About the project

Central Asia (CA) faces severe water and energy challenges exacerbated by population growth, economic expansion, and climate change, threatening progress towards SDG 6 and SDG 7. Unequal water distribution, outdated infrastructure, and high energy demands for water services contribute to these issues, with the water sector consuming up to 40% of utility costs and causing 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Water stress in the region is five times the global average. To address these issues, a shift toward green and circular economy principles is necessary, and HEIs play a critical role in equipping future leaders to drive sustainable change.

GreenCA aims to foster sustainable water management in CA by modernizing higher education, strengthening collaboration, and integrating green and circular economy principles. The project’s objective is to modernize curricula, promote EU-certified programs, and encourage the adoption of European best practices for long-term sustainability. By collaborating with universities and organizations in CA (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan) and Europe (Norway, Poland, Serbia), GreenCA seeks to build capacity in sustainable water and energy management and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The EU’s CA strategy prioritizes environmental sustainability, highlighting the joint management of shared water resources. The Bologna Process supports academic mobility and cross-border cooperation, which is vital for advancing water management education. GreenCA addresses gaps in water education, aligning practices with European standards to improve qualifications, mobility, and knowledge exchange. This Erasmus+ project ensures sustainable and impactful outcomes

• Objectives

  The objective of the GreenCA project is to modernize higher education in Central Asia by developing EU-certified

  curricula, enhancing collaboration between academia and stakeholders, and promoting the adoption of European best practices to enable long-term sustainability in water management.

  The specific objectives (SO) of GreenCA are:

  SO1: Develop and implement three EU-certified modules on green and circular economy at six CA universities by 2028, training 200 students and 50 staff in total.

  SO2: Upgrade curricula with three 5-ECTS modules, integrating five active learning methods, achieving 60% adoption in programs by 2028.

  SO3: Establish six digital labs and conduct nine sandpit workshops, training 200 students in entrepreneurship and piloting ten innovation projects by 2028.

  SO4: Certify three modules under ASIIN standards and harmonize Bologna-compliant systems, training 40 staff through two workshops by 2028. SO5: Enhance graduate employability by reducing waiting for first employment time by 20% by 2028 through fostering the academia-industry-public triangle (Triple Helix model), strengthening collaboration, establishing feedback mechanisms including employer feedback, and engaging 20 key stakeholders.

Project participants

• University of Niš, Serbia
• University of Warma and Mazury, Poland
• M.AUEZOV ​South Kazakhstan University, Kazakhstan
• Ahmet Yassawi International Kazakh-Turkish University, Kazakhstan
• Mining-metallurgical institute of Tajikistan, Tajikistan
• Tajik Technical University named after academician M.S. Osimi, Tajikistan
• Kyrgyz National University n.a. J.Balasagyn, Kyrgyzstan
• Razzakov Kyrgyz State Technical University, Kyrgyzstan
• Excellent Educational Centre, Kazakhstan

Project participants at NMBU

News from the project