The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports Tunisia in its efforts to improve the conditions for innovation, increase the practical relevance of research and strengthen technology transfer as well as practice-oriented teaching in higher education. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 1998 provides the ongoing basis for science and technology cooperation (STC) with Tunisia. The BMBF has significantly increased its support for Tunisia since 2012.

TUNGER 2+2 funding call

One example of this support are the jointly funded 2+2 research projects involving Tunisian universities and enterprises together with German universities and enterprises in the TUNGER programme. In April 2023 a call for bilateral science and technology cooperation involving science and industry was due to be published for the following fields: Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus; Applied Biotechnology and Healthcare; and Green Economy / Circular Economy.

Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb (MECAM) in Tunis

The "Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb" (MECAM), is a platform founded in Tunisia in 2020 for regional and international scientific exchange with the guiding theme "Imagining Futures - Dealing with Disparity". The Centre is based at the renowned Université de Tunis in the Tunisian capital. Its research focuses on the effects of multidimensional disparity on models, visions and ideas about future.

Besides the University of Marburg, the partners of the MECAM consortium in Germany include the University of Leipzig, the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) in Hamburg and the Forum Transregional Studies in Berlin. In addition to the Université de Tunis, the regional partners are the University of Sfax and the Institut Tunisien des Études Stratégiques (ITES) in Tunisia, as well as other partners from Morocco and Lebanon.

PRIMA - Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area

In addition to bilateral cooperation, Germany and Tunisia are also jointly involved in EU projects and transnational funding programmes. For example, the two countries work together closely to implement projects as part of the PRIMA initiative (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area). The thematic focuses are food security, water and agricultural systems. 

Tunisia has been associated to the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020 and its successor Horizon EUROPE, since January 2016, and is therefore also an important partner in multilateral cooperation.

Transregional and interdisciplinary cooperation at the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA)  

The activities and research projects of the BMBF-funded AGYA network of excellence at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities generally involve Arab countries and Germany with a transregional approach which promotes cooperation between Germany and one or more Arab countries. Mainly interdisciplinary research projects are carried out by way of six working groups (Energy, Water and Environment; Arab and German Education; Dynamics of Transformation; Common Heritage and Common Challenges; Health and Society; Innovation). Tunisian researchers are among the members and alumni of AGYA.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which operates an office in Tunis, has been providing an increasing number of programmes to support cooperation between German and Tunisian universities since 2011. The DAAD information centre in Tunis has been advising Tunisian students and institutions wishing to cooperate with German partners since 2012.