New MoU signed between the University of Malta and the University of La Manouba

The Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta and the Faculté des Lettres, des Arts et des Humanités, Universitè de la Manouba have signed their second bilateral Memorandum of Understanding, thereby renewing the first, successful and active collaboration between the two higher-education institutions that has been running for the past three years, and which both entities are now looking to expand and to strengthen.

Backed by an Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Fund and further resources across both institutions, the collaboration has already built a strong momentum of academic and postgraduate exchange in Mediterranean Studies, transdisciplinary migration studies and Central Mediterranean migration history, public memory and cultural studies, as well as the sharing of best practices, educational systems and knowledge transfer opportunities.

The new Memorandum is now looking to strengthen ties between the University of Malta and the University of La Manouba, a leading university in Tunisia, and to diversify the areas of cooperation which both entities are interested in fostering in the longer term. University of Malta Rector Prof. Alfred Vella and Prof. Ameur Cherif, Rector of the University of La Manouba, expressed their intention to strengthen the existing collaboration and to explore further cross-sectoral prospects of co-operation between the two institutions.

The new Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Prof. Alfred Vella, Rector of the University of Malta, Prof. Ameur Cherif, Rector of the University of La Manouba,

Prof. Norbert Bugeja, Director of the Mediterranean Institute, Prof. Alfonso Campisi, Président, Chaire Sicile pour le dialogue de cultures et civilisations, Faculté des Lettres, des Arts et des Humanités de la Manouba, Prof. John Chircop, Chairperson of the Mediterranean Institute, and Prof. Moncef Taieb, Dean of the Faculté des Lettres, des Arts et des Humanités, Universitè de la Manouba.

During his visit to Malta, Prof. Cherif, Rector of La Manouba, addressed the inaugural Seminar and launch at the Mediterranean Institute of The Scalesi Project, a long-term, public-facing, transmedial and cross-disciplinary initiative inspired by the work of the Tunisian-Maltese-Sicilian poet and cultural critic Mario Scalesi, exploring Scalesi’s legacy and introduce his oeuvre to wider readerships. The Tunisian delegation was also warmly welcomed at the Institute by the Institute Board.

The Scalesi project is jointly co-ordinated by the Mediterranean Institute, University of Malta, the Sicilian Chair for Intercultural Dialogue within the Faculté des Arts, Lettres et Humanités at the Université de la Manouba, and the Department of Italian Studies at the Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3.

The Mediterranean Institute extends its thanks to the Office of the Rector, the International Office and the Legal Services department at UM for their invaluable assistance and input into the renewal of this co-operation agreement over the past months.