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Research CentresMIMS “Mathematics for All” conferenceA more recent initiative is to implement the conceptLes Mathématiques Itinérantes in selected colleges andschools around the country. This idea was initiated atthe University of Lille 1 (France) in 2007 and has hadreasonable success. It arranges for general talks and runssmall research labs with young students at the collegelevel, introducing them to novel mathematical ideas andconstructions. For MIMS, this can help attract some ofthe best students to mathematical research. A first conferenceis to be held early in 2015 at the Institut Nationaldes Sciences Appliquées et de Technologie (INSAT). Thephilosophy the institute wishes to convey to the youngergeneration is that Mathematics is about observations notjust about equations!Mathematical LandscapeMathematics in Tunisia and in the Maghreb has relativelyflourished over the last two decades. The number offirst-class mathematicians from this region of the worldis noticeably increasing as a result of real efforts on theground to build higher standard mathematical educationand research. Active professional mathematical societieswith a growing membership exist in all of Tunisia, Algeriaand Morocco. The Tunisian Mathematical Society SMT,an institutional partner of MIMS, is now 23 years old.The French system of preparatory schools has hada great influence on strengthening the mathematicalcomponent in higher education. The largest preparatoryschool in Tunisia is the Ecole Préparatoire at the Universityof Carthage (IPEST), which is another institutionalpartner of MIMS.Over the last decade, the Ministry of Higher Educationand Scientific Research in Tunisia has encouragedthe creation of mathematics laboratories, spread outamongst the universities around the country. Researchtopics cover harmonic analysis, partial differential equations,algebra and representation theory, topology andapplied mathematics. Reasonable funds were allocatedPresentation ontilings at the Citédes Sciences“Journée des étudiants” in Monastirto this endeavour, which was part of the country’s desireto increase its fraction of GDP in research. As a result,a spike in the number of defended theses, the numberof hires and the number of published papers has beenobserved.The emergence of mathematical laboratories allacross major universities in Tunisia has strengthened theneed for an umbrella research institute like MIMS on thenational level.MIMS Structure and a Look at its FutureMIMS has a motivated team of mathematicians helpingto carry out all of the existing and upcoming projects.It has an executive board renewable every three years,an advisory board and a scientific committee consistingof renowned mathematicians from around the world.MIMS has a handful of major institutional partners thathelp with human assistance or with logistics. A majorsupporting sister institution is the Southern MediterraneanUniversity (SMU), a leading educational institutionin Africa running a business school (MSB) and an engineeringschool (MedTech).MIMS aspires to create a postdoctoral position and toput in place a Research in Pairs type project. The institutehas already established a partnership with the Pacific Institutefor the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS) in Canadawith the goal of creating opportunities for North Africanmathematicians to visit that country and organise jointactivities. Another established partnership is with theAmerican University of Sharjah (AUS), one of the finestof the Gulf universities. It can be mentioned that MIMSwill sponsor, alongside the AMS, a major meeting at AUSin 2–5 April 2015.MIMS greatly welcomes collaboration with the internationalmathematical community. Partnerships withmore established institutions are essential to the bettermentof MIMS activities and to strengthening its base.In today’s turbulent time in our region, financial supportis lacking. For MIMS to continue supporting local andregional activities, running its programmes and settingup an electronic library, external financial and logisticalsupport is both sought and needed. As more and moremathematicians know about MIMS and espouse its mission,we have high hopes that this institute will succeedin becoming, over time, a prominent player around theMediterranean and in the MENA region in promotingmathematical education and research.MIMS website: www.mims.tnEMS Newsletter December 2014 53