E-PLUS Palestine

Title: “Enhancement of the Palestinian University System”

Coordinator: University of Pavia

Donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Direction for Cooperation and Development

Duration: 3 years (January 2011-July 2014)

Total project cost: € 1.521.420,00

MAE-DGCS contribution: € 985.880,10

Palestinian Partners: Bethlehem University, Birzeit University, Al Quds University, Hebron University, Palestinian Polytechnic University, An Najah University, Arab American University of Jenin

Italian partners: University of Bologna, Politecnico di Milano, Sapienza-University of Rome, University of Palermo, University of Siena, IUSS-Institute of Advanced Studies of Pavia, University of Trento, University of Bergamo

Overall objectives:

• To improve and widen the academic programs and the didactic skills of the Palestinian Universities, setting the conditions for their integration in the international educative system on a competitive basis.
• To establish an integrated program of University Cooperation between Italy and Palestine.
• To generate a positive spin-off on the social and economic conditions of Palestine.

Action 1

• 17 Palestinian researchers and junior professors of the 7 PU involved will attend a Phd program for three years in 7 different IU partners of the project in different academic fields: economics and finance, mathematics, bio-technology, food industry, chemistry, computer science, urban planning, human sciences.
• Fourteen of them will receive a full scholarship from the project, while three of them will be supported by their own home university.

Action 2

• 21 Palestinian post-graduate students will follow an intensive multidisciplinary course of 15 weeks in Cooperation and Development in Pavia. The course will be composed by 7 different didactic modules, each of that jointly organized by one Italian and one Palestinian University on a relevant topic.

• CALL FOR APPLICATIONS The multidisciplinary course on Development Design and Management in the Middle East - DDM-ME (action 2) will take place in Pavia between September 3rd - December 20th 2012. The course has been opened to international students. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: JUNE 15 2012
  
• The DDM-ME course -beyond the participation of lecturers and students from West bank- will involve also two Gaza Universities and the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education.
  
• 16 out of 17 PhD students (action 1) already arrived in Italy and started their PhD programs.