OpenEU joins Euro-Mediterranean leaders at UNIMED General Assembly 2026 to shape the future of university cooperation

As higher education continues to evolve in an interconnected global society, strategic cooperation among universities must extend beyond European borders. At the 2026 General Assembly of the Mediterranean Universities Union (UNIMED), held at the Universitat de Barcelona (UB), the OpenEU Alliance participated in the high-level closing panel to discuss how lessons from European University Alliances can inform the emergence of Mediterranean University Consortia.

Participating in the panel "From European University Alliances to the Pilot Mediterranean University Consortia", Pastora Martínez Samper, Coordinator of the OpenEU Alliance and Commissioner for International Action at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), highlighted the transformative potential of digital higher education. During the intervention she emphasized that open, distance, and digitally supported learning models provide the necessary agility to build resilient, inclusive educational ecosystems capable of bridging the Euro-Mediterranean region.

UNIMED and OpenEU: A strategic partnership for policy impact

The discussion highlighted the crucial role of institutional ecosystems in scaling higher education initiatives. UNIMED plays a pivotal role in this framework as an official Associated Partner of the OpenEU Alliance.

Including UNIMED, OpenEU is backed by a robust network of 15 Associated Partners spanning civil society organizations, enterprise networks, municipalities, and regional authorities. This strategic network enables OpenEU to translate its academic and digital innovation goals into broad policy advocacy and social impact across Europe and the Mediterranean basin.

A multi-stakeholder dialogue on co-ownership

The session, moderated by Raul Ramos Lobo, Vice-Rector for Internationalisation Policy at the Universitat de Barcelona and Vice-President of UNIMED, brought together key voices from across the region:

• Petra Kežman, Deputy Secretary General for Higher Education and Research at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), highlighted that future Mediterranean consortia must be grounded in co-ownership, co-design, and shared responsibility.

• Ameur Cherif, President of the University of Manouba, outlined priority action areas from the Southern Mediterranean perspective, including governance, South-South integration, mobility, and academic recognition.

• Wail Benjelloun, Honorary President of UNIMED and former President of Mohammed V University in Rabat, reflected on UNIMED's long-standing experience in fostering cross-border academic integration.

Photo: UB