Strengthening public health research capacity to inform evidence based policies in Tunisia (CONFIDE) project aims to establish the Center for Evidence into Health Policy (C4EHP), sustained by all project partners in the benefit of the three Tunisian Universities involved in the project: University of Tunis, University of Sfax and University of Sousse. Core activities: (1) Development and implementation of C4EHP designed in order to ease future collaborations in the field of public health research, health promotion and evidence-based public health policy; (2) Delivery of the Research into Policy training program (modules: public health research, health promotion, evidence-based public health policy); (3) Consolidation of national and local partnerships between the public health academic and non-academic sector to provide trainees with a set of key transferable skills and career development opportunities through networking activities and trainee internship placements.At individual level the Research into Policy training program is expected to improve (1) lecturers and teaching assistants ’ knowledge and skills in evidence-based public health policy and enhance their ability to provide the further dissemination of knowledge by teaching the face-to-face modules within their universities and act as members of C4EHP; (2) trainees’ knowledge and skills on evidence-based public health policies. At institutional level, the project impacts the three Tunisian Universities, as well as the Ministry of Health and its subordonating public health authorities, NGOs and private companies by offering internship placements for trainees. C4EHP has as well a long-term impact in sustaining the network developed between the public and private institutions. At regional and national level, the impact is given by the development of an ecosystem C4EHP based on a communication platform offering a constant communication flow and sharing within all project's participants and beneficiaries.

The project’s overall goal was to enhance capacity building in Higher Education ensuring high quality educational curricula that meets professionals, employers and socio-economic needs of Tunisia during a timeframe of 42 months, from 15th October 2017 to 14th April 2021.The specific objectives were:•To update Master curricula and improve the quality of teaching and learning at the University of Tunis El Manar, University of Sfax, University of Carthage in line with the Bologna Process requirements and the Europe 2020 Strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth;•To build a more collaborative network between HEIs and local institutions/companies on integrated water and agro-ecosystem management.MAYA aimed at increasing the professionalism of young students by supporting the development of a new postgraduate Master on integrated water and agriculture management (IWAM) in the three involved Tunisian universities. In particular, the project intended to improve institutional and individual capacities and reduce the existing Tunisian constraints linked to the lack of scientific knowledge and technical expertise able to cope with complex issues. The new curriculum focused specifically on the innovative approaches to manage quality and quantity of water resources and on the existing linkages between agriculture, water management and environment. The project has been developed carrying out the following steps:1) An updated needs assessment of the curricula of the involved Tunisian universities related to water and agroecosystem management has been done at project beginning;2) three new high quality Masters on IWAM has been defined, developed and accredited in July 2019, one in each Tunisian Universities3) a new e-learning environment was implemented and new e-learning materials were created by the European HEIs; 10 e-learning modules were uploaded in the interactive e-learning platform, created and used to link the learning activities among the local HEIs and disseminate results and knowledge to other Tunisian universities and stakeholders;4) 30 Tunisian teachers were involved in an active training where they learnt new teaching and learning methodologies in the field of agricultural and water management; 5) 74 students have been enrolled (in total of the 2 Master edition) in the GIREAD Master advancing their technical skills on techniques and instrument for new IWAM strategies;6) a VR educational game has been developed on water analysis management in a scientific virtual laboratory, enhancing students’ cognitive capacities.7) 17 professors and 51 students participated in the field visits in the North and South of Tunisia realised by the three Tunisian Universities, despite the difficulties linked to the COVID19 pandemic. It was an enriching and fundamental experience to complete and better understand classroom studies. The practical use of the Trimble Juno GPS and the 3320 multiparameter probe gave to the student the opportunity to use part of the equipment not only in class but also in the field.The project was carried out following Workpackages:1. Preparation - Needs assessment2. Development - Curricula Development3. Development – Master Accreditation4. Development - Implementation of learning environment5. Development - Teaching and learning activities6. Development - Implementation of the new Master on Integrated Water and AgricultureManagement (IWAM) - Gestion IntégRée de l'Eau et Agriculture Durable (GIREAD)7. Quality Plan8. Dissemination and Exploitation – Dissemination and collaborative network9. Management – Project management

In a complex economic environment, managing risk is a key aspect of economic decisions, and it has a huge impact on economic development and inequalities. Risk management is mould by two main factors: the level of protection in case of bad shocks, and the available information about the economic environment. Social and economic networks play a prominent role in both dimensions. Indeed, networks are channels for risk sharing between households in developing economies or between financial institutions; also, networks are conduits for information transmission. Two recent major phenomena, the globalization of exchanges and the explosion of numerical technologies, create more interdependencies between economic agents, and thus reinforce network effects. How do these changes affect the impact of networks on the management of risk, on economic development and on inequalities? This project aims at studying the impact of economic and social networks on risk management, economic development and inequalities. We will use theoretical, experimental and empirical investigations to study the impact of networks on risk management. In a first set of contributions, we will study networks as risk sharing devices. The increase of interdependencies between economic agents due to globalization makes this a current issue. We will explore the interplay between risk taking and risk sharing at both individual and firm level. At the individual level, we will analyze the tension between risk taking behaviors and optimal risk sharing rules on networks, and we will examine the relationship between risk taking and altruism in social networks. At the firm level, we will explore how risk taking affects systemic risk and contagion of default. Both financial and production sectors deserve interest, and we will treat them separately. In a second set of contributions, we will study networks as information sharing devices. This is a hot topic because the recent surge of numerical technologies in our modern societies modifies the information sets of agents as well as their perceptions about the network. We will investigate the diffusion of information in various contexts. We will study how the existence of economic opportunities can lead to strategic information transmission in networks. We will also examine the diffusion of opinions or beliefs, and we will track how agents can uncouple social influence from accurate information transmitted on networks. We will also investigate the individual perception of information in networks. Agents’ decisions being often shaped by social norms and perception biases, we will explore how networks affect these perception biases, and we will study how information on the network structure affects economic decisions. This project relies extensively on the collaboration of different members of GREQAM and other universities, including Mediterranean universities and other prestigious ones such as Stanford, Kent, and universities affiliated to PSE. The team constituted for this project has a long experience in the economics of networks. This project would be an exceptional occasion to federate all these forces, both in France and in other countries.