French Ambassador to host reception for B-International consortium

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DNA

ISLAMABAD: On the occasion of the very first meeting of the B-International consortium in Pakistan the French Ambassador to Pakistan, Nicolas Galey, has invited the representatives of these 8 universities, along with the ambassadors of UK, Italy and Spain, and representatives from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and the European Delegation in Pakistan .

B-International is a collaborative capacity building project in higher education between Pakistan, the UK, France, Italy, and Spain, and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. The project brings together 4 prestigious universities in Pakistan; COMSATS University Islamabad; LUMS; NUST and PIFS, and 4 top-notch European Universities: Cardiff Metropolitan University (UK), Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France), University of Bologna (Italy), University of Salamanca (Spain) – all working together in the spirit of internationalisation.

The French Embassy in Pakistan strongly supports academic cooperation between Pakistani universities and their counterparts in France and Europe. Such a project deserves to be celebrated: the B-International project will reinforce the Pakistan’s HEC Vision 2025 on internationalization through building capacity within the Higher Education sector, enhancing international collaboration, and supporting the development of global mind-sets of the youth.

The first two years of the B-International project has coincided with a global pandemic, meaning all of the B-International Partners are yet to meet face-to-face. Nevertheless, colleagues from the 8 universities across Europe and Pakistan have worked passionately and tirelessly for the last two and a half years adapting work plans and delivering to achieve endless success in the name of internationalisation and B-International. This international visit to Islamabad marks the very first time that the B-International consortium members from both Europe and Pakistan have met in person. It is a key milestone in the projects. Colleagues from Europe will have the first opportunity to deepen their understanding of Pakistan. This trip is also the start of many visits to all partner nations in EU across the remainder of the project. Connecting in person, peer to peer, faculty to faculty, Institution to institution will bolster the collaborative and capacity building efforts and ensure sustainable impact of the B-International project and the connections regarding Higher Education between Pakistan, UK, France, Italy and Spain.