91��ý

On 20 July, the regular online meeting of the partners of the international project “MECAS: Development of Master Curricula in EcoInformatics for the Impact on the Aral Sea Basin” was held, bringing together representatives of higher education institutions and partner organizations from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and European countries.

Representatives of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Sciences of 91��ý Kazakh National University, including members of the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Development, which is a partner in the MECAS project, participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the key issues related to the implementation of the project and the next steps required to achieve its planned objectives.

As part of the agenda, organizational aspects of the upcoming training session at the University of Brescia (UBI) were reviewed, including the confirmation of the training dates, the preparation of the participants' list, and the discussion of the draft training programme.

Particular attention was paid to the procurement of equipment required for the implementation of the project activities. Coordinators from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan presented updates on the procurement procedures and discussed the next steps to ensure the timely acquisition of the necessary equipment.

The participants also reviewed the current progress in the development of the Master's degree programme in EcoInformatics. Coordinators from the partner universities presented the results achieved so far and discussed ways to further improve the programme content in line with current educational and scientific requirements.

Another important topic of discussion was the development of teaching and assessment materials for individual courses. Representatives of the Polytechnic University of Turin (POLITO), together with coordinators from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, discussed approaches to preparing teaching and learning materials as well as assessment tools for evaluating students' learning outcomes.

In addition, the participants received an update on the project dissemination activities presented by Oybek Allamov (UrSU) and discussed issues related to quality assurance under the guidance of the project quality expert, Nicole.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the partners reaffirmed their commitment to continued active cooperation, agreed on the next stages of the project, and identified priority tasks for the upcoming period. Regular working meetings continue to provide an effective platform for coordinating the activities of the consortium partners and ensuring the successful implementation of the MECAS international project.