In implementation of the recommendations of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research aimed at improving the quality of university services during the holy month of Ramadan, the University of Kasdi Merbah Ouargla, in coordination with the Directorate of University Services Ouargla, organized an Iftar banquet on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at the Ben Malek Mohamed Hassan University Residence in honor of international students residing in Algeria, representing seven (7) sister and friendly countries.

This initiative was held under the supervision of the University President, Professor Mohamed Taher Halilat, the President's Representative, the Director of the Higher School of Teachers, and representatives of the local authorities. Attending from Kasdi Merbah University were:

- The University Secretary-General

- The University Vice-Presidents

- The Director of University Services

- The Director of the University Residence

- Representatives of student organizations and students.

- This event featured songs and hymns performed by the Nassim Al Wahat Choir in Ouargla. The organizers of this banquet were also honored.
- This initiative aims to foster a spirit of solidarity and brotherhood among university members and strengthen bridges of communication between international and Algerian students. It also provided an opportunity for the university community to come together.

In a special episode of the program **From Our South**, the spotlight was placed on the role of the university in creating start-ups and small enterprises and its impact on achieving economic transformation. The role of University Kasdi Merbah Ouargla in this was highlighted. The episode was hosted by:

**Professor Mohamed Kadri Mahdi**, Vice-Rector for External Relations.
**Professor Mohsen Ben Habib** – Director of the Ouargla University Incubator
**Mr. Jamal Qana** – Director of the Ouargla Microcredit Agency
**Mr. Mimi Mohamed Al-Jilani** – Startup Manager

** Discussion Topics:**

- The role of Kasdi Merbah University, Ouargla, in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship
- **The Ouargla University Business Incubator and its role in supporting and assisting project holders
- **Support and financing mechanisms** for start-ups and microenterprises
- **Challenges and opportunities** facing Algerian youth in the field of innovation
- **Inspiring success stories** that prove dreams are possible!

Following the results of the internal audit, which is part of the procedures for the University of Ouargla to obtain the ISO 9001/2015 Quality Management System Certification, and with the aim of addressing the noted observations, the Faculty of Law and Political Science organized, starting at 11:00 on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, an awareness meeting for the faculty's professors. The meeting was supervised by Professors Bara Samir and Qazi Rabie (members of the Quality Assurance Unit of the University of Ouargla). The meeting addressed the introduction of the Quality Management System, its objectives and requirements, with a focus on the observations recorded in the internal audit report with the aim of addressing them.

Call for participation in the African Research and Innovation Hub at IATF2025, will be organised in Algiers

on September 4–10, 2025

– طلب تقديم الطلبات.

– دليل التقديم لأساتذة الجامعات

– دليل التطبيق للباحثين

– دليل التقديم لطلاب الجامعات

As part of supporting scientific research and enhancing its role in economic development, the Faculty of Mathematics and Material Sciences at the University of Ouargla hosted a workshop on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., in the lecture hall of the Central Library. Professor Dr. Kadri Mohamed Mahdi, Vice President for External Relations, Cooperation, Promotion, Communication, and Events, presented the workshop.

The workshop was attended by deans of technological faculties, vice deans for scientific research, and directors of technical laboratories. Discussions focused on:

Mechanisms for establishing economic branches of scientific research laboratories and their role in transforming research results into applied projects that contribute to supporting the national economy and strengthening partnerships between the university and the industrial sector.

Professor Kadri Mohamed Mahdi also discussed the importance of European projects and opportunities to participate in them, such as the Erasmus Plus and LEAP SE programs, which provide researchers with access to funding and international cooperation in the fields of research and development.

This workshop comes within the framework of the University of Ouargla's efforts to **promote innovation and activate scientific research as a driver of sustainable development**, by investing in its outcomes and linking them to economic and social needs.

Under the supervision of the Wali of Ouargla, and under the patronage of the Minister of Mujahideen and Rights Holders, and in coordination with the Historical Association of the Popular Uprising of February 27, 1962 in Ouargla, the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences at the University of Kasdi Merbah, Ouargla, organized this morning, Thursday, February 27, 2025, a national forum on "The Resistance of the Algerian Sahara Population to the French Occupation during the Nineteenth Century: Resistance under the Banner of Sharif Ben Abdallah (1851-1871) as a Model", in the meeting hall of the Faculty of Economics and Commerce at University Pole 2. The forum was attended by local, security and military authorities, executive directors of the state, civil society activists, as well as the revolutionary family and the university family. The university director, Professor "Mohamed Taher Halilat", gave the signal to start the forum's activities, expressing in his speech his gratitude for the university's hosting of this immortal anniversary, and stressing the importance of remembering the sacrifices made by the heroes of the national resistance. Professor and historian Lakhdar Aouarib gave a valuable presentation, in which he reviewed the historical events that took place during the French occupation, with an in-depth reading of the journey of the Mujahideen who lived through that era, including Bouchnouf and others who sacrificed their lives for freedom and independence. The forum also included academic presentations by experts and specialists in history on the role of the people of the south in resisting French colonialism, and the impact of these uprisings on Algeria's struggle. The speakers stressed the need to preserve historical memory and enhance academic research on the national struggle, emphasizing that the demonstrations of February 27, 1962 constituted a pivotal point in the liberation process, and consolidated the unity of the Algerian people in the face of colonialism.

In the framework of enhancing cooperation between the research and industrial sectors, and strengthening the economic role of the university, a working meeting was organized at the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to discuss the valuation of the results of a scientific research aimed at extracting gelatin from camel skins.

This project is an important step towards strengthening the national economy by converting waste into products with high added value.

The project was supervised by a research team from the University of Kasdi Merbah Ouargla, where a technology was developed to extract gelatin from camel skins, a substance with unique properties that make it ideal for use in various industries including: food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic..., and the project was registered as a patent with the competent national authority, which reflects its scientific and economic importance.

For the information, gelatin is used in the food and pharmaceutical industries, which will push local industries to enhance this research product by converting laboratory results into manufactured and marketed products.

Work is ongoing...

Kasdi Merbah University ranked 11th in the international classification SCImago Institution Rankings in its 2025 edition issued on March 3, 2025, out of 47 university institutions. Accordingly, the University President: Professor Mohamed Taher Halilat extends his warmest congratulations and blessings to all the university family of professors, employees, workers and students, and calls on them to continue together in order to maintain these ranks, and achieve other achievements to push our university to the ranks of international universities, and promises them that he will spare no effort to achieve this goal.

For more details, please access the following link:

https://www.scimagoir.com/rankings.php?sector=Higher+educ.&country=DZA