The University of Sfax (USF) was founded under Law No. 86-80 of August 9^th 1986. The provision was published in the Official Journal of the Tunisian Republic No. 44 of August 8^th– 12^th, 1986. Since its foundation, the University of Sfax has witnessed a steady increase in the number of students and professors and its teaching quality. Currently, USF is experiencing a new phase of improvement and renovation.

Mission:

• to prepare frameworks that meet the market needs following international standards and to improve the employability of young graduates;
• to ensure an educational system open to the outside world by encouraging international mobility;
• to create an innovative research environment that could meet the community’s needs to participate in socio-economic development and enhance the role of USF at regional, national, and international levels.

Vision:

• to play an entrepreneurial role in serving socio-economic development;
• to be a significant training and research hub that is independent, interdisciplinary and attractive, anchored in its socio-economic environment and aspiring to become a beacon for international exchanges on the southern shore of the Mediterranean;
• to become a cultural and natural university at a regional and national level while remaining rooted in the values of our Nation;

The University of Tunis was the first university founded after Tunisian independence, as per decree No. 98 – 1960 of March 31^st 1960. It will mark its 64^th anniversary this year. The University of Tunis comprised the Faculty of Humanities, the École Normale Supérieure and the Institut des Hautes Études, and later (1964) the Faculty of Medicine, as well as a regional campus of the University of Ez-Zitouna.

The university had the merit of undertaking the “tunisification” of higher education, despite its limited means and potentiality, having the wish and the enthusiasm to build a modern higher education system that could train the future national leader on the eve of independence.

Nowadays, 18,124 students attend the University of Tunis, whose courses are taught by 1,638 professors and hosted in its 15 buildings dedicated to higher education and research. The university operates thanks to 822 non-teaching staff members. The educational offer provides 134 specialised training opportunities in the LMD system (Bachelor-Master-Doctorate), qualifying examinations and Bachelor courses. Training through and for research is ensured by structured teams operating in 27 laboratories and 3 research units registered in the National Research System, in charge of 14% of the student population (or around 2,000 PhD students).

As a top priority of the University of Tunis, educational excellence translates into a rich teaching offer, with four broad teaching and research domains (Economics and Management Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Arts and Engineering Sciences).

The University’s Mission
To accomplish its noble mission, the university of tomorrow must achieve three goals, such as:

• I am committed to transferring knowledge and know-how through specialised courses and promoting research in the domain of applied, formal, natural, and social sciences such as engineering, humanities, language studies, arts, economics, management science, and culture;
• to fulfil a societal role and prepare the citizens of tomorrow to actively participate in society by spreading universal values and training them on avant-garde technologies and international exchanges;
• to create a pathway to the socio-economic and cultural environment that could benefit the university and prepare the students for an active life in all its different forms.

The University of Tunis El Manar (UTM) is a public institution offering scientific and technological courses. It was founded in 1987. UTM includes 15 university facilities covering a wide range of disciplines, and it is considered one of the leading universities in Tunisia, as it provides several study programs in different domains, including sciences, technology, social sciences, and humanities.

The University of Tunis El Manar relies on the following:

1. a qualified and experienced teaching staff, the professors are known for their expertise and commitment to developing Tunisia;
2. modern infrastructures, including research laboratories and research and development centres, such as the Pasteur Institute and the Veterinary Research Institute. The UTM also invests in advanced technology to offer the students high-quality learning experiences;
3. quality research that contributes to the advancement of knowledge in different domains;
4. International partnerships, allowing students and professors to benefit from exchange programs and international cooperation initiatives;
5. commitment to knowledge and culture promotion. The UTM promotes an environment where all cultures and identities are accepted and respected, raising awareness among the students and organising activities and events that celebrate diversity.

The University of Carthage (UCAR) is a Tunisian public institution of higher education and research under the supervision of the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. Initially created to be a sector-specific university, in 2001, the UCAR became a multidisciplinary institution under the name ‘University of Carthage’.

The university currently has 35 facilities for research and higher education (with 12 receiving support from the state). As the most prominent university in Tunisia, UCAR provides a broad educational offering that covers many disciplines and subdisciplines.

The 35 institutions are distributed among five governorates (Tunis, Ariana, Nabeul, Bizerte, and Zaghouan). The university can count on 7 campuses, including the campus of Tunis suburbs, where the Presidency of the University is located.

Mission and Objectives:

• to improve teaching quality by implementing a process of quality assurance, accreditation and certification, such as the project PAQ-DGSU-UCAR “Practice Jawda”;
• to develop centres of excellence focused on research and teaching skills;
• to provide a pathway to the social and economic world by encouraging the students’ entrepreneurial culture, promoting better employability and professional integration, starting from implementing the Pôle des étudiants Entrepreneurs de Carthage, PEEC (Hub for Carthage’s Entrepreneur Students);
• to boost and enlarge international partnerships by promoting successful exchanges and viable cooperation with a high added value through participation in international programs (E+, Horizon Europe, CBC-MED.)

Established in 1986, the University of Sousse (Uso) is a public institution of higher education that includes 17 faculties, institutes, and schools with a wide range of disciplines from exact sciences to humanities, from accounting to anthropology, and from marketing to medicine. In a dynamic and sustained scientific approach, the university has recently been promoted in indexed research, certified training and accredited teaching in its institutions. The University of Sousse has also developed a dynamic international profile of partnership and cooperation with international organisations, European agencies, civil society associations and higher education institutions worldwide. Uso has 25 Tempus projects, 43 Erasmus+ inter-institutional agreements and 28 CBHE KA2 projects.

The University of Gabès is a public scientific and technological establishment created in 2003 and located in the country’s southeast. It supervises 16 HEIs: 1 School of Engineering, 1 Faculty of Sciences, 14 Higher Institutes).

Post Graduate Studies 

• 89 license degrees
• 64 Master degrees
• 5   Engineering Diploma
• 3 Preparatory cycles for engineering studies
• 1 integrated cycle of engineering degree in computer science
• 9 Doctorate graduate studies
• 15500 students attend the courses

Research

• 13 Research Laboratories
• 8 Research Units
• 1 Doctoral School “Science, Engineering and Society”
• 4 Common Service Units
• 334 SCOPUS publications in 2022
• 887 Researchers

Human resources          

• 1480: academic staff
• 696: administrative and technical staff

International Cooperation:

Gabes University draws on its international relations and various cooperation projects (Horizon2020 programme, Erasmus+)  to maintain an intense exchange with similar universities and provide an increasing mobility rate for students and staff.

These multilateral and bilateral relationships cover research, mobility of researchers and staff, joint degrees and various activities for performing HEI.

The University of Gabes is now among the eight Tunisian public universities that have been highly ranked in the new global ranking of universities developed by the organisation “Times Higher Education”, specialising in ranking universities globally.

The University of Manouba (UMA) is a public institution of higher education founded in 2000. Despite its recent creation, UMA is heir to one of the oldest institutions in Tunisia. UMA includes 15 research and higher education facilities, focusing on various disciplines. It is considered one of Tunisia’s main universities, offering a highly diverse study program covering disciplines such as Sciences, Technology, Social Sciences and Humanities.

UMA welcomes around 17,000 students, accounting for 471 foreign nationalities, 1,396 teaching staff members and 761 people among administrative managers, technicians and workers. The university offers 125 courses at different educational levels, a one-year preparatory training course for Language Studies, and a preparatory course associated with Engineering Studies. Moreover, UMA issues 30 bachelor’s degree qualifications, 41 Professional Master’s degree certificates, two National Engineering degree certificates and one for the National Veterinary Degree. The university provides 30 Master of Research certifications and 16 Doctoral courses relying on a dynamic research environment with three Doctoral Schools consisting of 33 research structures.

The University of Monastir (UM) is a public institution of higher education founded in 2004 (Decree No. 2102/2004). It is home to more than 20000 students, 2050 academic lecturers, and 1000 administrative and support staff. It comprises nine higher institutes, two higher schools, five faculties, and a language village offering many programs in various subjects at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. For research activities, the UM counts 48 research structures, a research centre, 14 commons service units, and four doctoral schools carrying out high-quality research in different specialities. The UM is a member of international networks and associations and has participated in numerous successful transnational partnerships.

The UM aims to disseminate and develop knowledge, harness and promote innovative technologies, and assist students in delving into entrepreneurship and start-up creation. It is dedicated to serving the country’s vocational training needs and developing interdisciplinary skills in various fields. It is committed to promoting research, creating partnerships with national and international universities, encouraging multiple cultural, social, recreational, and sports-related activities, and guaranteeing the well-being of all its relevant members.

The Tunis Virtual University (www.uvt.rnu.tn) is a public institution with a scientific and technological vocation, founded in January 2002. The goals of UVT revolve around supporting the digital transformation of the Tunisian public university to deliver innovative education and research, intending to overcome social challenges and achieve sustainable development goals, as well as to create bridges and a techno-educational cooperation device at a national and regional level (Education – Economic Institutions – State).

UVT also acts as the supervisory body of The Higher Institute of Education and Continuous Training (ISEFC). ISEFC is the only institution for higher education specialised in educational sciences and ensuring multidisciplinary research activities related to teaching techniques, training of trainers and Information and Communication Technologies in Education (ICTE), primarily through the Research Unit for ‘Education, Cognition, ICTE and Didactics’ (ECOTIDI – http://www.ecotidi.tn), gathering researchers from UVT and ISEFC: experts in education, psychology and educational technology.

UVT is also a national structure unifying and supporting the other universities in the implementation and the management of a technological infrastructure for e-learning, in the training of ICTE technicians, in the integration of ICTs in teaching systems, as well as in mutual development and use of successful digital educational resources.

The University of Kairouan (UniK) is a young public institution created in 2004. It provides scientific and educational supervision over 12 university establishments in the three governorates of Kairouan, Kasserine and Sidi Bouzid. UniK has 1,965 employees (academic, administrative and technical staff), 11,280 students enrolled in 2023/2024.

UniK provides a relatively wide range of academic training: 94 programs in the following educational areas: Letters and Human Sciences, Legal and Political Sciences, Economic and Management Sciences, Fundamental Sciences, Arts and Crafts, Engineering Sciences, Educational Sciences, Biological Sciences and Agri-Food.

UniK has 4 research laboratories and a doctoral school.

Recognizing the importance of international cooperation, UniK is eager to strengthen its scientific and educational partnerships with international universities. To date, more than 40 cooperation framework agreements have been concluded. Over the last 3 years, 8 contributions in international cooperation projects have been made within the framework of European programs. Indeed, the University of Kairouan carries out relevant international cooperation projects and is active as a partner in national and international projects.

Through this experience of project management, particularly European ones and thanks to an experienced, dynamic and highly motivated staff, Unik ensure professional management and control of budget, schedules, project reports.

Founded on July 16^th 2004, the University of Gafsa (UGAF) is a public institution of an administrative nature with legal personality and financial autonomy. Since its foundation, UGAF has been opening towards new fields of education and research while still firmly holding onto its universal values such as knowledge creation and distribution, understanding of the outside world, preparation for the integration of students into professional and social life, as well as the wide dissemination of the culture of freedom and equal opportunities.

The mission of the University of Gafsa is to develop and share knowledge to build an economic system based on expertise, on better employability of the students in the context of the partnership with the socio-economic environment, on improved scientific, cultural and professional knowledge, through face-to-face and blended teaching, as well as on-demand training, to offer life-long learning opportunities. UGAF participates in developing scientific and technological research in domains of excellence and the distribution and valorisation of its results. Moreover, UGAF provides students with training that adapts to the needs of the economic and social environment at a national and international level.

The University of Gafsa geographically covers two governorates, Gafsa and Tozeur, and it stands out for its intellectual heritage: a quality teaching apparatus covering the essential domains of Engineering Sciences, Languages and Techniques, and top-quality research. UGAF offers training courses organised according to the principles of the LMD system (Bachelor-Master-Doctorate).

The range of disciplines offered by UGAF also covers the major areas of higher education:

• Science et Technology,
• Economics and management,
• Languages and Humanities,
• Arts and Crafts,
• Sport and Physical Education,
• Engineering Training,
• Teaching and Education.

The University of Gafsa welcomes 8,000 students, 740 professors and 466 administrative staff members (164 managers, 115 technical assistants and 181 workers.)

Multidisciplinary research teams conduct scientific research within the four research laboratories with a Centre for Joint Research Services in the Faculty of Sciences.

The University of Gafsa has set a knowledge and research exchange strategy to improve its international visibility by developing cooperation protocols with foreign universities (in Europe, Africa, America and Asia). In July 2023, the number of international cooperation agreements accounted for 70 conventions.

The University of Jendouba (UJ) was created by decree No. 1662-2003 and consists of 14 facilities (one faculty, two écoles and 11 higher education institutions), with 5 of them receiving support from different ministries: three from the Ministry of Agriculture, one from the Ministry of Health and one from the Ministry of Youth and Sports. These facilities are spread across the Northwestern Tunisian governorates (Jendouba, Béja, Le Kef and Siliana.) UJ offers various academic programs: Languages and Humanities, Arts and crafts, Music and Theatre Studies, Law, Education, Economics, Management, Agriculture, Biotechnology, IT, Sport and Physical Education.

In the academic year 2022/2023, UJ issued the following qualifications: 30 Degree Certificates, 16 Masters of Research, 22 Masters of Professional Studies, four Degree Certificates in Engineering and two Doctorates. The University of Jendouba also offers 83 training courses in different domains and welcomes 11,364 students and 1,066 professors, 592 of which are part of the permanent staff. UJ features four laboratories, five research units mainly focused on agriculture and natural resources, and a technology transfer office (TTO) managed in cooperation with the National Agency for the Promotion of Scientific Research (ANPR).

Ez-Zitouna University is a civilisational datum in Tunisia, as it is the oldest Arab and Islamic University. The Ez-Zitouna mosque began to teach Islamic sciences in the year 120. This religious and scientific bastion played an essential role in safeguarding the Arab-Islamic identity in the regions of Ifriqiya.

Throughout its long history, the Ezzitouna Mosque has been a high place of influence of its science and its thought, which fulfils, thanks to its scholars and its executives, a universal civilisational mission based on authentic science, true knowledge and the noble Islamic values that preach tolerance, openness, balance, moderation and dialogue.

In December 1987, by Law No. 83-1987, Ezzitouna University was created in a new form and as an integral component of the Tunisian university system. It is now a public establishment of an administrative nature that enjoys legal personality and financial autonomy.

The academic training it provides focuses on Islamic sciences but also includes the human sciences that are considered necessary. Ez-Zitouna University awards bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, including the applied bachelor’s degree in Islamic heritage arts, the applied bachelor’s degree in conservation and restoration of cultural property and the master’s and doctoral degree in Islamic Finance. The registered students exceed 3000, the academic staff exceeds 150 professors, and the administrative, technical and labour staff exceeds 130 agents.

Four higher education and scientific research establishments are attached to Ez-Zitouna University and spread over two governorates, Tunis and Kairouan. These establishments are the High Institute of Theology, the High Institute of Islamic Civilization, the High Institute of Islamic Sciences in Kairouan and the Research Centre for Islamic Studies in Kairouan.

The MESRS is responsible for developing and implementing the higher education policy and scientific research, monitoring the activities of universities, higher education and research institutions and research facilities, tracking the student’s university life, as well as coordinating and following the international cooperation actions in the context of higher education and scientific research.

The National agency for the promotion of scientific research (ANPR: www.anpr.tn) was founded in 2008. It has the status of a public institution of scientific and technological character endowed with legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy and placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR). It plays an important interface and support role in the implementation of the valorisation process and the transfer of research results. The ANPR is an interface structure between Research and Innovation actors (13 universities, 40 research centres, 484 laboratories, 96 units and 23,000 professors and researchers) and the socio-economic world (ministries, technical centres, technology parks, clusters, public and private companies, employers’ organisations, banks, business angels, civil society, diaspora,…).

This national organisation’s main mission is to offer services to professionalise the management of scientific research activities within the framework of an effective and impartial partnership with socio-economic operators. The agency’s mission is notably to assist public research structures in the areas of valorisation of scientific research and to support the emergence of the Tunisian national innovation system.

Founded in 1991, UNIMED – Mediterranean Universities Union – is a network of more than 100 Higher Education and Research Institutions from 25 countries, active in promoting academic cooperation in the Euro-Mediterranean region and Sub-Saharan Africa, in the Middle East and Western Balkans.

Founded in 1343, the University of Pisa is a public institution with a long tradition, deeply rooted in its territory and fully integrated into the international scientific community. It covers all main areas of teaching and research. The primary purpose of its activities is the cultural and professional growth of the entire university community, the training of students and the increase of knowledge in various fields of research. In this context, the learning/teaching activities are directly connected with research activities.

Fact and Figures:

• 20 departments
• 13 museums
• 17 libraries
• 273 laboratories
• 5 canteens

UNIPI offers:

• Bachelor’s Degrees (3y): 59
• Master’s Degrees (2y): 72
• Long single-cycle degrees (5/6y): 9
• PhD’s: 36
• Specialisation schools: 48
• One-year post-degree programmes: 70
• Summer schools: 30 Intensive Programmes in different areas
• Foundation Course

The University of Pisa stands every year in the top positions of the most prestigious international rankings both by universities and subject. According to the three most famous ranking institutes (THE, ARWU and QS) UNIPI is in the top 200-400 of the best universities position in the worldwide and among the 7 best universities in Italy.

The University of Pavia (UNIPV) is one of the world’s oldest academic institutions: it was founded in 1361, and until the 20th century, it was the only university in the Milan Area and the region of Lombardy. Today, it is a comprehensive university which covers all subject areas – Science and Technology, Engineering, Life Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences – and comprises 18 Departments offering study programmes at all levels, from bachelor’s degrees to Doctorate programmes.

The academic staff counts more than 900 professors and researchers. 24,000 students, from both Italy and overseas, study at the University of Pavia.

The University of Pavia participates in more than 400 international agreements with universities all over the world, and it collaborates in research projects with the most advanced international laboratories and organises Masters and PhD research programs. UNIPV is also actively involved in European projects (Erasmus+ and Horizon 2020 above all) and national cooperation activities. In particular, UNIPV has a good experience in managing CBHE projects, both as coordinator and as a partner.

CESIE ETS is a European centre for studies and initiatives whose mission is to promote research and development of innovation in the socio-economic, educational and cultural fields.

It is a non-profit, non-political and non-governmental organisation founded in 2001 and based in Sicily, inspired by the work and theories of the pacifist Danilo Dolci (1924-1997).

Our objectives :

• To improve lifelong learning in Europe through transnational projects involving local communities.
• To promote the sustainable development of neighbouring regions and beyond through education and training
• To foster progress and innovation in higher education and research institutions
• To support learning mobility for people of all ages across borders and sectors
• To stimulate local development by adapting international good practices and methods.

The DIRASA project will be implemented by the Higher Education and Research Unit. The Unit is primarily responsible for fostering modernisation, capacity building and Responsible Research and Innovation of HEIs and research institutions in Europe and Partner Countries.

The University of Rouen Normandy (URN) is a university welcoming around 32,000 students and 2,500 staff, spread over 7 university campuses in Seine-Maritime and Eure. URN, which is a comprehensive university, is one of the main actors in training and research in Normandy. The institution, producing knowledge thanks to the activity of its laboratories, aims to develop scientific excellence at national and international level. It is thus a member of an Erasmus+ alliance of European universities: INGENIUM.

One of URN’s major ambitions is to become the university of transitions: environmental and societal transitions are thus key elements of the institution’s strategy.

URN is a member of several networks, such as AUF, SGroup and UNIMED. In the framework of UNIMED, she participated in 2 other capacity building projects before DIRASA: StEER-Leb and ESAGOV.

Tunisian institutions are central partners of URN: the university has developed international cooperation projects with them in research, as well as in training (Erasmus+ project AC107 “International Credit Mobility” obtained in 2020).

URN’s participation in the Erasmus+ DIRASA capacity building project aims to strengthen cooperation with Tunisia.