WHEEL is a logical next step to act on the findings from the UNIGOV project on the main challenges facing Libyan HEIs. In a divided country, with no reliable countrywide HE data collection since the outbreak of the 2011 revolution, a vision of the role of HE is missing. Libyan universities are limited in their ability to collaborate & share knowledge. They also suffer from lack of funding, poor technological capabilities and no possibilities of professional development.To address all of the above, WHEEL will formalise a Network of HEIs to foster interinstitutional collaboration and dialogue and to allow the Consortium, which represents around 75% of Libya’s university population, to act as a unified voice in lobbying for policy developments. The Network will gather a comprehensive dataset of current HE statistics collected through the WHEEL project (Blueprint policy document). The creation of an online platform to facilitate the activities of this Network will be accompanied by technological upgrades within each Libyan HEI. The main efforts will go towards improving institutional management, capacity and other key functions (quality assurance, development of research & innovation capacities, etc.) through a series of ‘train the trainer’ workshops and regional & national conferences.As the Libyan members of the Consortium will own all outcomes and products after the project ends, the WHEEL Network and its findings will be sustainable in the long-term. In the short term, the Consortium’s institutional and technological capacities will be improved and the HEIs will possess qualified and trained staff to continue to progress these capabilities. Effective regional & national dissemination through newsletters & social media will attract non-member HEIs to the Network, which will gain a critical mass to influence policy and promote development in other local HEIs, but also to continue to develop and expand the Network, which crosses political and geographical borders.

IBTIKAR is a national project that aims at: - Increasing the production of joint high-quality research through a new class of thinkers able to cope with the local and global challenges, solving community problems and impacting on the socio-economic growth in Libya- Enforcing the role of Libyan universities and promote the quality and quantity of researches, so as to make a transition within the multidimensional targets of sustainabilityIBTIKAR project will deploy different research methodologies based on participative, collaborative and tailored approaches in which the knowledge is built thanks to different techniques useful to develop training and capacity building actions for the Libyan Universities:- A vertical CB action (ToT) where EU train Libyan Partners on the basic skills required to run research on the basis of the designed model.- A horizontal CB action, where Libyan Academic and Administrative staff from the more advanced Libyan Universities train the staff from other Libyan Universities. Libyan administrative and academic staff will be able to share with their counterparts not only the knowledge acquired but also their experience in managing and implementing research activities in the Libyan context. In fact, by training academic and administrative staff, each University can guarantee a high level of performance and efficiency, together with a high-quality standard of teaching and learning, on a long-term basis. Libyan research centres will be equipped and properly refurnished from both technological and human resources point of view. Finally, IBTIKAR foresees the definition of a White Paper aiming at bringing the attention of decision-makers on the definition of a Libya National Research Agenda, which will support specialization strategies within universities, enforcing existing research centres and research units, supporting universities in research management and training in specific field of knowledge, as well as setting up proper infrast