MUSCAT: The European Union Delegation to Oman and the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation organised an Erasmus+ Information Day in Oman on Wednesday under the auspices of Dr Rahma bint Ibrahim al Mahrouqiyah, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of the Sultanate of Oman. Held at the Arab Open University in Muscat, the event brought together European experts as well as representatives of all the main universities in the Sultanate of Oman.
The Erasmus programme is the world’s first large-scale international action to promote mobility of tertiary education students and is funded by the European Union. Since its inception 35 years ago, over 13 million students have benefited from it so far. This programme is centred around life-long learning that supports education, training, youth and sports in Europe and internationally, including in the Gulf region and has a budget of €26.2 billion for 2021-2027.
Erasmus+ opportunities are now open to the Gulf region with Omani universities able to establish partnerships with their European peers to perform student and staff exchanges. The Erasmus+ Information Day in Oman served as a platform for sharing information on collaborative opportunities with Omani universities and institutions by providing a best practice exchange.
Speaking ahead of the event, the EU Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain, Christophe Farnaud said: “The European Union is accelerating international cooperation in the academic field, offering tremendous opportunities for young Omani students to study and live in the EU. Erasmus+ is designed to enhance two-way exchanges and also enable more Europeans to come to study in the Gulf, further bolstering our people-to-people contacts and our bilateral relations.”
On the occasion, Dr Rahma stated, "This Info Day is highly significant as it closely follows the 27th session of the Joint Ministerial Council between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union, held in Muscat from 9-10 October. The Joint Ministerial Council urges the GCC countries and their European counterparts to foster collaboration in the fields of research and innovation in order to create innovative solutions for mutual challenges such as green and digital transformation."
"Enhancing joint collaborative efforts can be achieved through a number of means, including effective participation in scientific exchange programmes, including Horizon and Erasmus+. Effective participation in Erasmus+ is creating new frontiers and benefits for Oman, including by supporting the country’s transformation to a knowledge-based economy and the realisation of many other Oman Vision 2040 objectives. In addition, an increase in the number of international students enrolled in Omani universities as a result of learner mobility associated with the programme is an important consideration in the QS Rankings. This is a particular concern to Oman as Oman Vision 2040 details the goal of having many local universities in the ranking’s top 500 by 2040," she added.
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