Florian Kohstall

I am the Director of the Liaison Office of the Freie Universität Berlin in Cairo, which I was assigned to open in 2010 and Coordinator of the project Welcome@FUBerlin. My research interests comprise political elections, university reforms and the role of donor organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

I have developed a solide research portfolio on higher education, research policy and the current transformation process in the Arab region. In addition to my in-depth knowledge of the Arab university landscape, I have a very strong network that should be of great benefit for the AGYA. For over ten years I have observed the challenges Arab scholars are facing in sciences and humanities, when it comes to develop their own ideas, make their research accessible and engage in international cooperation.

In the AGYA I am especially interested in debating the deep implications of the establishment of knowledge societies and a joint Euro-Mediterranean education and research area.