New academic cooperation between Bergen and Sudan

Partners in Bergen and Sudan have signed a new agreement on academic cooperation. The Sudan-Norway Academic Cooperation (SNAC) will focus on addressing the challenges currently facing Sudan through high quality research and policy development.

On January 30, representatives from CMI, the University of Bergen, the University of Khartoum and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum came together to sign an agreement on cooperation between academic institutions in Bergen and Sudan – the Sudan-Norway Academic cooperation (SNAC) project. Attending the signing ceremony in Khartoum were project leaders Liv Tønnessen (CMI) and Munzoul Assal (UiB and UofK), Rector at the University of Khartoum, professor Imadeldin E. Aradaib, Endre Stiansen (Ambassador at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum), and Johan Kristian Meyer (senior adviser at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs). The Rector at UiB, Margareth Hagen, had recorded a video greeting for the signing ceremony.

As a truly multidisciplinary project, SNAC allows for research on a wide variety of topics, from climate change and food security to gender, peace and security, migration, refugees, democracy and the role of youth. The project has a particular focus on inclusion of marginalized groups and regional universities., and the partnership with El Dalang University, the Red Sea University, the University of Blue Nile, the University of Gedarif, the University of Nyala, the University of Kassala, and the University of Sinnar is crucial to meet this goal and a central component of SNAC.

SNAC builds on 60 years of close partnership and academic collaboration between researchers in Bergen and Sudan, and aims to enable Sudanese universities to be a main contributor in both public debates and policy development in Sudan. The project is funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Khartoum and has a scope of 4 years.