"The "Qualification for Inclusive Education Iraq" project pursues the overarching goal of deepening and consolidating existing contacts with Iraqi partner Universities, encouraging close cooperation between them and training multipliers. In co-operation with the University of Dohuk and the University of Vechta, five partner Universities in Iraq are to be supported in the development of a special needs educational training programme for regular school teachers at inclusive schools. At the centre of this is the improvement and strengthening of the professional, special needs educational and didactic skills of Iraqi University teachers through the use of multipliers who implement the jointly developed training offer at their Universities in Iraq in the respective subject area. The training and further education of multipliers is intended to ensure a sustainable improvement in teaching and research at the Iraqi partner Universities. The project is being carried out in close co-operation with the University of Vechta in order to exploit synergy effects. At the University of Vechta, for example, multipliers are being trained on the topic of "inclusive teaching", whereas in Oldenburg the focus is on specialised special needs educational topics. It is planned that the multipliers trained in Vechta and Oldenburg will work in tandems in phases in order to promote co-operation and exchange. The multiplier programme will be scientifically monitored and evaluated in a process-oriented manner. Throughout the duration of the project, the Universities of Oldenburg and Vechta will offer continuous counselling via email and Skype to support and closely accompany the implementation of the training courses by the multipliers at their Iraqi home Universities. To promote intercultural, social and professional dialogue on "Inclusive Education at General Schools", two public e-conferences will also be planned and implemented jointly by academics from the University of Oldenburg and Vechta and the Iraqi partner Universities in the summer semester of 2020. Students and teaching staff from the regions will also take part in the e-conferences. Young academics (PhD students) from the Iraqi partner Universities are to be intensively supported through involvement in all measures (e.g. conferences, e-conferences) as well as through counselling, support and supervision of doctoral projects. In the promotion of early-career researchers as well as in all other measures within the project, special attention is paid to a balanced gender ratio in order to contribute to raising awareness, strengthening women in the University working environment and modernising higher education."

The project will run for two years. However, through the use of multipliers and close co-operation with the Iraqi partner Universities, the aim is to achieve very sustainable and long-term effects.