For five days, from 18 to 22 May, the Monumental Complex of Steri hosted more than a conventional conference. The final event of the MARE project — Mediterranean Alliance for Research and Education — turned the historic heart of the University of Palermo into a meeting point for perspectives, experiences and ideas coming from across the Mediterranean region, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Palestine, Tunisia and Iraq. Academics, rectors, diplomats and European officials gathered in a setting where such a broad academic and institutional community rarely comes together in one place.
Funded by the European Union under NextGenerationEU and coordinated by the University of Palermo, the project was built around a clear ambition: moving beyond institutional exchanges to foster a shared vision for higher education across the Mediterranean. At its core lies the idea that education is not only a social investment, but a strategic driver of development on par with infrastructure and economic growth.
“The alliance established through the project represents a powerful opportunity to strengthen the internationalisation of higher education across the Mediterranean region,” explained Professor Fabio Mazzola, Vice Rector for Education and Internationalisation and Scientific Coordinator of the project, who opened the event together with Rector Massimo Midiri. The opening session also welcomed the Consuls General of Morocco and Tunisia, the Deputy Consul of Algeria, and the Rectors of Tunis El Manar, Cairo and Kairouan — a composition reflecting both the academic and geopolitical relevance of the initiative.
The programme addressed some of the most pressing priorities shaping the Mediterranean today: migration and political transformation, climate change, health through the One Health approach, renewable energy, sustainable tourism and youth entrepreneurship. These were not discussed as abstract themes, but as real challenges faced daily by universities across the region — from Birzeit to Duhok, from Nouakchott to Beirut — often operating in complex and resource-constrained contexts.
During the session dedicated to sustainable tourism, speakers also included Alessandro Melillo, Managing Director of PRISM, who contributed insights on European project design applied to sustainable tourism, drawing on practical experiences and concrete implementation cases. His participation highlighted the importance of involving organisations capable of translating research and policy priorities into actionable projects and tangible impact.
The Italian consortium supporting the initiative includes eleven universities — from Palermo to Bologna, Turin, Cagliari, Pisa and Siena — demonstrating that MARE is not an isolated initiative but part of a broader commitment by the Italian higher education system towards its natural geographical and cultural counterpart across the Mediterranean.
By Friday afternoon, the event came to a close and the Steri returned to the quiet atmosphere of its historic halls. Yet the connections and collaborations built over these days may leave a lasting mark on the relationship between the northern and southern shores of the Mediterranean.
Download the full event agenda
