Africa contributes only 1–2% of global scientific output, despite its growing population and academic potential, a gap driven by deep-rooted systemic barriers, such as limited funding, infrastructure, and fragmented research systems that hinder its full participation in global knowledge generation.   

In most of sub-Saharan Africa, higher education systems face the challenge of aligning academic training with evolving global knowledge and research demands. While significant progress has been made, most academic systems remain traditional, thereby limiting the ability to provide advanced, practical and internationally collaborative learning experiences needed to address complex global challenges.  

While Africa–Europe academic collaborations have expanded over the past decade, they have remained largely fragmented and structurally inequitable. Limited research capacity, uneven funding dynamics, and weak institutional integration have constrained the depth and sustainability of the impact of these partnerships. 

The importance of Africa–Europe academic collaboration cannot be overstated. The interconnectedness of the world makes the ability to co-create knowledge across regions critical to addressing complex global challenges. Italy, remains one of the European countries with a long history of partnership with Africa on various fronts, particularly in education and research.  Such partnerships have not only facilitated the exchange of expertise, knowledge and resources; but also enabled more inclusive and context-relevant approaches to research and innovation. 

In 2019, six leading Italian universities joined forces with the strategic support of the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research. The initiative was designed to enhance and systematise collaboration and integration between Italian and African higher education institutions, with particular emphasis on transnational education models.  

These efforts led to the establishment of the IHEA Foundation (Italian Higher Education with Africa), which advances a model of internationalisation that positions academic collaboration as a tool of science diplomacy. By promoting a more structured cooperation between Italian and African universities, the Foundation seeks to support locally driven and sustainable development processes while contributing to the mitigation of brain drain phenomena. 

The foundation was formally launched in October 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This prompted the rapid deployment of virtual mobility to support African partner universities in maintaining academic continuity during lockdowns. These initiatives involved more than 30 universities across 13 African countries.  

The Foundation’s mission is twofold: to provide high-quality, internationally recognised education to students seeking advanced technical and scientific qualifications, and to foster long-term institutional partnerships between Italian and African higher education systems. By strengthening the skills and expertise of local academic staff, these partnerships aim to expand professional opportunities and support sustainable academic careers at the local level. 

These foundations underpinned initiatives such as SHARE_AFRICA (Science Hubs for Advanced Research & Education with Africa), launched within the framework of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU.  

Conceived as a transnational education and research initiative, SHARE_Africa promotes peer-to-peer scientific cooperation between six Italian universities and an extensive network of African higher education institutions, with dedicated regional hubs located in Tunisia and Ethiopia. 

Early Career Academics are the primary target group. As members of the academic system who are at an early stage of their professional trajectory, they are better positioned to maximise the long-term impact of the project’s outcomes.  

SHARE_Africa is firmly anchored in the broader international agenda. It aligns with the European Union’s definition of Science Diplomacy (2020), particularly regarding the need for innovative paradigms of international cooperation in science, technology, and innovation (STI), as well as the delivery of evidence-based research addressing global societal challenges. The project is also consistent with the European Commission’s Global Approach to Research and Innovation (2021), which promotes multilateralism, reciprocal openness, and shared fundamental values in cooperation with third countries to develop solutions to green, digital, health, and innovation challenges.  

At the continental level, SHARE_Africa reflects the aspirations of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, with its strong emphasis on human capital development, and the AU–EU Innovation Agenda (2023), which identifies scientific capacity building as a strategic priority for EU–AU STI cooperation.  

The overall objective of SHARE_Africa is to foster the establishment of Italo-African Science Hubs capable of sustaining long-term cooperation in education and research between the Italian and African academic systems. Central to achieving this objective is a structured educational model that executes collaboration through targeted training and joint programme design. 

At the core of this model are six inter-university Blended Executive Programmes (BEPs) in Transnational Education and Advanced Skills. These programmes have been designed to address thematic areas aligned with the six European Union missions, integrating the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 aspirations and the AU–EU Innovation Agenda. 

The BEPs issued by the six Italian Universities involved in this project include:   

• Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism – Università La Sapienza, Roma 

• Sustainable Business for New Challenges – Università degli Studi di Firenze 

• Precision Agriculture and Sustainable Food – Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna 

• Innovative technologies for a sustainable water management – Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II 

• Strategic Energy Planning and Industrial Ecology for Local Sustainable and Just Development in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainties – Politecnico di Milano 

• One Health, Global Health, Planetary Health – New Approaches in Emerging Economies – Università degli Studi di Padova 

Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism (lead university: Sapienza University of Rome) is a two-week residential programme combining classroom-based lectures with site visits and field activities. It is specifically designed to deepen participants’ knowledge of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage in African contexts. Within this framework, the programme explored strategies for sustainable development through cultural tourism, fostering a critical understanding of how heritage resources can be responsibly managed and enhanced for local communities.  

 The Sustainable Business for New Challenges programme, led by the University of Florence, exemplifies an interdisciplinary approach to advanced learning. Delivered in a blended format, the course combines foundational training in sustainable development, research design, and scientific publishing. It prepares participants to address complex sustainability challenges within African and global contexts.  

The Precision Agriculture and Sustainable Food programme, led by Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, is hinged on advancing sustainable food systems through interdisciplinary learning. The course provides participants with a strong academic foundation in sustainable development within the African context, the geopolitics of international cooperation, and research design, including funding and scientific publication. The programme essentially equips participants with the knowledge and analytical tools required to address the complex challenges of food security, agricultural innovation, and environmental sustainability across diverse contexts. 

The Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Water Management programme, led by the University of Naples Federico II, focuses on addressing one of the most critical resource challenges facing the continent. The programme combines foundational training in research design, scientific communication, and international cooperation. The course enables participants to develop integrated and context-responsive solutions for sustainable water use, management, and resilience.  

The One Health, Global Health, Planetary Health programme, led by the University of Padua, adopts an integrated approach to addressing health challenges in emerging economies. It provides a multidisciplinary foundation in sustainable development, geopolitics, research methodologies, and science diplomacy, while emphasising the ethical dimensions of scientific practice. The programme equips participants with the expertise to design holistic and forward-looking responses to complex public health challenges in rapidly changing global contexts. 

Lastly, the Strategic Energy Planning and Industrial Ecology for Local Sustainable and Just Development in an Era of Geopolitical Uncertainties programme, led by the Politecnico di Milano, addresses the complex intersection of energy, sustainability, and global geopolitics. Developed in response to a rapidly evolving global landscape marked by ecological transitions and geopolitical tensions, the course situates Africa at the centre of the global energy conversation, where abundant natural resources coexist with limited access to reliable and sustainable energy. By fostering peer-to-peer academic collaboration and integrating both African and European perspectives, the course prepares a new generation of scholars and professionals to contribute to sustainable energy systems, while strengthening Africa’s role in global energy and research partnerships. 

As the SHARE_AFRICA project draws to a close, its impact is felt in its reach, training over 120 participants across multiple African countries and fostering a growing network of scholars, researchers, and institutions engaged in collaborative knowledge production. The project has contributed to strengthening academic partnerships, advancing research capacity, and promoting more integrated approaches to education and innovation across Africa and Europe. 

 Looking ahead, the IHEA Foundation aims to build on this momentum by developing, in partnership with African higher education institutions, multi-level curricular programmes designed to provide robust academic training for future professionals and experts. These programmes address increasingly complex societal and global challenges, ensuring that the foundations laid by SHARE_AFRICA continue to evolve into long-term, sustainable systems of collaboration.