Green Digital Transformation of the Undergraduate Educational Program in Ecology and Environmental Protection in Uzbekistan (UzEcoDigiT)
Abstract:
UzEcoDigiT is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project that supports the green and digital transformation of undergraduate education in ecology and environmental protection in Uzbekistan. In response to pressing environmental challenges in the country, including water management, aridity, biodiversity loss and climate change, the project develops competence-based curricula, innovative teaching methods and modern laboratory infrastructure, drawing on European good practice in higher education. Aim of the project UzEcoDigiT aims to strengthen the capacity of Uzbek higher education institutions to train specialists in ecology and environmental protection who combine environmental expertise with digital skills, in alignment with the Paris Agreement, the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Project objectives:
- Analyse the current state of environmental education in the EU and Uzbekistan and identify the needs of staff, students and stakeholders
- Develop competence-based undergraduate study programmes and courses in ecology and environmental protection that are compatible with European standards
- Train teaching staff in innovative and digitally supported teaching methods
- Establish modern laboratory and training infrastructure to support practical learning
- Ensure high quality standards through a structured quality assurance and monitoring framework
- Disseminate results widely and secure their long-term sustainability and uptake in national education policy
Key results and outputs:
- ECTS-accredited undergraduate programmes in ecology and environmental protection at 3 higher education institutions and modernised programmes at 5 further institutions
- 12 new courses and 4 revised courses, including a course on environmental hygiene
- 8 innovative laboratory rooms and 2 regional green training centres
- An online collaboration platform and project website
- An Environmental Engineering Society supporting long-term professional cooperation
- A national video competition on environmental protection to raise public awareness
Project partners:
The project is coordinated by Jizzakh Polytechnic Institute (Uzbekistan). The consortium brings together:
- Dresden University of Technology (TU Dresden), Germany
- International Hellenic University, Greece
- University of Teramo, Italy
- Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Portugal
- Tashkent University of Information Technologies
- National Research University TIIAME
- Andijan State Technical Institute
- Fergana State Technical University
- Nukus State Technical University
- Kimyo International University in Tashkent
- Green University
- Oqtavia-CAC LLC
- Ministry of Higher Education
- Science and Innovation of the Republic of Uzbekistan
- Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Duration:
November 2026 to October 2029 (36 months)
Project Management:
At TU Dresden, the project is handled by the Research Group Sustainability and Biodiversity Management (Prof. Dr. Remmer Sassen). TU Dresden handles the work package on quality control and monitoring.
Scientific processing:
Dr. My Hanh Doan & Sravan Rajnayan
