From 1 to 4 December 2025, UNIMED organised a four-day training in Cairo, Egypt, under the YHELD project – Yemeni Higher Education Leading to Development of International Relations Offices. The training brought together 16 participants from eight Yemeni partner universities, including Rectors, Vice-Presidents responsible for international relations, and Heads or staff of International Relations Offices, to strengthen institutional capacities and foster international collaboration.
YHELD is part of UNIMED’s broader engagement with Yemeni higher education institutions, which includes five associated universities: Hadhramout University, Seiyun University, Taiz University, University of Aden, and University of Science and Technology. Additional initiatives such as TRANSITION, MOVE, and mobility opportunities through the COMMO consortium under the International Credit Mobility scheme complement the project and help consolidate collaboration with Yemeni higher education.
The training focused on both theory and practice of internationalisation. The first module, led by UNIMED’s Senior Project Manager Silvia Marchionne, covered internationalisation strategies, EU funding, proposal writing, and institutional roadmaps for collaboration. The second module, in partnership with CESIE ETS, addressed communication and outreach, including university visibility, brand identity, strategic storytelling, and communication in EU-funded projects, aimed at enhancing the international positioning of Yemeni institutions.
Participants also worked on establishing two complementary cooperation platforms: the Yemeni Network of International Relations Offices and the Euro–Yemeni Academic Cooperation Network. These networks are designed as sustainable mechanisms for coordination, peer learning, academic exchange, and long-term cooperation between Yemeni and European universities.
The project is scheduled to continue until May 2026, culminating in a final conference at Link Campus University in Rome on 12-13 May. The conference will present the main outcomes of YHELD, showcase the two newly established networks, and lay the foundation for a long-term framework of Euro-Yemeni higher education collaboration.
