Sukkur IBA University conducted the national partners’ meeting for its European Commission project RAPID (erasmuscbhe-rapid.com) under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) program. The RAPID project is a consortium led by Sukkur IBA University and comprises ten partners, including NTNU Norway, LNU Sweden, Sapienza University of Rome Italy, LUMS Lahore, IBA Karachi, Higher Education Commission Islamabad, University of Baluchistan, University of Baltistan, and University of Turbat. The main objective of the European Commission-supported RAPID collaboration is to strengthen online education in Pakistan by learning from the best practices of European partners.
The national partners’ meeting was held from August 7-8, 2023, at the University of Baltistan, Skardu, to assess the first six months’ progress of the three-year RAPID project. Prof. Dr. Asif Ahmed Shaikh, Vice Chancellor of Sukkur IBA University, Prof. Dr. Javed Ahmed Shahani, Professor of Computer Science, and Prof. Dr. Sher Muhammad Daudpota, Professor of Computer Science, represented Sukkur IBA University during the meeting. In order to evaluate the first six months’ progress and establish an action plan for future activities, representatives from all the national partner institutions traveled to Skardu, while international partners participated virtually.
During the RAPID meeting, Sukkur IBA University and the University of Baltistan also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for future collaboration in areas of common interest to better serve the community. Sukkur IBA University extends its profound gratitude to the team at the University of Baltistan, Skardu, under the leadership of their Vice Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naeem Khan, as well as the members of the RAPID team, including Prof. Dr. Abdul Matin, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and Prof. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, for graciously hosting the meeting and the MoU signing ceremony.