There are many consolidated forms of collaboration between the Sicilian higher education institutions and those in the northern Mediterranean area.
Study in Sicily was created to further strengthen cooperation between the two sides of the Mediterranean Sea. Study in Sicily is a project that has been strongly wanted and supported by the Sicilian Region, and all the higher education institutions in the area have adhered with great enthusiasm.
Relationships between the parties are deep-rooted and strategic from a cultural and economic point of view. For this reason, also Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria that adhere to Study in Sicily, have participated in the project with great enthusiasm.
Here we introduce only some of the activities that have long been a reality on both sides of the Mediterranean.

 

 

UNIMED, the Mediterranean Universities Union, is an association of Universities from the countries of the Mediterranean basin.

It counts 130 Universities coming from 23 countries of both shores of Mediterranean.

UNIMED acts in different scientific fields and its aim is to develop research and education in the Euro-Mediterranean area in order to contribute to scientific, cultural, social and economic cooperation.

Through the many initiatives carried out over the two decades, UNIMED has promoted the collaboration between universities of the Mediterranean, becoming a point of reference of international university cooperation.

UNIMED has developed and carries out collaborations and cooperation agreements with different important institutions, associations and actors from the Mediterranean area, and beyond. Here is the complete list of partnerships and collaborations.

The headquarters of UNIMED is in Rome, at Palazzo Baleani. UNIMED also has other decentralized offices, including one in Morocco, at the Mohammed V University of Rabat.

 

MEDTWINNING

Within international partnerships, collaboration is possible between Sicilian educational institutions and institutions from countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Through the medTwinning project it is possible to develop virtual partnerships on the eTwinning electronic platform, the European community that allows cooperation between schools in different countries, and innovation in teaching methods.

Upper secondary schools registered on eTwinning will be invited to respond to a specific call by submitting a student mobility project, in one of the partner schools with which the Sicilian school is undergoing an eTwinning project. The Indire’s Erasmus + Agency will evaluate these projects, on the basis of a grid of criteria, and will allocate funds to the school in order to allow student mobility.
Please note that the eTwinning projects do not receive any funding and usually students and teachers have no possibility of travelling. The financial tool to be activated would allow their mobility, especially that of disadvantaged individuals. Priority will be given to eTwinning projects with countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean.

INDIRE will promote eTwinning projects that aim at mutual knowledge and collaboration between Sicilian and Southern Mediterranean schools. To this end, INDIRE will carry out actions aimed at promoting the internationalization of the Sicilian system, through contacts with embassies and Institutes of Italian culture present in the countries of the southern Mediterranean, as well as using the existing contacts of the eTwinning network.

Some Sicilian schools, enrolled in eTwinning, already participate as partners in projects involving schools from Mediterranean eTwinning countries, such as Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon (about 36 projects with Jordan, 249 with Tunisia, and a limited number with Lebanon). The goal is therefore to broaden the geographical scope, by involving more regional schools and more countries, with priority to those strategically relevant for the Sicilian Region.

Study in Sicily is targeted at international students interested in the opportunities Sicily offers in higher education.

With the participation of