Sapienza University of Rome's Academic Senate has approved the proposal to enter into an Academic Framework Agreement with Bethlehem University, Al-Quds University and Khair Inc., the foundation participating in the project as its funding body. The agreement aims to develop higher education programmes in Palestine, establish academic infrastructure of international standards, and create dual degree programmes, with the objective of providing new opportunities for Palestinian students.

The initiative is the result of a process of dialogue launched in recent months and represents a further step in Sapienza's commitment to international academic cooperation and to science diplomacy as a means of fostering dialogue, education and development. At the heart of the project is the determination to strengthen access to higher education in a particularly complex and vulnerable region, building bridges between Italy and Palestine, and between Europe and West Asia.

The multilateral agreement sets out the general framework for collaboration between the institutions involved and lays the foundations for subsequent implementation agreements relating to individual academic programmes. In particular, it provides for the development of dual-degree programmes, enabling students to obtain qualifications awarded by the partner universities, in accordance with their respective national regulations and internal approval procedures. Particular emphasis will be placed on the fields of applied sciences, technology and engineering, with programmes required to meet Sapienza's academic quality standards and comply with the curriculum mapping procedures approved by Sapienza's governing bodies. Operational aspects—including study plans, credit recognition, student mobility, academic records management and the awarding of qualifications—will be defined through specific academic implementation agreements, developed in close collaboration with the partner universities and organisations operating in the relevant territories. Every stage of implementation will be designed with particular attention to the needs of Palestinian students, ensuring that the project responds in a meaningful and practical way to the educational, scientific and human aspirations of those it is intended to serve.

The project, supported on a philanthropic basis by Khair Inc., fully preserves the Sapienza's academic, institutional and legal autonomy, in accordance with national legislation and Sapienza's internal regulations.

Please read the Italian version of this article for more information.