From 6 to 11 September, representatives of the DFG visited Iraq in response to an invitation by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHESR) to deliver a guest lecture at a nationwide conference on the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme. This invitation followed the visit of an Iraqi research delegation to Bonn in November of the previous year. The DFG also took the opportunity to meet with representatives of a number of research institutions in Central Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The aim here was to develop a better understanding of both the Iraqi and Kurdish research system and to explore opportunities for enhanced bilateral collaboration in the increasingly internationalised country.

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The conference at the University of Baghdad was aimed at participants from higher education institutions, international offices and the wider research community across Iraq. With approximately one thousand participants in total, the event was both festive and very well attended. It was formally opened with an address by the Iraqi Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Naeem Abd Yaser Al-Aboudi, who outlined the country’s national strategy for internationalisation, and a welcome address by Adam Jansson, Deputy Head of the European Union Advisory Mission in Baghdad. The conference was designed to highlight funding and application opportunities under the Erasmus+ programme, thereby supporting the further internationalisation of Iraq’s research system and strengthening its integration in European and global academic networks. Alongside the DFG, the programme also featured Erasmus+ experts from the MENA region, Africa, Asia and the USA.

In addition to the conference, the DFG held meetings in Baghdad with the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Professor Dr. Hayder Abed Dhahad, as well as visiting the University of Baghdad(externer Link), Al-Shaab University(externer Link), and the German Embassy. After this, there were meetings in Erbil with the Senior Adviser of the  Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Dr. Amanj Saeed, with representatives of Salahaddin University(externer Link) and of Tishk University(externer Link), as well as with the German Consulate General. The visit also included lively discussions with Iraqi researchers at the two locations.

In addition to the cordial hospitality shown by the hosts, the talks in Baghdad and Erbil demonstrated that there is considerable joint interest in further advancing internationalisation and international networking in research cooperation. The DFG intends to continue its dialogue with the various institutions.