Ismaili.NET - Heritage F.I.E.L.D.

The Aga Khan University celebrated the growing impact of its partnerships with Portuguese institutions of higher education, research and health care in Lisbon on Friday 2nd June 2023. The event was attended by leaders and researchers from AKU and the University's Portuguese partners, and representatives of the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat.

This year, AKU is celebrating its 40th anniversary, having been founded in 1983 by its Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, the Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims. The University's connections to Portugal have steadily increased since the signing of an agreement in 2015 between the Ismaili Imamat and the Portuguese Republic that led to the establishment of the Seat (global headquarters) of the Imamat in Lisbon. The agreement envisions “world-class research projects…on subjects of common interest to the Portuguese Republic and the Ismaili Imamat."

AKU's partners and collaborators in Portugal include the Catholic University of Portugal, NOVA University Lisbon, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Champalimaud Foundation and the University of Lisbon.

In his remarks to the audience, AKU President Sulaiman Shahabuddin said that the University, Portugal and its Portuguese partners share a deep belief in the power of international collaboration and a historic connection to the Indian Ocean region.

“AKU and its Portuguese partners can conduct cutting-edge research on communicable and non-communicable diseases," President Shahabuddin said. “We can deepen understanding of Muslim societies. We can help one another to educate future leaders through exchanges of faculty, staff and students, as well as through the sharing of knowledge, experience and data. The potential is considerable. And it will only increase in the years ahead, as our institutions continue to grow and to achieve new standards of excellence."

Recent highlights of AKU's partnerships with Portuguese institutions include the following:

AKU's Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations in London and the Catholic University of Portugal (UCP) plan to offer a dual degree in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.

Scientists from AKU, NOVA, UCP and the Gulbenkian Foundation are collaborating on research on COVID-19 and malaria.

AKU provided advice to UCP on the planning of its new medical school.

Faculty from AKU and NOVA are holding a four-day summer school in Lisbon later this month on trends in the study of Muslim societies.

AKU and NOVA faculty collaborated to deliver an AKU-designed workshop for clinical investigators at NOVA in Lisbon. Exchanges of faculty, staff and students between AKU and NOVA are being supported by $140,000 in funding from the European Union's Erasmus programme.

NOVA faculty have helped to teach courses at AKU's Graduate School of Media and Communications in Nairobi.

Nazim Ahmad, Diplomatic Representative of the Ismaili Imamat, said that the relationship between the Imamat and the Portuguese Republic is rooted in shared values. “These values, such as the defence of human dignity and the promotion of pluralism, are a common ground for our joint commitment to improve quality of life in communities in Portugal, Portuguese-speaking countries and beyond," he said.

AKU Trustee Dr António Rendas, former Rector of NOVA, highlighted the impact of the Knowledge for Development Initiative, which is jointly funded by the Ismaili Imamat and the Portuguese Republic. The €20 million initiative supports research by scholars in Portugal, Africa and elsewhere on crucial challenges facing Africa.

The event included presentations on research collaborations between AKU Professor Zahra Hasan and UCP Professors Maria João Amorim and Pedro Simas, and between AKU Professor Asim Beg and NOVA Professor Henrique Silveira. In addition, Ms. Fareena Feroze of AKU and Prof. Paula Sousa of NOVA covered the use of mobility programmes for capacity development of faculty and staff.