UNESCO Regional Centre for Education Projects 2026: Details and Dates

The UNESCO Regional Centre for Quality and Excellence in Education announced a new and comprehensive package of quality projects and programs planned for implementation during 2026, in a strategic step aimed at strengthening the educational system at the national, regional and international levels.

Strategic context and leading role of the Kingdom

This step comes as an extension of the pivotal role played by the center, headquartered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as one of UNESCO's Category 2 centers. Since its establishment, the center has strived to bridge the gap between educational policies and practical application, based on the latest international standards. These projects are particularly important as they come at a time when the education sector is undergoing radical transformations, necessitating innovative solutions that ensure the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.

These initiatives also reflect the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting international efforts in the field of education, and are directly consistent with the objectives of “Vision 2030”, specifically the Human Capability Development Program, which focuses on developing basic and professional skills that meet the requirements of the future.

Details of the projects proposed for 2026

The center explained that the new projects were designed to align with its strategic objectives of improving the efficiency of educational systems and building capacity. The list of projects open for competition includes the following key titles:

• Financial Sustainability Program Project: To enhance spending efficiency and diversify funding sources in educational institutions.
• The "Teacher We Want" project: which focuses on developing teachers' competencies and raising the quality of teaching performance.
• The Sustainable Learning Cities Quality Standards Project: To promote lifelong learning environments within cities and communities.
• Joint and pioneering business incubators project: To support innovation and entrepreneurship in the education sector.

Timelines and application process

The center called on all relevant specialized bodies and institutions to review the terms and specifications booklet, stressing the importance of adhering to the specified timetable to ensure the acceptance of bids, which is as follows:

• Application start date: Sunday, February 8, 2026.
• Deadline for inquiries: Thursday, February 15, 2026.
• The deadline for submitting the booklet purchase receipt is Thursday, February 19, 2026 (via email).
• The deadline for submitting bids is Monday, March 2, 2026.

The center concluded its statement by affirming its firm commitment to supporting initiatives that contribute to improving the quality of education, expanding the circle of strategic partnerships, and promoting innovation in educational policies and practices in order to serve the future of coming generations.