Eight Yemeni universities launch new academic cooperation networks aimed at

 

strengthening international partnerships, research collaboration, and institutional resilience.

 

For more than a decade, Yemeni universities have operated under conditions few higher

 

Education institutions around the world have experienced. Conflict, economic instability,

 

restrictions on mobility, and damaged infrastructure have complicated efforts to maintain

 

academic quality and engage with the international higher education community.

 

Yet on 13–14 May 2026, university leaders and international relations specialists from across

 

Yemen gathered in Cairo with European partners to discuss a different future—one built on

 

cooperation, connectivity, and long-term academic partnerships.

 

The occasion was the final conference of the Yemen Higher Education for Leadership and

 

Development (YHELD) project, an initiative co-funded by the European Union that has spent the

 

Past three years helping Yemeni universities strengthen their internationalisation strategies and

 

reconnect with regional and global academic networks.

 

Representatives from the University of Aden, Hadhramout University, Abyan University, Al Adel

 

University, the University of Lahej, Seiyun University, Shabwah University, and Taiz

 

University joined European partners in Cairo to review the project’s achievements and discuss

 

Mechanisms designed to sustain cooperation beyond the project’s conclusion.

 

During the conference, participants endorsed the frameworks for two new cooperation

 

platforms -the Yemeni International Relations Offices (IRO) Network and the Euro–Yemeni

 

Academic Cooperation Network. The two initiatives are intended to strengthen coordination

 

among Yemeni universities, expand international partnerships, support academic mobility, and

 

create new opportunities for research collaboration.

 

A Coordinated Voice for Yemeni Higher Education

For many participants, one of the project’s most significant outcomes has been the

 

creation of a national platform that enables Yemeni universities to work together on

 

internationalisation rather than pursuing international engagement independently.

 

Dr. Mohamed Salem Baazab, Director General of International Relations at the University of

 

Aden and the project’s local coordinator, said the Yemeni international relations network

 

provides universities with a forum to exchange knowledge, practices, coordinate international

 

partnerships, and strengthen institutional capacity.

 

“The creation of the Yemeni IRO Network means that Yemeni universities now have a

 

coordinated platform to collaborate on internationalisation, exchange expertise, and

 

strengthen higher education development.”

 

Baazab added that the network will support the sharing of best practices, facilitate joint

 

training and research initiatives, improve institutional capacities, and create a stronger

 

collective presence for Yemeni universities in regional and international higher education

 

initiatives. It will also help Yemeni institutions engage more effectively with international

 

projects, funding opportunities, and academic cooperation programmes.

 

International Cooperation as a Strategic Necessity

University leaders participating in the conference argued that international engagement has

 

Become essential for the future development of higher education in Yemen.

 

Professor Muhammad Saeed Khanbash, President of Hadhramout University, described

 

international cooperation as a strategic necessity for Yemeni universities seeking to

 

improve educational quality, strengthen research capacity, and expand opportunities for students and faculty members.

 

“Yemeni universities today need to broaden their academic horizons and engage with international experiences and expertise in ways that contribute to improving the quality of

education and scientific research,” Khanbash said.

 

He believes international partnerships provide access to modern technologies, training

 

opportunities, institutional development programmes, and collaborative

research initiatives that can help universities respond more effectively to contemporary challenges.

 

Hadhramout University has already developed partnerships with institutions in Malaysia,

 

Brunei, Indonesia, and Europe through research collaborations, student exchange initiatives,

 

and international projects. The university has also participated in different European

cooperation projects, under the framework of the Erasmus+ programme such as capacity

 

building for higher education like the Yemeni Higher Education Leadership and

 

Development project, the European Union’s Erasmus+ capacity building project MOVE, and

 

its International Credit Mobility system Co-operation in the Mediterranean through Mobility of Students and Staff (COMMO) which UNIMED runs for Erasmus+.

 

Universities Operating Under Extraordinary Conditions

The push toward greater internationalisation comes despite significant challenges facing

 

higher education institutions across Yemen. European partners involved in the project point to a

 

combination of factors that continue that affect universities, including limited resources,

 

infrastructure constraints, mobility restrictions and difficulties accessing international

academic opportunities.

 

Silvia Marchionne, Senior Project Manager at the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED),

 

said the Yemeni case differs from many other regional cooperation initiatives because

 

academic partnerships serve not only traditional higher education goals but also institutional resilience.

 

“International partnerships help universities preserve their institutional continuity,

Maintain academic standards, and avoid further isolation from global higher education

systems.”

 

Marchionne noted that Yemeni universities have continued operating under exceptionally

 

Difficult circumstances, often relying on the commitment of faculty members and university

 

leadership to sustain teaching and research activities.

 

For this reason, she argued, supporting higher education in Yemen goes beyond educational

 

development. It also contributes to preserving spaces for knowledge production, dialogue, and future social and economic recovery.

 

University networks, she added, can play a critical role in reducing academic isolation by

 

creating channels for collaboration, resource sharing, capacity building, and access to international expertise.

 

Building Capacity for the Long Term

A central objective of the Yemeni Higher Education and Leadership Development project

 

has been helping Yemeni universities move from planning to implementation.

 

The initiative supported participating institutions in developing internationalisation strategies,

 

strengthening International Relations Offices, improving communication capacities, and

 

establishing practical frameworks for managing international partnerships.

 

Training activities brought together university leaders and international relations staff from

 

all eight participating Yemeni institutions to build skills in strategic planning, academic mobility,

 

communication, project development and international cooperation.

 

The project also encouraged universities to identify shared priorities and develop long-term

 

approaches to collaboration in areas such as research, mobility, fundraising, and institutional development.

 

Andrea Damiani, Coordinator of the Yemeni Higher Education and Leadership Development

 

project at Link Campus University in Italy, said one of the most important outcomes extended

 

beyond technical achievements.

 

“The relationship that has developed between the European and Yemeni partners has far

 

Exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.”

 

Damiani added that the resilience demonstrated by Yemeni participants helped transform

 

internationalisation from a theoretical concept into practical institutional strategies adapted to local realities.

 

He described the project as evidence that meaningful and lasting cooperation can be achieved

 

Even in difficult circumstances through commitment, mutual trust, and the sharing of expertise.

Women’s Role in Internationalisation

Conference discussions also highlighted the importance of ensuring that women play an active role in shaping the future of higher education in Yemen.

 

Dr. Shuaa Al-Haddar of the University of Lahej argued that women’s participation should be viewed as a strategic necessity rather than solely a matter of gender equality.

 

“Involving women is essential for the future of internationalising higher education in Yemen.”

 

She said women could make significant contributions to innovation, inclusivity, sustainability,

 

digital transformation, and emerging fields such as artificial intelligence.

 

She also believed that internationalisation efforts must be designed to create

 

opportunities for broader participation and leadership within higher education institutions.

 

Looking Beyond the Project

Although the Yemeni project is reaching its conclusion, participants emphasised that the work is only beginning.

 

“The newly established Yemeni international relations network and Euro–Yemeni

 

Academic Cooperation Network are expected to serve as long-term platforms for future

 

collaboration among Yemeni and European universities,” UNIMED Director, Dr. Marcello Scalisi

 

said. Their objectives included promoting academic mobility, supporting collaborative

research, developing joint projects, facilitating the exchange of expertise, and helping Yemeni institutions access international funding opportunities.

 

“UNIMED has already begun inviting European universities to join the Euro–Yemeni Academic

 

Cooperation Network, with the aim of expanding partnerships between Yemeni institutions and universities across Europe,” Dr. Scalisi added.

 

Future activities are expected to focus on project development, academic exchange, research cooperation, communication, and capacity building, while also exploring new funding mechanisms to sustain collaboration.

 

The networks form part of a broader vision to establish a permanent national coordination

 

mechanism for internationalisation in Yemen and a stable platform for Euro–Yemeni academic cooperation.

 

Beyond Survival For many years, discussions about higher education in Yemen have focused on crisis

Management and institutional survival. The conversations taking place in Cairo reflected a

broader ambition. University leaders are increasingly looking beyond immediate challenges

toward a future in which Yemeni institutions participate more actively in regional and global academic networks, contribute to international research, and provide students and faculty members with greater

 

opportunities for engagement and development.

For the universities involved, internationalisation is no longer simply about mobility programmes or international rankings. It is increasingly viewed as a pathway to resilience,

 

institutional strengthening, and long-term recovery.

 

The creation of new national and international cooperation networks will not solve all the

 

Challenges facing Yemeni higher education, but for the universities involved, they represent an

 

important step toward reconnecting with the wider academic world—and ensuring that Yemeni

scholars and students remain part of it.

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