On 13 October 2025 in Dushanbe, at the Tajik State University of Commerce (TSUC), a pilot monitoring meeting of the Erasmus+ CirculEC project - «Development of innovative curricula and modules in Circular Economy and Sustainable Development», funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) programme, was held. The event took place in a hybrid format; the delegation of D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University (EKTU) participated in the plenary and thematic sessions, presenting its experience of embedding circular practices into engineering education.
The meeting formed part of a monitoring «round trip» across universities in four Central Asian countries that began on 6 October in Kazakhstan and concludes on 13 November in Turkmenistan. The TSUC venue brought together more than 50 faculty members and experts from universities in Central Asia and Europe to review progress in integrating circular economy principles into academic programmes and to discuss methodologies, indicators, and approaches to assessing learning outcomes. In addition, about 450 TSUC students took part in activities showcasing project results and announcing an upcoming hackathon focused on practical solutions for the green transition.
The goal of the meeting was to present and evaluate the incorporation of circular economy principles into modules and courses at the bachelor's, master's, and lifelong learning (LLL) levels, as well as to discuss the contribution of regional universities to building sustainability competencies. Through academic cooperation, participants aim to advance programmes that equip future professionals with the skills to address priority tasks of the green economy and sustainable growth in Central Asia; EKTU reaffirmed its commitment to sharing best practices and aligning approaches to updating curricula.
The agenda included presentations of TSUC's current and new modules integrating circular economy and sustainable development principles; discussions on mechanisms to deepen cooperation between universities in Central Asia and Europe; and demonstrations of campus initiatives for the green transition. These strands strengthen inter-university partnerships, expand the practice-oriented component of learning, and create additional opportunities for student engagement, including the forthcoming CirculEC hackathon.
EKTU serves as a methodological and content partner within the consortium: it systematically embeds interdisciplinary circular-economy competencies into engineering and management tracks, develops quality-assurance mechanisms (learning outcomes, KPIs, monitoring, feedback), and advances project-based learning together with industry partners. Following the meeting, EKTU outlined priorities for the joint development and piloting of modules with universities in the region, expansion of academic mobility for faculty and students, mentorship at the hackathon, and the organisation of industry internships - steps that enhance graduates' competitiveness and scale up CirculEC solutions across Central Asia's educational ecosystem.
