Prof. Dr Sven Michel is President of the German-Arab University Conference

Representatives from 22 Arab embassies in Germany elected Prof. Michel as President of the DAH, based in Berlin, for a four-year term of office until June 2029. The focus of bilateral cooperation is on establishing and deepening academic cooperation between universities in Germany and the Arab world as well as developing joint research projects, study programmes and exchange programmes.
As part of this important honorary position, Prof. Michel's tasks include representing the DAH, contributing to its strategic orientation, initiating and maintaining partnerships and funding intercultural understanding.

Prof. Sven Michel, who heads the BTU's Chair of Therapy Sciences II at BTU, has been committed to improving the educational prospects of Arab young people and students in Europe for years - in particular those from crisis regions in the Middle East and North Africa. This region, which borders directly on the European Union, comprises well over 500 universities with around nine million students.

Promoting educational cooperation and intercultural dialogue
Prof. Michel set a strong example right at the beginning of his term of office: his inaugural visit took him to the Iraqi embassy in Berlin. There he was warmly welcomed by H.E. Abdulraheem Al Faily, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq. "I am very much looking forward to working with Prof. Michel," emphasised Al Faily. "We greatly appreciate his experience, his openness to genuine partnership and his advice. The Iraqi embassy will fully support his work."

The visit followed on from a current cooperation agreement:In March 2025, BTU had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Al Zahrawi University in Kerbala, Iraq, a modern medical university that funds women in science in particular. "The cooperation - supported by Oberlausitz-Kliniken gGmbH - is to become a central component of the new Medical Strategy 2030 - Oberlausitz in the future and create mutual benefits," says Jörg Scharfenberg, Manager of Oberlausitz-Kliniken gGmbH with hospital locations in Bautzen and Bischofswerda.

The German-Arab University Conference (DAH) emerged as a consortium from the long-standing dialogue between Arab academic representatives in Germany and from the Ghorfa network - the representation of all Arab chambers of industry and commerce in the Federal Republic of Germany. The latter is an established platform for economic co-operation between Germany and the Arab world. However, as Prof. Michel emphasises, a comparable structure for the education sector was previously lacking: "It became clear that education, science and research are the main pillars of Ghorfa's activities. However, until now there has been a lack of an independent institution specifically dedicated to the needs of Arab universities and educational institutions." This institution has now been created with the DAH.

In a personal meeting between DAH President Prof. Sven Michel and the Secretary General of Ghorfa, Ambassador Abdulaziz Al Mikhlafi, a closer and friendly cooperation was agreed.
The DAH is also providing impetus beyond Iraq: the consortium's Executive Board subsequently paid a visit to the Syrian embassy in order to obtain specific information about the situation of universities in Syria and to coordinate their activities.

"It is important to me to lead the DAH through a phase of new beginnings during my presidency - characterised by dialogue and energy and with the aim of building bridges through education," explains Prof. Dr Sven Michel.

Concrete prospects
The prospects for intensified cooperation are already concrete: a kick-off meeting on future educational cooperation with Syrian and Iraqi universities will take place at the Oberlausitz-Kliniken in July 2025. This will be followed by a specialist symposium for over 500 doctors working in Germany.
Medical professionals trained in Syria are already working at the clinic - right up to the position of head physician. At the same time, they supervise interns from the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the TU Dresden from health-related and medical study programmes.

Contact
Prof. Prof. h. c. (AUCY, CY) Dr habil. Sven Michel
Chair of Therapy Sciences II
T: +49 (0) 3573 85-700
Sven.Michel(at)b-tu.de