In most African countries, there is no systemic human biomonitoring and research on environmental exposure and the impact on the health of the African population.The objective of this project is closer cooperation between European (Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark) and African (Morocco, Benin, Ethiopia) universities by co-building capacities in environmental health for the assessment of environmental exposure in the population through universities and occupational health services. This will be done by promoting international training of researchers and health professionals, forming research groups, upgrading infrastructures for health monitoring, and establishing an African surveillance system with occupational physicians and university researchers, which will allow for the collection of statistically representative biomonitoring data on environmental agents and health.In the preparatory phase, we will map the current state of the art, i.e., experience, needs and priorities, in the different African countries (WP2). Next, we will set up targeted initiatives to enhance the education of researchers and occupational physicians in training. We will provide guidance, counselling and coaching for HEIs in environmental health research, make them familiar with EU standards, and aid in the set-up of national environment and health research groups (WP3). Meanwhile, we will set up a sentinel surveillance network for human biomonitoring (WP4). The results of the previous work packages will be used to connect European and African academics and health professionals specialized in environmental health to share and multiply the national and internal experience and expertise. This will be done by communication and dissemination through our joint website, meetings and conference(s)(WP5). Throughout the whole project, we will ensure the quality and management of the project and made a dedicated work package that covers the entire project period (WP1).

Definition and establishment of a new Master Course on “Environmental Protection and Energy Efficient Buildings” in three TN, DZ and MO universities, with affiliation to other three universities. The main scope is the promotion of EU best practices in the terms of educational methodologies and specific knowledge related to the energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings. Two are the specific objectives:1. Curricular reform: to implement an effective curricular development oriented towards the labour market requirements; to support the employability expectations of the graduates by training them with up-to-date methodologies in the field of energy efficient buildings. The curricula reform will be promoted, officially recognized and actually implemented in the six involved Universities in different training directions according to the local needs, with official Master Courses implementation in 3 of each by developing a versatile training programme, flexible and adaptive to labour market requirements. These Courses will be implemented over the project lifecycle; the first academic year will be completed in the framework of the third project year. 2. Links university-enterprises: to develop a networking system among the PCs’ Universities and stakeholders, in order to remedy to the currently fragmented scientific background in Energy Efficiency and to the lack of distribution of knowledge, expertise, information and data. An “EU – South Mediterranean network among Green Institutions” will be officially established, to represent a tangible actual tool for enhancing the leading role of Higher Education Institutions in policies related to Energy Efficient Buildings.The project in general terms also will spread and promote the PCs' awareness related to the EU policies referred to Sustainable and Energy Efficient Buildings and to enhance the approach towards EU best practices, with specific reference to the « 20-20-20 targets, NZEB, etc.».

The Moroccan Higher Education (HE) sector is facing significant change as it moves to enhance accessibility and quality for students, and impact for its economy and society. The reform and restructuring of the HE system in Morocco needed to deliver on these objectives is being slowed by a lack of leadership capacity. Universities in Morocco need to build the capacity of their leaders for governance, strategic planning and management in order to deliver these reforms.The project addresses the need for development for university leaders in Morocco through the creation and implementation of a National Centre for Leadership Development (NLDC) and an associated certificated national leadership development programme (NLDP). When creating the NLDC and its NLDP, it will create the constitution and operating procedures for the centre; structures and materials to support the programme; and identify and equip dedicated facilities where the development activities will take place. Learning will take place through networking meetings, lectures from visiting speakers, action learning sets, and promote immediate improvements through national change projects. The project will develop and execute staff training workshops for Moroccan university staff responsible for establishing the new centre and implementing the programme.During the life of the project, 132 Moroccan HE leaders and managers will engage with the NLDC and benefit from the NLDP with a demonstrable impact on their capacity to operate the governance, strategic plans and management of HEIs. In the year following the project, it is expected that additional leaders will benefit from taking the NLDP and that at least 10 additional Moroccan HEIs will have adopted it for leadership development. All HEIs in Morocco will engage with the NLDC for leadership development through activities including a leadership conference. Together these actions will enhance the capacity for reform nationally.

The MED2IaH initiative stems from the necessity of cover an important aspect of internationalization in Mediterranean countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan) higher education system that has not been tackled adequately until now – Internationalisation at Home (IaH). Within EU funded projects, internationalization at large has been covered by different projects embracing European concepts like Bologna system, ECTS, internationalization of curriculum and cross-cultural issues within a multi-diversity paradigm. Though IaH is a relatively recent concept, it has already been embraced widely, particularly in northern and western Europe. IaH aims to bring internationalisation to all students through the home curriculum. It is therefore primarily about teaching and learning, which implies that lecturers are increasingly becoming prominent players in internationalisation. After all, they are the ones who create learning environments with international and intercultural dimensions. The project thus attempts to develop University Strategy on IoHE and Research and individual Action plans for IaH in 12 PCHEIs after exploring the different EU models available for IaH. A common terminology around the concept of IaH will be needed as well. As a way to reinforce IaH strategies partners will establish specific guidelines and protocols for foreign student services - including those related to safety and security for instance. Other mechanisms like social integration schemes will be developed as well. A particular activity to enhance IaH will be the organisation and delivery of virtual webinars in PC HEI. The project will support the development of a strategic framework for HE and IaH specificially and the enhancement of structured regulations and procedures that facilitate incoming exchange mobilities, creation of support schemes for foreign students coming to PC HEIs and complementing other measures that have been previously put in place through other CBHE projects.

Higher education (HE) in Morocco is regulated by statute with the state, through the Ministry, responsible for the planning, organisation, development, regulation and guidance of the system. Moroccan HE has been undergoing a process of reform for some years with recent publications indicating a rising awareness of the need to accelerate those that are more closely linked to the needs of the country, it students and its employers. A significant step was taken in 2014 with Law no 80-12 setting out the establishment of the Agence National d’Evaluation et d’Assurance Qualité de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique (ANEAQ). The ANEAQ will be taking a leading role in the implementation of the activities. The project will address a national priority by bringing together leading actors, experienced in the latest developments in national (and international) QA systems for HE, with the Moroccan authorities and universities. The Project will guide the development of a QA ‘tool kit’ to support policies and procedures relevant to Morocco. Amongst the deliverables, the project will establish a Code of Practice for the Management of QA, which will be used by the universities and by the Agency in its evaluations of the effectiveness and efficiency of university Quality Assurance systems. The project will play a major role in more closely aligning Moroccan HE with some of the most successful aspects of the European Bologna Process and thus contribute to enhancing recognition, mobility and internationalisation.