Category: News

On Saturday, October 25, 2025, DMU’s academic community participated in a virtual workshop titled “Critical Success Factors for Academic & Research Partnerships: Reflections of a Veteran Academic.”

The session, organized by the Directorate of International Relations for Research and Partnership, was led by Professor Belay Kassa, a veteran academic in the field. Dr. Getnet Atenafu, Director of International Relations for Research and Partnership, in his opening remark stated that the workshop was organized to promote meaningful engagement in research collaboration among academics. As he further indicated,” the online workshop aimed to enhance the university’s partnership activities across teaching, research, and community service.”  To this end, he said, “inviting Professor Belay Kassa, who has extensive experience in this field, we aimed to increase local knowledge and gain broader international recognition.”

Professor Kassa’s presentation covered major themes, including the nature and types of partnerships, initiation processes, negotiation stages, institutional readiness, and key considerations for forming sustainable collaborations.

Professor Kassa highlighted that partnerships are integral to the very raison d’être (core purpose) of universities, playing a critical role in improving educational quality, research excellence, and global reputation.

He discussed various partnership types such as local, national, regional, and international and explained that they can be initiated through self-driven, partner-driven, third-party facilitated, or consortium-based approaches.

In his presentation he emphasized on the significance of strategic partnerships for Universities provided that they are built on mutual benefit, shared values and long term vision.

The session concluded with practical guidance on negotiation and agreement stages, stressing the importance of transparency, alignment with institutional priorities, and ensuring compliance with university and national regulations.