Officials from an online Higher Education Institute based in Malta met with education authorities last week to discuss opportunities for collaboration on innovative fields of research.  

The Malta-based Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) held talks with Education Minister Clifton Grima, among others, discussing increased appetite for innovative courses from Maltese students, as well as the potential of research collaboration with local entities.  

OPIT is an EU-accredited Higher Education Institution, specialised in offering online degrees in Technology. 

OPIT programmes and degrees are fully accredited by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) and include innovative courses on game development, cyber security, and development.  

The institute was represented during the talks by its rector, a former Minister of Education of Italy, Prof. Francesco Profumo, as well as Riccardo Ocleppo, OPIT’s founder. 

Aside from Minister Grima, the two also met with the CEO of MFHEA Rose Anne Cuschieri, and University of Malta Pro-Rector Prof. Frank Bezzina.

Ocleppo provided comprehensive feedback, including quantitative data from OPIT surveys, and qualitative feedback from students and companies, and identified areas for improvement. 

Notably, there was significant interest from Maltese students regarding enrollment in 2024. 

OPIT currently offers a range of accredited degrees, and plans for future program expansions were also discussed. 

Following his attendance at OPIT's inaugural academic year opening in September, Mr. Ocleppo met with Minister Grima to provide a personal update. 

Together with Professor Profumo, they discussed OPIT's milestone of enrolling over 100 students from 38 countries. 

The discussion also touched upon the benefits to Malta from hosting institutions such as OPIT, including collaboration between online and physical institutions. 

Additionally, Ocleppo proposed hosting next year’s graduation ceremony in Malta for the first graduates of its Master of Science Program in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.  

The meeting with Pro-Rector Bezzina meanwhile, focused on potential collaboration between OPIT and the University of Malta. 

Discussions included opportunities for joint research projects, student exchange programs, and other collaborative initiatives that would benefit both institutions and enhance the educational landscape in Malta.