Due to the growing demand of energy in the South-Mediterranean region, a shift towards renewable energies and notably solar energy is being promoted by the governments and the energy industry. One of the main obstacles for this development is the lack of qualified staff. The Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the region have launched training programmes in the field, but two main aspects still need to be addressed: improving a multidisciplinarity approach and links to businesses and applied research. Resources and international collaboration are needed in order to improve the quality of the training programmes and to ensure that they are linked to the latest research findings and requirements of the industry.In the larger context of modernisation, accessibility and internationalization of HEI systems in the Partner Countries, the MEDSOL project aims at enhancing the capacity of HEIs in Morocco and Egypt to deliver master-level programmes in solar energy. More specifically, it seeks to improve the quality of the currently existing training programmes, teaching methods and laboratory equipment for practice-based research. The work is conducted through close cooperation, sharing know-how and good practices between Programme and Partner Country HEIs as well as partners from business and applied research sectors. The proposed key activities are: 1. Improving existing curricula at the partnering HEIs in Morocco and Egypt; 2. Capacity building of HEI staff in Morocco and Egypt via a mobility scheme; 3. Updating training facilities at HEIs in Morocco and Egypt; 4. Providing opportunities for mobility for students in form of study/traineeship periods at the partnering institutions in the EU, Morocco and Egypt; 5. Disseminating project results and best practices in form of workshops and publications; 6. Promoting continued long-term collaboration, e.g. developing Double Master Degrees between the partners.

Egypt is experiencing a transition from production-based economies to ones based on knowledge and information. This transition changed the nature of jobs and the required skills. Competing in this global economy requires a science and engineering workforce that is consistently at the technological forefront. So, EG should examine the extent to which their current workforce meets their needs for human capital.The wider objective of this project is Bridging the qualification gap of professional engineers in EG with the EU standards The project aims to develop a LLL framework and four e-Lifelong learning centers (e-LLC) in four different EG universities to create progressively evolution from establishing of framework to develop actions and connections with engineering communityThe Specific objectives of the project are:1. Defining the qualification gap between Egyptian engineering and the labor market2. Developing of an innovative LLL framework in partner universities3. Establishing of four professional e- Lifelong Learning training Centers (e-LLC)4. Developing an online Learning Management System (LMS)The engineering profession must revisit and update its mindset and adopt a new mission statement - to contribute to build of a more sustainable, stable, and equitable world. Engineers must adopt a completely innovative attitude toward natural and cultural systems and reconsider interactions between engineering disciplines and nontechnical fields.The project will be carried out to reach the following outputs1. EU experiences benchmarking in (3) engineering disciplines2. Gap analysis report & EU Best practice manuals3. Lifelong Learning framework and Professional standards4. Training Course Contents and Materials5. Training Program (4 training Modules)6. Four E-Lifelong Learning Centers7. Online Learning Management System8. Recognition Process and measures & Pilot implementation,

Cultural heritage is recognized as a driver and enabler for sustainable development. Its reuse / adaptive reuse and valorisation plays a crucial role in attracting tourism, increasing employability, advancing the region’s economic potentials, producing urban and regional development, while prolonging the heritage lifespan. However, many heritage sites are not recognized by their governments and lack the tourism awareness and publicity. The unclear strategy for developing and marketing these sites, induce the loss of their unique values. Additionally, the inappropriateness of the facilities and/or services in such sites, produce a repellent effect for visitors. The South-Mediterranean region (3) is characterized by numerous overlooked heritage sites that are poorly publicized for the tourism industry. This drawback reflects in the academic sector that needs to acquire the suitable skills for innovative Management of Cultural Heritage via Tourism Development. The academia requires the inauguration of a blended education that delivers an intermediate shade between Heritage, Planning, Tourism, and Economics. The project aims to delineates the drivers connected to the potentials of cultural heritage in the context of developing a touristic destination, encouraging a socio-economic recovery. From another angle, it also investigates the role of touristic sites in promoting the preservation and revival of heritage assets. The project will implement Intensive Study Programs (ISP) in six universities, promoting peer-learning approaches while allowing the urban development of the case studies in Italy, Spain, Egypt and Tunisia. It will provide a Strategic Partnership between HEIs, in order to address the issues found in Heritage Management education associated with tourism promotion, addressing the insufficient exploitation of heritage assets (tangible & intangible). The project will approach the field of heritage management by tackling 6 main threads: Urban Planning, Socio-Economic Planning, Architecture Directives, Creative Usage, Environmental Efficiency, and Circular Economy. The project has a cross-sectorial approach, as it will involve several sectors during the ISPs, including the academia, business, tourism, heritage authorities, local government, and local citizens. The project will deliver 6 main Intellectual Outputs that will be accessible to students, teachers and professional bodies, active in the field of Cultural Heritage and Tourism. 1) The Intensive Study Programs will provide theoretical and practical development of Cultural Heritage case studies. Developed on different phases, each ISP will be available for students from the four beneficiary universities. ISPs will increase students’ exposure, contributing to internationalization and mobility activities. 2) Case study-based ISPs will provide proposals to develop and actual overlooked local heritage sites with the contribution of experts in the field of Heritage Management and local authorities. 3) The output of each case study-based ISP will be published as “Tourism-led Heritage Development” guiding manuals for each of the selected case study. 4) Detailed factsheets will be developed and publicized about the designated case study heritage site of each University. 5) TOURITAGE micro-lab will be initiated to assist researcher in the survey and mapping of the designated case study, while being an important asset for future researchers. 6) A final international exhibition & forum will take place at the end of the project, to present the findings of the project to the wider public. It will exhibit students’ work across the 6 different heritage sites. The event will encompass the launching the developed guiding manuals for “Tourism-led Heritage Development” for the different investigated case studies, where ideas, views and methods can be exchanged for future development and progress and expansion with other universities, businesses and local authorities. The f

"The overall wider objective, to which the project will contribute, is to continue the reform of the system of higher education in the area of applied Physical sciences (Environmental science) in Egypt to comply with the Bologna Declaration and according to the demands of the Strategic Framework for European Cooperation in Education and Training (ET 2020), aimed at improving of the quality and efficiency of educational process.The aim of the project is to ensure the design and implementation of an interdisciplinary Master degree study programme ""Smart Environment and Climate Change Management"" through conduction of joint interdisciplinary research, devoted to the synergy between theory and practice in sustainable development, in order to support Egypt with the integration of emerging technologies in environment management in a competence-based education system, hence advancing higher education according to the Bologna Process and European standards for quality of education.The objectives and foreseen outcomes of the proposed project: - to design Master degree study programme curriculum integrated with the European education and research systems, in order to establish international standards of academic knowledge;- to involve researchers and practitioners into communication and to establish their joint participation in the educational process and research;- to train the academic staff of EG universities to be able to use a Master degree ""Smart Environment and Climate Change Management"";- to establish mechanisms and evaluation criteria that give a full analysis of the education process and content of courses as well as help to identify their strengths and weaknesses;- to implement innovative learning methods and a new collaboration platform for learning and academic environment to support the educational process;- to demonstrate the benefits of education based on the principles of Bologna process and European standards of quality in education."

The three-year SGT-MAP aims at development of a master program in smart grid technology through the collaboration between a consortium consists of 4 Eg. and 4 EU partners of different fields; Electrical power and control eng., IT eng., communication eng. All the consortium partners contribute in developing and reviewing program 24 courses. The self study report of the developed program will be prepared and submitted to the national accreditation board in Egypt. A workshop will be organized after developing the teaching materials in order to discuss the future of smart grid and its influence on the proposed program courses contents and review the matching between contents, objective and outcomes before implementation. Related smart grid laboratories are established at EG universities to support the developed courses. Four courses are selected as a professional training courses and the related self study report will be prepared and submitted to a training accreditation board. These courses will be implemented during the program duration. Each course and its related laboratory experiments will be delivered by EU and EG trainers. The courses will be followed by a questionnaire for assessment purposes and quality assurance, which helps in continuous improving of the courses implementation. Moreover, the EU trainer will evaluate the course delivery and transfer his experience to the EG trainer. Another workshop on impact of smart grid will be held in Egypt during the 5th month of third year in order to discuss the smart grid technology impacts and the feedback of the stakeholders’ surveys. The project outcomes are presented at workshop which focuses on the impact of smart grid technology on community. Many information sessions will be organized in order to disseminate the project outcomes and the program activities. This will help in ensuring project sustainability.