Dr. John Dove, a professor of economics at Troy University, has received a grant to work in conjunction with Soran University to establish an economic research center. 

Soran University is a public institution located in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The grant will allow Troy University to train individuals at Soran and help work through some of the challenges they face in developing the research center.

“These centers are just now getting off the ground,” Dove said. “There’s a situation where there’s a lack of data and understanding of the local economy and a need for universities to better target their training for the private sector of the workplace.”

The grant will allow TROY and Soran faculty to accomplish many things, including researching the economic situation in Iraq.

“The grant is a multi-faceted thing,” Dove said. “It’s going to allow us to provide up-front training in academic writing, effective policy outreach and survey construction as well as survey analysis.”

Although the grant is specifically focusing on Soran University, there is a hope that it will impact all areas of the Kurdistan economy, according to Dove.

“The goal right now is to work on better aligning graduate training and training in higher education to meet the needs of industry in Kurdistan,” Dove said. “From there, the expectation will be to branch out into all areas of the economy.”

The grant encapsulates the roots of Troy University, from its beginnings to the moniker of ‘Alabama’s International University.’

“I think that this project aligns well with TROY’s international focus,” Dove said. “I also think that it aligns with the historical tradition of being a teaching school.”