UAE-based Hamdan Bin Mohammed e-University (HBMeU) has signed a framework agreement with Spain’s Open University of Catalonia for  further strengthening its new PhD program and co-supervision of graduate studies.

 

The Open University of Catalonia is an internationally recognised online university with a community of over 70,000 students based in Barcelona. 

 

The agreement covers various activities, including mobility and exchanges of researchers, academics and administrative personnel; student exchanges and internships; co-supervision of PhD students; joint and/or double degrees; joint research and development, innovation and knowledge transfer projects; and other cooperative activities. 

 

Under the agreement, HBMeU and the Open University of Catalonia will jointly promote and undertake programs and activities of mutual benefit, said HBMeU chancellor Dr Mansoor Al Awar after signing the deal with Dr Josep A. Planell, the rector of the Open University of Catalonia on the sidelines of the First Arab-Euro Conference on Higher Education held in Barcelona, Spain. 

 

The summit gathered for the first time the Association of Arab Universities (AARU) and the European University Association (EUA) and their respective members. It was organised by the Association of Arab Universities and the European University Association and hosted by the University of Barcelona. 

 

The conference encouraged rectors, presidents and vice-chancellors from both regions to rethink the role of the university in the current context of internationalization and examine the introduction of new functions to tackle socio-economic challenges in the Arab, Euro and Arab-Euro contexts.

 

Dr Al Awar along with Prof Nabil Baydoun, the assistant chancellor for Learners & Enterprise Development and Serine El Salhat, the assistant chancellor for International Cooperation, served as HBMeU’s delegates at the conference. 

 

“HBMeU continues to consolidate its international alliances as part of our strategy to adopt global best practices and further improve the quality of e-learning in the Arab world. Our partnership with the Open University of Catalonia creates new opportunities to further strengthen our research capabilities, and expand the academic programs being offered to learners," explained Dr Al Awar.

 

"Moreover, with HBMeU’s PhD program to commence next fall, this strategic partnership will give us greater leverage to enhance the quality of learning of PhD students through co-supervision programs," he added.-TradeArabia News Service