From 10 to 12 October 2025, the RISE Project Coordinator, Silvia Marchionne, UNIMED Senior Project Manager, and Dr. Abdallah Omar Yassen, Director of International Relations Office of the Erbil Polytechnic University, partner of the project, took part in the STAR Global Conference 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye, dedicated to rethinking how knowledge is created and applied to address real-world challenges at local and global level.
During the panel “Community, Skills, and Internationalisation”,they co-presented the RISE – Reinforcing Integration of Skills for Employability and Internationalisation in the Kurdistan region of Iraq project.
Their contribution highlighted how collaborative approaches between universities and local stakeholders can strengthen:
- Community engagement, by positioning universities as key actors of social responsibility and local development;
- Skills development, by better aligning higher education with labour market needs and fostering a new generation of open-minded, employable graduates;
- Internationalisation, by building strategic, sustainable partnerships and enhancing the role of International Relations Offices and Career Development Centres within Iraqi universities.
By showcasing RISE at STAR Global Conference 2025, UNIMED and EPU underlined the importance of connecting local knowledge and global alliances to support higher education and contribute to sustainable development. To discover more, have a look at the RISE presentation.
For more information refer to the official website of STAR Global Conference 2025.