Professor Dr. Basim Nayil Khalil Al-Saadi, President of the University of Karbala, represented the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research at the First International Conference on Engineering Sciences organised by the College of Engineering at the University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa (PBUH).

Al-Saadi stated that "the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has accomplished, through its digital platform for applied research, nearly 50,000 projects aimed at connecting all institutions with universities and their scientific research centres and linking developmental environments with applicable university studies in various service sectors."

He added that "the ministry has taken unprecedented decisions that were noted and appreciated by UNESCO. One of the most important decisions was to adopt the Bologna Process and prepare its requirements so that our universities can keep pace with the changes that require a deliberate transformation in terms of interaction, teaching, and learning methods."

The First International Conference on Engineering Sciences and the Fourth International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Warith Al-Anbiyaa (PBUH) was sponsored by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in cooperation with the Iraqi Geotechnical Society and the Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University.

The conference aims to exchange ideas and reinforce scientific research efforts. It was attended by 166 Iraqi and foreign researchers who addressed various topics within the conference's themes. These topics range from civil and mechanical engineering to petroleum engineering, geotechnical engineering, road and bridge engineering, and water resources.

The organisers stated that the participating research will be published in a range of indexed journals within global databases.

The conference was attended by the President of the University of Karbala, Professor Dr. Basim Nayil Khalil Al-Saadi, representing the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, as well as official and academic Iraqi and foreign figures, in addition to researchers and students from the College of Engineering.