Migration and Higher Education: Developing Skills and Capacity (UNIMIG)

This 36-month regional project funded by EC-TEMPUS is motivated by a need of South Caucasus (SC) societies to develop interdisciplinary academic education and research contents and structures to more effectively deal with urgent migration issues.

The overall objective of the UNIMIG project is to ensure that targeted Partner Country Universities in all three SC countries are in a position to offer curricula, education and research in line with the standards of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) which can build the capacity in the beneficiary countries to develop effective migration policies in the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) East region.
 
This objective will be reached a) by developing, accrediting and implementing a basic curriculum for a Master Program in Migration Studies with a regional dimension in line with the Bologna requirements at six selected universities in SC countries; b) with the establishment of national Migration Competence Centers (MCC) and a Regional Research Network (RRN) that serves as an interface between universities, research and public institutions, governments and society and c) the set up of a Regional Online Platform on Migration, maintained and updated by the MCCs which will be widely used to disseminate the curriculum, and all publications, statistical data etc. produced by the MCCs, making all materials accessible via e-learning to a wider public (master students, migration officials, journalists, researchers, public institutions, and civil society).
 
The targeted Partner Universities in Azerbaijan are Khazar University that offers undergraduate, graduate and professional study programs and Qafqaz University that offers BA, MA, MSs, MBA and doctoral programs. MCC of Azerbaijan will be established at Khazar University.  

IOM is participating in the project primarily contributing to the development and implementation of the master programs in migration studies with its own teaching and training materials, especially in migration management.
 
The Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan will support the accreditation procedures in Azerbaijan and participate in capacity building activities for curriculum development in line with Bologna standards with support of EU partners.