The Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP) and the College of Political Science at Damascus University have launched an academic partnership “The Role of Academia in Post-Conflict State-Building in Syria.”

The launch meeting, held online on the 4th of March 2026, followed a visit by representatives from the Geneva Graduate Institute to Damascus University in last December. The meeting was attended by the Dean of the College of Political Science, Prof. Najib Ghadban, the Assistant Dean Dr. Alaa Serdar, and Dr. Ahed Qatrib. From the Geneva Graduate Institute, participants included Prof. Sara Hellmüller from the Department of International Relations/Political Science, Eliza Urwin, Head of Research at CCDP, and Dr. Bilal Salaymeh, Postdoctoral Researcher at CCDP and project coordinator.

Both sides welcomed the partnership as an opportunity to strengthen academic collaboration and promote joint knowledge production. The partnership will bring together Geneva-based scholars and researchers with their Damascus-based counterparts through academic exchanges and workshops focusing on the role of research and academia in Syria’s current transition.

The academic partnership project is funded through the Leading House MENA programme of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland (HES-SO), and hosted at the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP).

Follow the process on the CCDP Research Project Page
Academic Partnership with CCDP and Damascus University