DIRASA partners are taking a major step forward in modernising the governance of scientific research in Tunisia thanks to three strategic deliverables. These tools strengthen strategic management and prepare the country’s universities for the transition to EPST status (Public Scientific and Technological Establishment), a model recognised for its effectiveness in research and innovation management.

Institutional action plans for strategic monitoring and performance cells

The newly established strategic monitoring and performance cells are a key pillar for enhancing the scientific competitiveness of Tunisian universities.
Each Tunisian university partnering with DIRASA now has an institutional action plan detailing:

• missions of scientific, technological and policy monitoring,
• identification of funding and innovation opportunities,
• performance analysis (publications, projects, collaborations),
• support to research teams in their strategic positioning.

These cells strengthen the national research and innovation strategy, improve foresight capacities, and optimise participation in national and international calls for proposals.

A performance contract to structure relations between the Ministry, Universities and Research Structures

The performance contract developed with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research represents a major lever for modernising research management in Tunisia.

This model sets out:

• mutual commitments between the Ministry, universities and research structures,
• result-based funding mechanisms,
• performance evaluation indicators,
• responsibilities in governance and strategic steering.

A roadmap to support the transition to EPST status

The third strategic document is an operational roadmap guiding universities through their transition to EPST status, a strategic model to strengthen the quality and performance of the research system.

This roadmap outlines:

• steps to master result-based management and steering tools,
• the establishment of a robust monitoring and evaluation system,
• the integration of new functions such as management control and internal control,
• the institutional capacities required to modernise governance.

It serves as an essential strategic tool enabling Tunisian universities to adopt a more agile, efficient and internationally aligned model.

Towards strengthened research governance aligned with DIRASA project objectives

These three deliverables represent a key milestone in the implementation of the DIRASA project. They provide Tunisian universities with concrete tools to develop more structured research governance, better aligned with national priorities and increasingly oriented toward performance.

Through the creation of strategic monitoring and performance cells, the performance contract model, and the roadmap for transitioning to EPST status, universities now benefit from a clear operational framework to improve the planning, monitoring and valorisation of their research activities.

These advancements directly contribute to the project’s objectives: strengthening institutional capacities, supporting the gradual autonomy of universities in research management, and promoting the sustainable modernisation of the national research and innovation system.