Soran University and  the Community.

Soran as a new university hopes to have a great share in achieving new changes in the society, and utilize science to serve the community. Our aim is to change students’ perspective; raise students’ invention capacity; and also make them to believe that their knowledge should serve the community. In additions to these goals, we also want to apply the capacity of teachers and researchers to develop human development in the community, starting from the natural aspects to societal and human aspects.

This is why a considerable part of the scientific activities and training courses of student and teachers focus on community issues and topics. Indeed the relationship between Soran University and society is very strong.

The history of these kinds of scientific activities goes back to the initial steps of the establishment of the university. In June 2013, (Respect our Mountains) campaign, an environment activity was held which was aimed to raise the individual’s awareness level in terms of how to preserve the beauty of Soran and prevent the pollution and destruction the natural resources. This project was in partnership with (Nature Iraq – Sulaymaniyah based - NGO).

Many of our students have participated in several activities in the purpose of developing environment awareness and how to benefit from natural resources of the area. Our students have showed a great interaction of the university with community and had productive results.

In 2013, Soran University joined efforts with Leicester University in the UK establishing a research center which scientifically record environmental damages and ecosystem modifications, trace poisonous gases and air-borne pollutants, test agricultural and industrial effluents, and ascertain water, soil, and air pollution levels.

Our overall aim was to identify and protect the local area from major threats, such as uncontrolled commercial development, over-exploitation of natural resources, or geological alterations. More importantly, the outcomes of this research will feed the drafting of commercial operational guidelines that will ensure environmentally-friendly business practices.

In addition to all these activities, most of the conferences and symposiums that have been held in Soran University have been directly concerned with the political, culture, historical, society and nature of Kurdistan. And most of the academic and public news as well as links of research department are documented.

Furthermore, Soran University has also established a variety of centers specialized in humanity and cultural researching, which all have the same aim of enhancing the impact which a university should have on the community. Centers such as Gender studies, Hndren Center for language and Cultural Researching, Iraqi Sociological Center, and Kurdistan Center have focused on the issues of community. Moreover, there is a continuing contact among different institutions of Soran and specialized departments of Soran University in terms of Education, Engineering, and Health…atc,.

Besides all the activities above, Career Development Center, in collaboration international institutes such Qandel Organization and American IREX, has implemented many projects for refugees in Kurdistan Region and students outside the university, especially in terms of language learning.

In the most recent interaction between Soran University with community, at the time of Coronavirus outbreak, the Scientific Research Center in Soran University established a developed center on 2nd of April 2020 for diagnosing the Coronavirus, The university has put the center in the service of Ministry of Health of Kurdistan Regional Government. 

https://www.soran.edu.iq/academic-news/3059-soran-university-corona-virus-covid19-detection-experiment.html

These kinds of projects show students, teachers and staff that the classrooms are not a unproductive place, but rather, they are closely interrelated to people’s lives, work, and personal advancement. Soran university is constantly looking for opportunities and ways to contribute to and work with the local community.