While the ongoing and current regional instability prevented an in-person gathering in Sulaimani, the energy and determination of the RISE consortium was undeterred and joined in two online sessions on 18–19 June 2025.
More than 40 representatives from the 7 university partners of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, from UNINT and Murcia Universities, the Ministry of Higher Education in the Kurdistan region of Iraq as associated partner, virtually gathered to discuss and reflect on how to shape the future of internationalisation and career development in higher education, with the overall goal of boosting graduates and students employability in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
At the heart of this two-day meeting was Work Package 2: defining institutional roadmaps that will guide universities in strengthening career services, expanding global partnerships, and preparing students for an increasingly interconnected world. The workshop showcased the outcomes of the Focus Groups held the past months across the partner universities from the Kurdistan region of Iraq – Akre University of Applied Sciences, Duhok Polytechnic University, Erbil Polytechnic University, Sulaimani Polytechnic University, University of Duhok, University of Garmian and University of Zakho —bringing the voices of students, professors, and administrative staff directly into the roadmap development process.
Opening remarks
Silvia Marchionne, UNIMED Senior Project Manager and RISE coordinator, opened the first day by welcoming participants.Warm greetings were shared by key institutional figures, including:
- Awder Ahmed, Director of the International Relations Office at Sulaimani Polytechnic University, who underscored the university’s strong engagement with the RISE project;
- Hoshyar Azeez, President of Sulaimani Polytechnic University, who highlighted the initiative’s role in enhancing employability and internationalisation strategies;
- Tommaso Sansone, Italian Consul in Erbil, who praised education as a critical enabler in fragile contexts and reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to regional cooperation;
- Mohammed Hussein Ahmed, Director General from the Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MHESR), who emphasized UNIMED’s ongoing impact on aligning the Kurdish higher education system with EU standards.
The participation of the project External Evaluators, Roberto Escarré and David Alpera enriched the discussion around the definition of the roadmaps by providing their external point of view and perspective.
The definition of the roadmaps
Silvia Marchionne and Martina Zipoli from UNIMED, together with the two WP2 leaders from the University of Duhok and Sulaimani Polytechnic University, unveiled key findings and action-oriented strategies by providing an overview on the two roadmaps on internationalisation and career development. These included concrete steps to boost international mobility, embed skills development and entrepreneurship mindset into curricula, and foster inclusive, sustainable institutional growth.
European partners – the International University of Rome (UNINT) and the University of Murcia – brought the European perspective, sharing best practices and experiences from Spain and Italy and by providing their feedback on the main strengths and weaknesses of the roadmaps produced by the Kurdish universities. Participants reflected on how to adapt these models to the local context—emphasizing flexibility, intercultural awareness, feasability and strategic partnerships as essential ingredients for success.
On the second-day, Interactive discussions, including a real-time Mentimeter debate helped identify top priorities: enhancing global competencies, increasing international visibility, and expanding job market access. Furthermore participants were able to reflect and discuss potential synergies and connections between the internationalisation area and career development field in order to strengthen more and more the work of the International relations office and of the career development centre in a synergic approach. This is the ultimate goal of the RISE project, beyond the definition of the university strategy on these two important dimensions: raising awareness on the relevance of joint efforts not only at institutional level but also at systemic level.
The workshop closed with a clear sense of shared purpose—and a hopeful eye toward reconvening in Sulaimani this autumn to turn roadmaps into reality.