The American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) has signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Montana Technological University (Montana Tech). A U.S. public university specializing in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines, Montana Tech will collaborate with AUIB to establish a framework for applied research, workforce development, and strategic consulting in support of Iraq’s mining and critical minerals sector. The agreement advances the policy objective shared by successive Iraqi governments to diversify the country’s economy away from excessive dependence on oil revenue, including by developing Iraq’s critical minerals sector.
AUIB is well positioned to support this objective by serving as a convening platform that can bring together international academia and technical expertise, private industry, and the government of Iraq to help develop a comprehensive and viable strategy for the emerging critical minerals sector. In this context, the Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed by AUIB and Montana Tech envisions collaboration in applied research projects on topics such as economic policy on the development of natural resources, mineral processing and value-added industries, as well as environmental sustainability and mine reclamation. The two parties will also explore the prospects of academic collaboration, such as in the development of undergraduate and graduate programs, the exchange of faculty and students, and collaborative teaching, as well as executive education and workforce training programs.
The signatories also envision partnering on consulting and advisory opportunities with governmental entities, international organizations, and industry partners involved in the mining sector. Potential collaborations include resource assessment and development strategies, mining policy and regulatory development, workforce development planning, and the preparation of relevant feasibility studies.
“Iraq’s critical minerals hold real potential to diversify the national economy and create skilled jobs for a new generation of Iraqis,” said Dr. Bradley Cook, President of AUIB. “Partnering with Montana Tech, a leading U.S. mining and engineering university, allows AUIB to bring world-class expertise to Baghdad and to help connect academia, industry, and government around a practical strategy for this emerging sector.”
