Iraqi universities have achieved a notable presence in the results of the Erasmus+ 2026 programme, with several projects involving Iraqi higher education institutions selected under the Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) and Jean Monnet actions. This achievement reflects the growing scope of international academic cooperation and Iraq’s expanding engagement in European higher education programmes. Under the CBHE action, Iraq was represented through two projects. The first, DPP-Eng – Modernizing Engineering Education in Iraq and Yemen for the AI and Digital Product Passport Economy, includes the University of Technology. The second project, DigiResilience – Digital Resilience for Higher Education in Crisis Contexts, involves the Universities of Mosul and Samarra, marking the first cross-regional project involving Iraq under this action. The Jean Monnet results for 2026 were particularly significant for Iraq, as Iraqi universities returned to the list of successful projects after having recorded no winning projects since 2020. The selected projects include TRUST-EU, awarded to Al-Turath University, focusing on European Union law, artificial intelligence, and disinformation, as well as EU-One Health, awarded to Al-Mustaqbal University, which focuses on European Union health policies. Winning the EU-One Health project represents an important addition to Al-Mustaqbal University’s academic achievements. The project provides an opportunity to expand knowledge and international cooperation in the field of health policy while strengthening the university’s engagement with international initiatives in education and research. These achievements are in line with the efforts of the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research to expand the international engagement of Iraqi universities, strengthen cooperation with global academic institutions, and increase participation in international projects that contribute to the development of education and research while enhancing academic competitiveness. The participation of Iraqi universities in Erasmus+ 2026 demonstrates a shift from conventional international cooperation towards active involvement in specialised, regional, and cross-regional projects. At the same time, the participation of Al-Mustaqbal University in the Jean Monnet programme represents a significant milestone in its ongoing efforts to strengthen its position within the international academic community. AL_mustaqbal University is the first university in Iraq