Cairo Declaration on Higher Education and Scientific Research

Ministers participating in this week’s First Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research in Cairo stated that Higher Education, Research and Innovation should be defined as a priority sector within the Euromed Partnership and, to this end, agreed to undertake appropriate measures in the following nine key areas.

The approximation of Euromed Higher Education systems with relevance to the Bologna process and ECTS system; support for the implementation of the Euromed University Forum objectives; exploiting the use of innovative methodologies and ICT to enhance Higher Education; enhancing participation in a Euromed Scholarship Scheme in the framework of the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window; supporting Euromed Higher Education Programmes; integrating the Mediterranean Partner Countries into the European Research Area; promoting innovation, knowledge-sharing and its return on the industry and economy in Mediterranean Partner Countries; enhancing effective mobility in the Euromed region; and attaining brain circulation and knowledge dissemination.

The existing Monitoring Committee for Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation in RTD will be complemented, as appropriate, with the creation of an expert group so as to cover Higher Education, with a view to implementing the conference objectives, deliverables and actions. They will meet periodically, or as required, to review the achieved progress and report to the Euromed Committee, not later than the second semester of 2008.

A second Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Higher Education and Scientific Research, will be held in 2009 to assess the achievements made in this regard, as well as promoting further cooperation.