INVENT – Integrated waste management modules

Innovative education modules and tools for the environmental sector, particularly in integrated waste management, in different courses of study at institutions of higher education, designed to enhance competence in the environmental area and increase utilisation of renewable energy

Project duration: July 2007 – March 2009

Background

Countries in the Southeast Asian region, like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, are in a state of rapid transition and it can be assumed that the environmental sector, including fields like integrated waste management, the production of energy from renewable sources, integrated product policy, etc. will undergo a rapid increase in importance in the near future. In order to be able to adopt serious measures to ensure environmentally sound production of goods and effective disposal of waste streams without hindering economic growth, experts educated and trained in integrated solutions for waste and energy issues are needed.

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INVENT

The project aims at raising environmental awareness, promoting possible solutions to the waste problem by using integrated waste systems and thus meeting market requirements by the development of education modules and tools on integrated waste management. Furthermore training courses will be held in the Asian partner countries in order to provide knowledge on integrated solutions to environmental problems. The target group are students of higher education programmes and teaching staff as well as undergraduate students, stakeholders, engineers and managers working in the environmental sector. The main activities of the consortium of five Asian and four European partners will be preparing and developing curricula, education modules and tools, case studies, course syllabuses and multimedia materials; preparing workshops and training courses; implementing workshops and training courses for the nominated participants from the participating Asian universities; and integrating all resulting material in the handbook, e-learning and distance learning.

Objectives

Specific objectives:

The specific objective is to create innovative education modules and tools for the environmental sector relating to integrated waste managementin different courses of study at institutions of higher education in the participating universities in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, and to improve education of integrated waste management in the participating European universities. These modules and tools will comprise physically attended courses, as well as e-learning and multimedia teaching made available in the form of a free-of-charge distance learning package globally accessible through the Internet. Furthermore, they will have transferable applications for those countries with similar framework conditions, and their principles will be applicable worldwide. The comprehensively designed courses can be applied efficiently to various disciplines in programmes of higher education in which an environmentally sound basis, particularly in respect to integrated waste management, is required. The modules will enhance the career prospects of the participating graduate students, who will be taught practical, modern knowledge and skills, as well as being provided with innovative tools, which can be utilised in their future professional activities. The main focus of the courses will be on the production of renewable energy from wastes and residues, while appropriate techniques, economic, socio-cultural and gender aspects, as well as ecological issues, will be given due consideration. The integrated approach will allow the participants to develop wide-ranging perspectives, which is more beneficial and efficient than just technical knowledge alone.


Overall objectives:

  • To enhance economic (and human) relations between Asia and the European Union by increasing mutual awareness and understanding, exchanges and economic cooperation in the environmental sector.
  • To encourage the creation of an environmentally sound basis, especially in integrated waste management and renewable energy, for the future development of higher education programmes in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, not least, because increasing economic development and population growth in Asia are major factors that contribute to many environmental, energy supply and health problems.
  • To strengthen the skills and mobility of the participants through an exchange of knowledge and experience between European and Asian countries in matters relating to the environment.
  • To promote EU higher education, particularly in respect to environmentally related courses in particular countries, and to provide Asian students with more information about the EU graduate programme of study. The expected results of this action are an increase in national and international study opportunities for European and Asian students, along with a reduction in the environmental impact of economic development and population growth.
  • To foster co-operation between European Union and Asian countries through joint preparation of course application procedures and course materials on a modular basis, as well as contributing to further integration of international aspects of environmental good practice into higher education and degree courses.

Project partners

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Bremen University of Applied Sciences, Germany – project co-ordinator

www.hs-bremen.de

Dr. rer.nat. Martin Wittmaier
Institut für Energie und Kreislaufwirtschaft an der Hochschule Bremen GmbH
Tel.: +49 (0) 421 5905-2311
Fax: +49 (0) 421 5905-2380
E-mail: wittmaier@hs-bremen.de

Can Tho University, Vietnam

www.ctu.edu.vn

Dr. Do Ngoc Quynh
Tel.: +84 (0) 71 834539
Fax: +84 (0) 71 831115
E-mail: dnquynh@hcm.vnn.vn

Hanoi University of Science, Vietnam

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Diem Trang
Tel.: +84 (0) 4 5581226
Fax: +84 (0) 4 8583061
E-mail: ntdtrang@hotmail.com

Handelshochschule Leipzig, Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Germany

www.hhl.de

Prof. Dr. Hans Wiesmeth
Tel.: +49 (0) 341 9851640
Fax: +49 (0) 341 4773243
E-mail: wiesmeth@hhl.de

King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand

www.kmutt.ac.th

Associate Prof. Dr. Suvit Tia
Pilot Plant Development and Training Institute (PDTI)
Tel.: +66 (0) 2470 9712
Fax: +66 (0) 2452 3455
E-mail: suvit@pdti.kmutt.ac.th

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University of Wales, Cardiff, UK

www.cf.ac.uk

Dr. CF Wooldridge
School of Earth, Ocean and Planetary
Tel.: +44 (0) 2920 875 563
Fax: +44 (0) 2920 874 830
E-mail: wooldridge@cardiff.ac.uk

National University of Laos, Laos

www.nuol.edu.la

Prof. Souphab Khouangvichit
Tel.: +856 (0) 2172 0152
Fax: +856 (0) 2177 0381
E-mail: souphabk@yahoo.com

Royal University of Agriculture, Cambodia

www.rua.edu.kh

Visalsok Touch, Ph.D.
Dean, Graduate School Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Tel.: +855 (0) 2321 9600
Fax: +855 (0) 2321 9690
E-mail: visalsoktouch@yahoo.com

Technical University Dresden, Germany

www.tu-dresden.de

Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. B. Bilitewski
Institute for Waste Management and Contaminated site treatment
Tel.: +49 (0) 3501- 530030
Fax: +49 (0) 3501- 350022
E-mail: abfall@rcs.urz.tu-dresden.de

Prof. Dr. rer.nat. Peter Werner
Institute for Waste Management and Contaminated site treatment
Tel.: +49 (0) 3501-530020
Fax: +49 (0) 3501 -530022
E-mail: pwerner@rcs.urz.tu-dresden.de

Target groups

Direct target group:

  • The direct target group comprises students of higher education programmes conducted by the participating institutions. The project aims at supporting environmental knowledge, especially in integrated waste management, of students from various fields of study, such as engineering, natural sciences, economics, architecture, agriculture, as well as social science and management courses. The estimated number of students belonging to target groups in higher education programmes at the participating institutions is approximately 1800. Furthermore teaching staff engaged in higher education programmes at the participating institutions will directly benefit from these innovative learning strategies.

Indirect target group:

  • A much wider group will be reached, such as undergraduate students studying other courses at the participating universities but nevertheless interested in the project or other interested parties, such as stakeholders, engineers, managers, students and teaching staff worldwide, who will utilize the project website, distance- and e-learning contents or the handbook for their education, research, projects and career.

Results & Downloads

Handbook – Curricula and modules

University reports

Publications

Project brochure

Articles

Press release

TV reports

Vietnam

Laos

Funding

The Project was co-funded by the European Commission under the Asia-Link Programme.

The Asia-Link Programme is an initiative by the European Commission to promote regional and multilateral networking between higher education institutions in Europe and developing countries in Asia. The programme aims to promote the creation of new partnerships and new sustainable links between European and Asian higher education institutions, and to reinforce existing partnerships.

Since 2002, the Programme has funded 155 partnerships that together involve over 700 higher education institutions from Asia and Europe.

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