For successful implementation of its objectives, ARERI will work in cooperation with national, regional and international partners. National universities will participate on short-term training and course delivery. Jimma University will contribute on electromechanical and Bahirdar University will participate on the railway civil and mechanical works, as Semera and Diredawa Universities have prospect in starting undergraduate programs in the railway engineering field, ARERI will support in capacitating their staff and in the design and development of new programs. Each national partner university will also select and send their faculties to participate in the advanced study (M.Sc. and PhD) or short term trainings.

The regional partner Universities generally will participate on Short-term trainings, course delivery and research works. In particular, Dar es Salam University will contribute on railway civil engineering; the Kenya Railway Training Institute will assist the hosting institute in design and delivery of short term trainings; and Djibouti University and Makerere University will contribute on electromechanical aspects of railway engineering.

International partners, on the other hand, will engage on course delivery and research works. Hence, Korean Railroad Research Institute and South West Jiao Tong University will be key supporters on electro-mechanical parts of the railway engineering field; Norwegian University of Science & Technology on railway civil engineering; and University of Birmingham on railway system management. In addition to this, the Korean Railroad Research Institute, Korean Railway Society Research Center and the Korean Society of Railway and will be used as a benchmark for the ARERI activities in becoming frontier technology supplier in a short period of time, managing railway research and handling alumni issues. These institutes will also host PhD students for research activities.

Ethiopian Railways Corporation, as one of the major partners from the private sectors, will help the center to engage on real scenario research and students will have easy access for industrial internship where they will find out bottlenecks. Private sectors in the region working on the railway transportation system are also potential candidates for professional internship of the institute’s students.