Within the halls of the Technical College, Shqlawa, Al-Furat Al-awsat Technical University held its first International Scientific Conference under the auspices of the Ministries of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Federal Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, titled
(Engineering and Sciences for Sustainable Development Goals (ESNSD2026))
Which was organized by the university under the supervision of its president, Prof. Dr. Hassan Latif Al-Zubaidi.
The conference aims to enhance capacity building and knowledge exchange in the fields of sustainability, to highlight the latest innovations in engineering and green technology, to support applied initiatives that link scientific research to society’s needs, and to encourage partnerships between the public and private sectors in order to achieve genuine sustainable development.
It is noted that the conference was attended by the College of Polytechnic Kufa, the Engineering Technical College in Najaf, and the Technical Institute in Al-Rumaythah, in cooperation with the Technical College in Shqlawa. In addition, international and Arab participation from seven sister and friendly countries—Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Iran, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam—took part, along with eleven well-established Iraqi universities: the University of Baghdad, the Technical University of Erbil, Al-Mustansiriyah University, the University of Basra, the University of Qadisiyah, the University of Thi Qar, the University of Mosul, Tikrit University, Al-Technology University, Al-Awsat Technical University, and the College of Al-Kut University. In addition, the Middle Technical University of the Euphrates participated.
The opening ceremony was attended by the president of Al-Awsat Technical University of the Euphrates, Prof. Dr. Hassan Latif Al-Zubaidi, and the president of the Technical University of Erbil, Prof. Dr. Idris Muhammad Taher Herki, as well as a representative of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the region and a number of faculty members and researchers from Iraqi universities in both the center and the region. The ceremony also included electronic attendance via live broadcast by a number of researchers and university affiliates.
In his opening address, Al-Zubaidi spoke about the importance of scientific research—especially in developing societies, building civilization, and overcoming crises affecting the world in general and Iraq in particular—where the challenge of providing a sustainable and safe environment for billions of people worldwide comes first, particularly with the steady increase in population compared to the decrease in available resources. He said the conference meets the need to address a set of those challenges.
He explained that the conference included several research papers presented from outside Iraq, as well as papers from Iraqi universities in both the center and the region.
Al-Zubaidi also stated in his speech that the university has achieved a good start in building genuine partnerships across various aspects of performance, foremost among them being the movement of scientific research. He added that, according to the university’s policy, it supports researchers whose contributions have helped the university enter a number of recognized global rankings with advanced positions. He further emphasized that the university encourages technical and applied scientific research that addresses real problems in various sectors of society, hoping that these conferences and workshops will serve as a good start for building genuine partnerships between the two universities in a way that benefits the educational process.
At the conclusion of his speech, he called for the conference’s outcomes to yield sound scientific recommendations that contribute to addressing development challenges and for its outputs to be an additional step toward building a sustainable future worthy of the generations to come. He also expressed his thanks and appreciation to all the preparatory, scientific, media, and supporting committees from both universities for the good efforts they made to accomplish this distinctive conference.
On the other hand, the conference activities included the launch of the opening session, managed by:
Asst. Prof. Dr. Ahmed Razak Hassan – Middle Technical University of the Euphrates
Asst. Prof. Dr. Sivan Hussein Ali – Technical University of Erbil
Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Abdul Samad Salahuddin – Tishk International University / Erbil
Lecture title:
“Developing Drug Discovery Using Artificial Intelligence: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Trends”
The lecture addressed the role of artificial intelligence in bringing about a qualitative shift in the field of drug discovery by accelerating research and development processes and reducing costs, while highlighting technical and ethical challenges, in addition to envisioning the future of this vital field. The session also emphasized the importance of integration between engineering and medical specializations to achieve sustainable development in the health sector.
The second keynote speaker was
Dr. Vishnu Gugune – UI GreenMetric ranking manager
The lecture title was
“Sustainability in Practice: Enhancing the Campus Future Through UI GreenMetric Indicators”
The lecture focused on the importance of sustainability in academic institutions and the role of the UI GreenMetric ranking in evaluating universities’ environmental performance and strengthening green campus practices. It also highlighted mechanisms for developing sustainable infrastructure, rationalizing resource consumption, and encouraging universities to adopt environmentally friendly policies in line with sustainable development goals.
This session represents an important step toward enhancing environmental awareness within universities and supporting the shift toward more sustainable and innovative educational institutions.
During the conference, a documentary film about the university was shown, covering the most prominent developments, activities, and initiatives the university has carried out recently in the fields of construction and development, along with what the university’s comprehensive and ongoing development campaign includes. A film about the Technical University of Erbil was also presented.
At the end of the conference’s first day activities, the president of the university presented his thanks and appreciation to all professors, researchers, and postgraduate students who contributed to enriching the conference.
In the same context, Al-Zubaidi presented a commemorative gift containing the most important landmarks of the university to the president of the Technical University of Erbil, along with a number of guests and general directors in the region.
