In the framework of WP3 Vertical capacity building action: from Europe to Libya, training sessions were delivered by the European IBTIKAR partners to the 11 Libyan universities engaged in the project, for academics and administrative staff. An additional training activity has been developed targeting specifically administrative staff at Libyan universities, and all the staff members who cover positions of support to researchers and the institutional research capacity. Specifically, the training was directed to:

• Administrative staff supporting research activities.
• Employees of the International Relation Office.
• Staff at the newly established TTO.

The training has been designed to be in continuity with the Horizontal skills training week in Tunis, aiming at developing additional competences that support the development of high-quality research in Libyan universities, their involvement in international collaborations and to improve the visibility of what is produced and offered by the university.

Despite the crucial role of academics and researchers in developing innovative research, the role of the administrative staff in universities is as well relevant and essential for international collaboration, joint research projects, fundraising, and in general to grant support to institutions in the path towards high-quality research. It is important to recognize how the key role of the administrative body in the management of internationalization activities, and as a consequence, in all the research activities which involve international parties, will guarantee a solid basis to the institutional strategy and a reliable expertise over time.

The topics of the training were:

• Programs and proposal writing, delivered by Raniero Chelli, UNIMED, on November 2^nd 2023
• Communication of Science (for society) – Transfer of Scientific Knowledge (to private companies and public organizations), delivered by, delivered by Daniel Faiões andHugo Vilela, UTAD, on November 9^th 2023
• Communication and visibility for institutional development, delivered by Emilia Stoduto, Amina Hamila, Federica Li Muli, UNIMED, on November 16^th
• International Affairs Office and Technology Transfer Office delivered by Naz Zeynep Atay Gök and Volkan Özgüz, Bogazici University, on November 23^rd
• Support to Project Management (PM). Principles of Financial Management (FM) and the relation between PM and FM, delivered by Martina Zipoli, Anne-Laurence Pastorini, Orlando Luca, UNIMED, on November 29^th
• Horizon Europe & Marie Sklodowka Curie Actions, by APRE, the Italian Agency for the Promotion of European Research, on December 30^th

Moreover, the Libyan colleagues were encouraged to participate to the Infoday on Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) – 2024 Call for proposals delivered by the EACEA on November 30^th.

Training Calendar

Participation on behalf of the Libyan staff members was high, with an average of about 60 participants in each webinar, and a total of about +100 trainees. Some of the topics touched in the online training served, together with all the WP3 training resources, to support the delivery of the local training at each Libyan universities, providing a knowledge base for further institutional developments.

Playlist of the training webinars HERE