The document summarizes a report on Libya's higher education system created by UNIMED through research and collaboration with Libyan partners. It conducted surveys of 18 universities, analyzing data on governance, quality assurance, internationalization, and European cooperation projects. Researchers interviewed Libyan partners and stakeholders, updating statistics, identifying needs for governance reforms, research capacity, and quality assurance. The resulting report provides an in-depth analysis of Libya's higher education landscape and recommendations. UNIMED will hold a Libya Restart event in February 2020 in Tunis to discuss results and next steps in supporting Libyan universities.

2. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
A journey analysis
Marcello Scalisi
Marco Di Donato
An open debate

3. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Why Libya restart
Since 2014, UNIMED has committed its work to support Higher Education Institutions in crisis
emergencies, promoting cooperation as a priority, through capacity building, mobility, exchange of
ideas and sharing of knowledge.
UNIMED has firstly approached Libya in 2015 through an Erasmus+ funded project, while now our
engagement in the country absorbs a great share of activities and initiatives.
Universities in Libya can really make the difference through empowerment and collaboration, being
the University considered as a key player for stability by the local population.
In 2018 UNIMED decided to launch the Libya Restart project, an institutional initiative aimed at
gaining a deeper understanding of the Libyan Higher Education System, through a research activity
performed jointly by UNIMED staff and Libyan colleagues.
We spent one year collecting and analyzing data and documentation, discussing results with our
friends in Libya, sharing ideas, making mistakes, finding alternative sources and interpretations.
Libya Restart is the concrete result of our work.

4. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
List of Participating
Universities

5. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Methodology
The objective of the Libya Restart Report is to generate an overview over the Higher
Education System in Libya.
The research has been structured along three phases: a quantitative analysis, a qualitative
analysis and a validation process by Libyan partners. UNIMED submitted a survey to 18
Libyan Universities, 16 responded.
Universities were selected for their size and relevance at national level; their geographical
distribution; to generate a balance between partners involved and not involved in EU
funded projects; to involve the universities already in contact with UNIMED due to
previous collaborations.

6. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Table of contents of the full Report
- Libyan Universities in depth: fact and figures
● General overview;
● Governance and autonomy: The Libyan case in a global approach;
● Quality Assurance: the Libyan System;
● Libyan universities national and international dimensions: partnership, networking,
mobility ;
● The cooperation through European Commission funded projects: Erasmus+, H2020, FP7;
● Libyan Universities in the society at large: Scientific research, industry and civil society
cooperation;
- Needs and constraints of the Libyan Higher Education System: a SWOT analysis
- Recommendations

7. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Silvia Marchionne
- Desk research;
- Writing and editing of the session on
Governance and autonomy: The Libyan case in
a global approach;

8. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Martina Zipoli
- Desk research;
- Interview with Libyan partners;
- Writing and editing of the session on Quality
Assurance: the Libyan System;

9. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Anne-Laurence Pastorini
- Desk research;
- Interview with the Libyan partners, with
Ministry of Education, with international
actors;
- Writing and editing of the session Libyan
universities national and international
dimensions: partnership, networking, mobility;

10. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Raniero Chelli
- Writing and editing of the session: The
cooperation through European Commission
funded projects: Erasmus+, H2020, FP7;

11. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
Eugenio Platania
- Desk research;
- General editing and review

12. UNIMED General Assembly
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, 23-24-25 October 2019
Main results from the Executive Summary
Data and statistics update
thanks to an hand-in-hand
cooperation with Libyan
Universities and Ministry of
Education
(2018)
Crisis as
opportunity
Definition of
needs and related
strategies of
intervention in
the field of
Governance
Focus on
Research
needs
Further definition
of needs in terms of
capacity building
An in-depth
analysis of the
National
Quality system
Analysis of
internationalization
performances

13. UNIMED General Assembly
Rome, 12 - 13 December 2019
What’s next?
Libya Restart event
19-20 February 2020
Tunis