Tunisia, March 15, 2025 – The Europe Today: The Italian Ambassador to Tunisia, Alexander Prunas, held a fruitful meeting today with the Tunisian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Mondher Belaid, to discuss the enhancement of inter-university cooperation, joint research, and innovation programmes within the framework of the Mattei Plan.
Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the excellent level of partnership between Tunisia and Italy, highlighting the success of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed in April 2024. As part of the implementation of this agreement, a joint call for proposals to finance Tunisian-Italian research and innovation projects will be issued in the coming weeks, according to the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education.
During the meeting, several topics of mutual interest were discussed, including scientific research and innovation in renewable energy and sustainable development, collaboration in space technologies, enhanced mobility for young researchers, and dual supervision of doctoral theses.
The two delegations also deliberated on promoting the exchange of expertise and examined progress in defining a framework for the mutual recognition of academic qualifications between the two countries. This initiative follows a bilateral video conference held last February between Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini and Mondher Belaid, during which they signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen academic and scientific cooperation, encourage the exchange of information between higher education institutions, and promote the teaching of languages, literatures, cultures, and histories of both nations.
One of the significant aspects of this cooperation is the emphasis on student mobility and the exchange of technical-administrative staff to enhance human resources management skills in Tunisian universities. Additionally, the partnership aims to promote joint collaboration in multilateral programs like Prima and Horizon Europe to boost Tunisia’s research funding capabilities.
In a related development, the University of Carthage and the University of Bologna recently signed three strategic partnership agreements on February 6, 2025, at the University of Carthage. These agreements focus on student mobility, the exchange of teachers and researchers, and the establishment of a framework agreement involving all institutions of the University of Carthage. This collaboration aims to foster scientific synergy and promote large-scale joint initiatives.
The partnership between Italy and Tunisia under the Mattei Plan reaffirms the commitment to strengthening academic ties and empowering young African scholars to actively participate in the progress of their nations and the global academic community.
