War in the Middle East: French and local HE institutions weighing up responses

European higher-education institutions with branches in the Middle East and local universities are considering what actions to take following the US-Israeli attacks on 28/02/2026, which led to Iranian retaliations and ongoing missile exchanges in the region.

HEC Paris, a French business school which offers executive education programmes in Doha, said on 02/03: "We are monitoring the situation very closely and remain in regular contact with the Qatari authorities, in particular the French embassy and our partner, Qatar Foundation. We hope that the situation will stabilise quickly."

"Our Executive programmes are not offered in a residential format during Ramadan, so there was no immediate impact on the running of courses. Programmes with online components are continuing as planned, and we will make the necessary adjustments if the situation changes," added the school.

Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, a branch of the French Sorbonne Université in the United Arab Emirates, said that courses were being run remotely and that management was "fully mobilised alongside staff and students and…