The DAAD has been following social and political developments in the North Africa/Middle East region since 2012. However, more than 10 years after the "Arab Spring", the hopes, wishes and expectations associated with the uprisings and protests have largely not been fulfilled for the people in the MENA region. There were occasional awakenings of democracy, but also a strengthening of authoritarian regimes, and even open armed conflict and state collapse. Against this background, the Federal Foreign Office reviewed its funding programme called ‘Science Partnerships in Transformational Countries North Africa/Middle East’ and has realigned its cultural and educational policy activities with countries in the region under the name ‘Ta'ziz Partnership for Democracy’.

The DAAD programme ‘Ta’ziz Partnership’ is integrated into this concept and, with its three programme lines, builds on the positive results of the last decade of academic cooperation between German higher education institutions and their partners in the region:

• strengthening of academic freedom,
• supporting reform efforts at foreign partner universities,
• strengthening participatory approaches as well as
• communication and exchange between academia and society.

Ta’ziz Short-Term Measures intend to promote the establishment and/or expansion of professional cooperations between German higher education institutions and non-university partners with higher education institutions from the above-mentioned countries in the MENA region. In addition, existing partnerships and established scientific relationships that have already been funded in the past, are either finalised or intensified/ consolidated through selective short-term activities.

Ta’ziz Science Cooperations aim to make an impactful contribution to structural changes in the science systems of the participating partner countries. These science cooperations can build on established partnerships and pursue longer-term impacts in the fields of teaching, research and/or higher education management. The boundaries between the three fields cannot just be fluid, they can even mutually reinforce and meaningfully complement one another. The combinability of these fields gives the partner institutions the possibility of a flexible strategy depending on the demands and framework condition of the project proposal. The participating higher education institutions are thus offered support that is based on the realities of science.

Ta’ziz Science Cooperations promote

• the establishment of innovative teaching methods,
• the improvement of knowledge transfer from research results into teaching or society,
• the improvement of the employability of graduates and/or
• the establishment/ strengthening of management capacities on topics such as (societal)               participation in science and academia

in the above-mentioned countries in the MENA region.

Ta'ziz Networking promotes the establishment and/or expansion of professional networks between German higher education institutions, research institutions, partner universities and partners from the non-university sector, civil society, business and the public sector in the above-mentioned countries in the MENA region. Strategies are being developed to strengthen/ consolidate the exchange of knowledge, experience and expertise among the network participants.

Once established, the Ta’ziz networks are an instrument of successful science communication. Through innovative and reform-oriented projects they demonstrate how the transfer of scientific knowledge with broad social participation can initiate positive changes in the societies of the region. This can be done through events (e.g. public conferences, dialogue series, workshop series, exhibitions, performances, concerts) and/or publications without a pure scientific character, and/or other forms of products or projects (e.g. digital products), or site-specific installations. In this way, it is highlighted how science can contribute to stabilizing reforms and processes in the states and systems of the region through exchange and networking with, as well as the participation of non-university partners.

Ta’ziz networks are open to all disciplines and adapt to the possibilities and scope of the different Ta’ziz partner countries, both in terms of selection of countries and outcome. Through their multilateral character, they offer a framework in which partners can also learn from each other across national borders.

The programme relates to the Ta’ziz concept of the Federal Foreign Office. This concept supports processes aimed at more democracy and the rule of law in the region as well as the promotion of civil society participation. As a cultural and education-policy pillar of the Ta’ziz Partnership, the sub-objectives of the Ta’ziz Science Partnership that are relevant to the work of the DAAD include

• strengthening of academic freedom,
• supporting reform efforts at foreign partner universities,
• strengthening participatory approaches,
• knowledge transfer between non-university partners out of and into academia, and
• increasing participation of women and young adults.

All three programme lines share the long-term focus on a sustainable strengthening of academic freedom in the participating partner countries and the support for reform efforts in the higher education sectors and in the societies of the participating partner countries.

Ta’ziz Short-Term Measures and Ta’ziz Science Cooperations aim to bring about additional changes in the establishment/ expansion of cooperation structures and/or knowledge transfer between the participating higher education institutions and non-university partners, as well as raising the quality of teaching, research and/or higher education management. On the other hand, Ta’ziz Networking creates participatory spaces for dialogue with non-university partners. In addition to serving as a multiplier, it also contributes to knowledge transfer and science communication between the network partners.

The DAAD regional offices in Tunis/Tunisia, Amman/Jordan and Cairo/Egypt support the Ta´ziz Partnership programme in the target region through advisory services, public relations activities or the organization of events and further training opportunities.

• DAAD perspectives: Sustainability at the DAAD
• DAAD perspectives: Sustainable mobility
• DAAD working paper: Ensuring the sustainable impacts of DAAD funding (in German)
• Videos (YouTube)
  • Results-oriented monitoring for DAAD programmes − Why it is worthwhile (in German)
  • Submission of an application with results-oriented monitoring for German higher education institutions (in German)
• Educational opportunities for Palestinians