UNITAFRICA

Ateneo di qualità
accreditato ANVUR -
Fascia A

Funding details and duration of the project

Funder: Project funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 1 Investment 3.4 – "Didattica universitaria e competenze avanzate” – Sub-investment T4 “Iniziative Transnazionali in materia di istruzione”

Award Number: D91I23001030006;

Start date: 01/04/2024

End date: 31/03/2026

Total NRRP funding for the whole project: 2.407.557,46 €

Total NRRP funding for Unipr: 137.107,23 €

Description of the project

Objectives

The UNITAFRICA project aims to promote academic cooperation between Italian and African universities, focusing on improving the quality and effectiveness of higher education systems through a mutual learning approach. The specific objectives include:

Creating a favorable physical and virtual environment for the development of project activities.
Strengthening the mobility of students and academic staff between Italy and Africa.
Increasing awareness among students (Master and PhD) to use science and technology as tools for local development.
Improving collaboration among researchers and teaching staff to enhance the quality, innovation, and updating of teaching and research programs.
Evaluating the effectiveness of the educational activities proposed during the project.

Activities

The project is divided into 6 Work Packages (WP):

WP 1 – Project Management and Coordination: Management and coordination of the project.
WP 2 – Constitution of UNITAFRICA Network and Digital Platform: Creation of the UNITAFRICA network and the digital platform PIT.
WP 3 – Innovative Education for Master & PhD Students: Innovative education for Master and PhD students.
WP 4 – Skills Development: Skills development for administrative, IT, and teaching staff.
WP 5 – Retrospective Analysis: Impact Evaluation: Retrospective analysis and impact evaluation.
WP 6 – Communication and Outreach: Communication and dissemination.

Role of the University of Parma in the project

The University of Parma is responsible of WP5 of the project and actively participates in all work packages (WP).

Departments of the University of Parma involved in the project

Department of Engineering and Architecture
Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries
Department of Law, Politics and International Studies
Department of Medicine and Surgery
Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability
Department of Food and Drug
Department of Economics and Management

The UNITAFRICA project includes 93 African university partners.

Results of the project

The expected results for the work packages (WP) involving the University of Parma include:

Development of an innovative approach to international exchange: This will be evaluated through the mobility of 250 students, 300 teaching staff, and 180 non-teaching staff between Italy and Africa.
Creation of a structured framework for student and staff exchanges: Supported by a robust Italian network and government institutions, involving 15 advanced courses for Master and PhD students.
Improvement of the quality and internationalization of PhD programs: Enhancing the qualification levels of teaching staff and students, with 11 advanced courses for teaching staff.
Increase in the internationalization of Italian and African universities: Through the creation of the PIT platform and the promotion of innovative teaching methodologies.