Mansoura University President Reviews University Internationalization Experience at Iraq Education 2025 Conference

Prof. Cherif Khater, President of Mansoura University, participated in the second day of the second edition of the Iraq Education 2025 Conference, held at the University of Baghdad from October 11 to 13. The conference was attended by an elite group of Arab and international university presidents, representatives of international ranking institutions, and the Egyptian Knowledge Bank, in cooperation with the British Council.

The President of Mansoura University participated in a dialogue session titled "The Role of the British Council in Internationalizing Higher Education," which reviewed university internationalization experiences. The session featured Prof. Alaa Abdul Hassan, Advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research; Prof. Wahid Al-Ibrahimi, President of the University of Mosul; and Prof. Richard Sunderland, Director of the British Council in Iraq, along with a number of academic leaders and international experts. The dialogue was moderated by Prof. Muwaffaq Sajit Samir, Director of the Organizations Department at the Department of Scholarships and Cultural Relations.

During the session, Prof. Cherif Khater presented a research paper on Mansoura University's experience in internationalizing higher education. He emphasized that internationalization has become a key focus of the university's strategy to achieve the goals of Egypt's Vision 2030, enhance competitiveness in international rankings, and develop the education and scientific research system in accordance with international standards. He added that Mansoura University has made significant strides in internationalization by establishing distinguished academic and research partnerships with a number of international universities. He noted that these partnerships serve as bridges for academic communication, exchange of expertise, and building research capacity, all in service of sustainable development goals.

In his speech, he highlighted the most prominent examples that embody the university's success in this field, including the academic cooperation spanning more than twenty years with the University of Manchester in the medical sector. This is one of the oldest and most important academic partnerships between Egyptian and British universities. This cooperation began through the Mansoura-Manchester Joint Medical Education Program in 2006, followed by the Dentistry Program, and then the launch of the Clinical Pharmacy Program for the first time this year. This represents an advanced model for international education based on academic integration and the exchange of curricula and educational expertise.

He also presented the experience of cooperation between Intelaq, the technical arm of Mansoura University, and Qawasim Education Company in Saudi Arabia. This cooperation comes within the framework of enhancing Arab cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and academic quality. This cooperation includes the establishment of a private university in Saudi Arabia in partnership with Mansoura University to implement the latest educational and technological systems derived from the Egyptian experience in developing university education. He also reviewed the partnership with the Iraqi University of the Future, which represents a distinguished model of Arab integration in the fields of higher education and scientific research. The cooperation includes the implementation of joint graduate programs hosted by the University of the Future at its headquarters in Iraq, in addition to a plan to establish an international center for training and innovation in the new city of Mansoura. It also includes the exchange of academic expertise in the fields of medicine, engineering, and the humanities. This will contribute to transferring Egyptian expertise to Iraqi universities and open new horizons for joint Arab education. He emphasized that Mansoura University's experience in internationalization is based on achieving a balance between academic excellence and social responsibility, and seeks to build qualitative partnerships with international universities and institutions to support innovation and enhance the efficiency of the university's graduates in the regional and global labor market.

In concluding his speech, Prof. Cherif Khater appreciated the efforts of the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in organizing this distinguished Arab conference, emphasizing that Mansoura University's participation is an extension of its pioneering role in the framework of joint Arab education, the exchange of academic and research expertise, and the strengthening of cooperation between Egyptian and Arab universities.