order to promote human development, regional stability and integration in the Mediterranean. The 25th meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation took place online to further discuss the region’s future priorities for research and innovation in times of COVID-19 8 June 2020, Barcelona. The 25th meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Platform on Research and Innovation took place to discuss the region’s future priorities for research and innovation, in particular the needs in a… read more
The Union for the Mediterranean launches a new initiative with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), for universities, research centres and policymakers to share best practices and boost career opportunities in the Mediterranean region. The new initiative seeks to improve the nexus between research, innovation and employability as key tools for relaunching sustainable and resilient economies in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis.. 5 and 19 May 2020. Despite young people in the Southern Mediterranean being the most educated generation ever, graduates in the region still experience the highest level of unemployment, at 25% according to the United Nations Development Programme. To help galvanise innovation in the region, the… read more
10 April 2020. The UfM Secretariat participated in the virtual meeting of the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) Management Board to discuss potential responses to the educational challenges and opportunities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specific proposals on issues such as new relevant study programmes or the digital transformation of teaching and training were developed in preparation of the EMUNI Senate meeting, set to take place on 20 April also by videoconference. The members of the board congratulated the EMUNI network for the two projects recently selected for EU funding. The VISION project will address the future of teaching and training for creativity,… read more
UfM Member States met this week to discuss actions to tackle the COVID-19 crisis through research and innovation as well as a strategic regional cooperation approach to accelerate evidence-based healthcare decision-making. 8 April 2020. Conscious of the pressure that COVID-19 puts on health systems, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is exploring ways to speed and scale-up actions in the field of research and innovation. This was the objective of the virtual meeting of the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation, held earlier this week.  The wide spectrum of initiatives announced by the European Commission and UfM Member States showed the potential for regional cooperation in terms of establishing collaborative platforms, clinical data collection and access, creation of common databases on technologies and joint development of industrial research solutions and medical treatments/vaccines. The need for a strategic regional cooperation approach regarding the socio-economic implications was also underlined. UfM Secretary General,… read more
The UfM support the Ministerial mandate on research and innovation by facilitating exchanges between researchers and experts on possible interlinkages between climate and environmental change, and the root causes of migration. According to a preliminary report by the MedECC group, the Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average, with sea level rises that may exceed 1 metre by 2100, impacting one third of the region’s population.  17 December 2019. Barcelona. On the occasion of the launch of the new EuroMedMig Working Paper Series, the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is hosting an expert exchange… read more
The UfM Secretariat gathered representatives from Ministries for Higher Education and Research, regional networks of universities and of students, higher education institutions and research centers. Participants recommended a change of scale in the support mechanisms and to aim for an ambitious higher education initiative embracing the whole UfM region. 1 December, Cairo. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) organized, in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Egypt, a regional meeting on higher education regional cooperation on 1 December in Cairo. Building on inputs received through prior consultation, the purpose of the meeting was to initiate reflection… read more
To date, the MedNC programme has given hope to 29,000 young people through its 100 partner centres in 9 countries with programmes focusing on education, training and confidence-building. The UfM is hosting the 2019 MedNC Annual Conference, in order to support an agenda for the region based on employability for the Mediterranean youth. 25-27 November 2019, Barcelona. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) is co-organising together with the Institut Européen de Coopération et de Développement (IECD) the 2019 Mediterranean New Chance (MedNC) Annual Conference, to be held back to back with the 12th MedNC Steering Committee, which is taking place… read more
27 November 2019, Barcelona. On the occasion of the 2019 MedNC Annual Conference, held at the UfM’s Headquarters in Barcelona (Spain), the UfM signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Institut européen de coopération et de développement (IECD), promoter of the UfM-labelled regional project Mediterranean New Chance (MedNC), and the consortium led by The WonderPick Limited. Following a previous agreement signed on 17 October 2019, the purpose of this MoU is to facilitate collaboration by and among the UfM Secretariat, IECD and The Consortium for the financing and implementation of the MedNC project. In line with this, the Consortium,… read more
