Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region (REMENA)

 

This master program provides young professionals with technical and managerial knowledge in the renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) sector and with intercultural competencies. Both aspects are equally important when taking up leadership positions in the renewable energy sector and to work effectively in the framework of international cooperation.

Countries in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region face a change in energy policy due to the depleting resources of fossil fuels, the rising prices, and growing demand.

Sustainable energy supply will remain the most crucial challenge of the Arab region for the coming decades and also a main focus in developing cooperation. Experience shows, there is a lack of energy experts being familiar not only with technological knowledge, but also with the culture, language and politics of both sides.

Two universities – the University of Kassel and the Cairo University – in cooperation with institutions and companies in the renewable energy sector have combined their expertise to design an attractive master program to guarantee an excellent education for young experts to meet the needs of a sustainable energy supply. Students follow this 21 months program at three different locations (www.uni-kassel.de/remena).

 

 

Here is some information about the German-Arab master programs jontly created by German and Arab Universities:

 

There are presently four priority areas for German-Arab development cooperation: Water management, Economic Change, Renewable Energies/Energy Efficiency, and Education management. To increase the effectivity of the cooperation programs in these four areas, a special graduate program was created to jointly train young professionals from the Arab Region and from Germany to become future leaders in international cooperation.

These double degree master programs are offered by teams of one German and one Arab university. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides up to 20 scholarships per year for each of the four master programs. The first semester is always taught at the Arab partner university, the second semester is taught at the German partner university. The master theses are related to development aspects and shall have an intercultural and interdisciplinary approach. The programs are conducted in English language, but the German participants have to learn Arabic, and the Arab participants have to learn German, to be able to better understand and communicate in both cultures.

The effectiveness of development policy measures is highly dependent upon understanding the interests, potential, and cultural context of the partner. This has become even more true in the last few years, as the content of development cooperation has increasingly expanded from the specialist-technical level to include comprehensive economic, social and political problems. A lack of cultural communication in this context reduces the efficiency of development cooperation.

In order to counter this deficiency, the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst - German Academic Exchange Service) supports the establishment of Bicultural Master’s Programmes at German and foreign universities in Arab countries. Besides imparting technical knowledge, the courses place a special emphasis on conveying regional knowledge and intercultural communication skills. Based on a needs assessment from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Master’s courses with English as the language of instruction are being designed and launched in selected fields of study in selected Arab countries

 

The following Bicultural Master’s courses have been funded thus far within this programme:

 

Applicants have to send in their application by February/March each year. The scholarships are awarded based on decisions of a selection committee with representatives of both partner universities and the DAAD. These are the links:

For Water Management: www.iwrm-master.info

For Economic Change: www.uni-marburg.de/fb02/ecar/contact

For Renewable Energies/Energy Efficiency: www.remena.uni-kassel.de

For Education Management: www.ph-ludwigsburg.de/10836

Read more: Scholarships for the German-Arab Master’s Programs