Friends of Palestinian Universities at EAIE 2025: Highlighting Urgent Needs and Opportunities for Collaboration
Last month, the Friends of Palestinian Universities (formerly Fobzu) attended the EAIE Conference, Europe’s largest international higher education gathering, with over 7,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Our delegation included the Erasmus+ National Office in Palestine and representatives from Palestinian universities.
We participated in the panel “Partnering with HEIs Mid- and Post-Crisis: Examples from Gaza and Ukraine” on 10 September. Dr Ahmed Abu Shaban, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine at Al-Azhar University, Gaza, and a member of the Emergency Committee of Universities in Gaza, spoke about the urgent needs of Gaza’s universities and the ongoing efforts to sustain academic partnerships amid extensive destruction.
In the Exhibition space, we met with higher education representatives from across Europe and beyond to discuss the systematic challenges facing Palestinian universities. These conversations emphasised opportunities for practical, long-term collaboration, responding directly to calls from Palestinian institutions for international partners to engage in ways that are meaningful and sustainable.
The long-standing cooperation between European and Palestinian universities provides a strong foundation for renewed and expanded partnerships. For decades, institutions across Europe have engaged with Palestinian universities through faculty exchanges, joint research, capacity-building initiatives, scholarships, and ERASMUS+, supporting generations of students and reflecting a commitment to education as a shared human right and a cornerstone for justice, dignity, and peace. Today, the scale of destruction in Gaza and the ongoing pressures faced by universities in the West Bank demand urgent, coordinated action. Rebuilding Gaza’s higher education sector, safeguarding the careers of Palestinian scholars, and ensuring students can continue their studies are not only humanitarian priorities but essential for the future of Palestinian society.
Friends of Palestinian Universities exists to strengthen and facilitate these partnerships. Our delegation’s presence at EAIE 2025 reaffirms that Palestinian institutions remain resilient, capable, and committed to contributing to global higher education. By sharing priorities, current initiatives, and pathways for international collaboration, we aim to turn dialogue into sustained action, ensuring that Palestinian higher education endures, rebuilds, and thrives.
