The University of Ninevah participated in a delegation headed by the Assistant President of the University for Scientific Affairs, Prof. Dr. Jaafar Ramadan Mohammed, accompanied by a number of staff members from the Science and Technology Parks Department, in the specialized workshop organized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research on “Building a University Ecosystem to Transform Knowledge into Economic Value,” in cooperation with Clarivate, on Thursday, August 20, 2026, at Al-Hakeem Hall, University of Baghdad.
The workshop was attended by the Ministry’s Undersecretary for Scientific Affairs and Scientific Research, Prof. Dr. Haider Abdul-Dhad, along with university presidents and their assistants, staff members of Science and Technology Parks departments from public and private universities, as well as a number of researchers, experts, and specialists.
The University of Ninevah’s participation in the workshop stems from the importance of moving beyond the university’s traditional role of knowledge production toward building integrated ecosystems capable of transforming knowledge, scientific research, and innovation into economic and developmental value, thereby strengthening the role of universities in supporting a knowledge-based economy.
The participation also emphasized the importance of utilizing the Bologna Process as one of the key frameworks for developing the higher education system and aligning educational outcomes with the skills and competencies required by the labor market. It also highlighted the importance of benefiting from the experiences of Science and Technology Parks in providing an enabling environment for innovation and supporting the transfer of knowledge and technologies from universities to productive and economic sectors.
The workshop further emphasized that the university’s role in building a sustainable, knowledge-based economy requires genuine integration among universities, the labor market, and economic and productive sectors. This would enable educational and research outputs to be utilized in addressing developmental challenges and developing knowledge- and innovation-based products and services.
In this context, the development of Science and Technology Parks departments, particularly the Technology Incubator Division, is of great importance. Such incubators can serve as effective platforms for nurturing innovative ideas and projects, transforming scientific research findings into applicable and marketable projects and products, and establishing effective partnerships with economic and technological institutions, as well as with the public and private sectors.
The workshop included a specialized lecture delivered by Dr. Ayman Aqeel and Dr. Waleed Hassan from Clarivate. The lecture addressed the foundations of building an integrated university ecosystem for transforming knowledge into economic value, mechanisms for knowledge and innovation management, and ways of connecting them with productive sectors and the labor market. It also reviewed a number of relevant international experiences and practices.
The workshop concluded with an open discussion session focusing on ways to develop technology incubators at Iraqi universities and enhance their role in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. The session also addressed mechanisms for activating partnerships with the public and private sectors and transforming the outcomes of scientific research and academic knowledge into applications and projects with tangible economic and developmental impact.
Through its participation in this workshop, the University of Ninevah reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the university’s role in the knowledge economy, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and to developing an integrated ecosystem that connects education and scientific research with the needs of society and the labor market, thereby contributing to sustainable development and maximizing the economic impact of knowledge and scientific research.
