The Hellenic Mediterranean University (HMU) is organizing for the second consecutive year the International Week of Cooperation with African Universities, from 31 March to 4 April 2025 in Heraklion, Crete, strengthening strategic partnerships with higher education institutions on the African Continent.
The aim of the meeting is to exchange good practices, strengthen joint research activities and promote innovation between HMU and its African partners. This year, the event focuses on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN SDGs) and the role of the academic community in their achievement.
The importance of HMU’s collaboration with African universities is great, as it constitutes a strategic choice with multiple benefits for education, research, society and the international presence of the institution. Through this collaboration, which is already being implemented, on the one hand with a significant number of student and staff mobility to and from African universities and on the other hand with Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with institutions and organizations such as the National Research Center of Egypt and UNICEF, the internationalization of HMU is substantially strengthened. At the same time, the conditions are created for jointly addressing global challenges such as food security, climate change and energy transition – issues that similarly affect the regions of the European South and Africa. Through closer cooperation, bonds of mutual respect and exchange of know-how are cultivated, emphasizing equal participation and co-creation. This collaboration comes to complement and strengthen social and business innovation for the joint development of solutions to local and regional problems, a need that has also been highlighted through joint events of the Heraklion Chamber of Commerce and the Hellenic-African Chamber. Finally, this collaboration paves the way for joint research proposals and international funding projects, consolidating the role of HMU as a bridge between Europe and Africa. In this context, the International Week constitutes a platform for dialogue, exchange of experiences and planning of joint actions with tangible social and scientific impact, thus acting as a catalyst for sustainable, long-term cooperation between partners.
The event, organized by HMU Department of Public and International Relations of in collaboration with the European University AT
– Prof. Pauline Byakika-Kibwika, Vice-Chancellor of Mbarara University of Science & Technology (Uganda), with an intervention on access to quality education (SDG 4).
– Dr. Tom Ogwang, also from Mbarara University, will speak on the Goals of Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).
– Prof. Zoheir Tir, from the University of El Oued (Algeria), will present technologies for sustainable water and energy infrastructure (SDG 6, 9 & 12).
– Prof. Nava Shaked, from the Holon Institute of Technology (Israel), will give a lecture on technological responsibility in education and research.
On the part of HMU, research actions, good practices and innovative policies will be presented by:
– Prof. Ioannis Kaliakatsos (Emeritus) will present the possibilities of international funding and the tools for submitting joint research proposals.
– Assoc. Prof. Konstantinos Petrides, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Outreach of HMU will present HMU’s approach to peace education, through an online intervention.
– Prof. Emmanouil Karapidakis will present HMU’s action plan for renewable energy sources and the institution’s sustainable development policies.
– Prof. Dimitris Katsaprakakis will report on initiatives of the Region of Crete that are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
– Prof. Thrasyvoulos Manios will develop issues of responsible production and consumption (SDG 12), while also participating in the general discussion on sustainable development through academic actions.
– Prof. Irini Papadaki and Prof. Argyroula Kalaitzaki will develop the issue of gender equality in education and its integration into the academic environment (SDG 5).
– Assoc. Prof. Angeliki Menegaki will address issues of sustainable income and its connection with the Sustainable Development Goals.
– Assoc. Prof. Georgios Fouskitakis will present applications of embedded systems for smart agriculture, as part of technological solutions for sustainable practices (SDG 2 & 9).
-Assoc. Prof. Eleni Koutsouraki will present the successful PIPE project, as a good example of social innovation and know-how transfer.
– Assoc. Prof. Georgios Kritsotakis, Associate Academic Director of the Department of Public and International Relations of HMU, will present Sustainable Development Goal 10, on the topic of reducing inequalities within and between societies, highlighting the challenges and policies related to social cohesion and equality.
– Asst. Prof. Ioannis Daliakopoulos, Academic Director of the Department of Public and International Relations of HMU, will present the international actions and the extroversion strategy of HMU, while also participating with a proposal on clean access to water and sanitation (SDG 6), combined with predictive diagnostics of technologies for resilient infrastructure.
– Dr. Evi Kotti will coordinate the discussion on the tools to strengthen collaborations between universities and local communities for the implementation of the SDGs, highlighting the social dimension of higher education and the need for synergies with a substantial footprint.
– Finally, Dr. Gareth Owens, Head of the Department of Public and International Relations, will guide the guests around the University premises as well as the archaeological site of Knossos, offering a unique connection of culture with the modern educational experience.
More information and the detailed program are available here
