Lisbon hosts the 5th Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 Dialogue on Research, Innovation and Higher Education

The 5th Ministerial Conference of the 5+5 Dialogue on Research, Innovation and Higher Education will take place tomorrow in Lisbon with the participation of the Ministers and Heads of Delegation of the ten member countries of the Western Mediterranean Forum: Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain and Tunisia.

The 5+5 dialogue is an important intergovernmental forum that aims to strengthen cooperation between the Western Mediterranean countries in strategic areas such as science, technology, innovation and higher education.

Italy plays a leading role in the forum through the OGS (National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics), which hosts the forum's secretariat at its headquarters in Trieste and represents the country in the Group of Senior Officials (GSO) on behalf of the Ministry of University and Research (MUR).

During the conference, the Lisbon Declaration on Research, Innovation and Higher  Education will be signed in the presence of the Deputy Head of Mission of the Italian Embassy in Lisbon, Counsellor Claudio Martinello. This document concludes the Portuguese presidency of the Forum and officially marks the handover of the presidency of the Forum to Libya for the two-year period 2024-2026.

A key moment of the event will be the adoption of the 2024-2026 Biennial Work Plan, a strategic document that reaffirms the shared commitment of the member countries to make the Mediterranean region increasingly innovative, inclusive and resilient. This plan recognises science diplomacy as an important tool to empower young people and promote sustainable development.

Further information can be found in the press release (in Italian).