Event

Dates: September 11–12, 2024

Participants: 33 Representatives from Project Partner Institutions

The study visit to KU Leuven, Technology Campus Ghent, focused on integrating energy efficiency and sustainability into engineering education. Key discussions included curriculum reforms, laboratory site visits, and external venues showcasing energy-efficient practices.

Curriculum Reform in Engineering
The visit highlighted the integration of interdisciplinary themes such as energy efficiency and sustainable technologies into engineering curricula. The reforms aim to prepare students to address global challenges like climate change and resource conservation.

Key Insights from Speakers

1. Professors D. Bruneel and J. Cappelle shared strategies to embed energy efficiency into electrical engineering, covering topics like power systems, energy storage, and low-energy communication systems.
2. Assistant Professor Chiara Piccardo presented on energy-efficient building policies and strategies, addressing European and Flanders-specific frameworks like the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and Vlaams Energie- en Klimaatplan (VEKP). Case studies highlighted successful renovations reducing energy consumption.

Workshops and Discussions
Participants explored the feasibility of introducing energy efficiency courses in their institutions, addressing infrastructure, academic resources, and literature availability.

Site Visits and External Engagements
Highlights included a visit to the WASE Wind Farm, a Flemish energy cooperative driving renewable energy adoption through wind power.

This visit underlined the importance of collaboration between academia, research, and industry to advance energy-efficient technologies and equip students to tackle real-world challenges.

European Energy Efficiency towards Mutually Reinforcing Partnership with Georgia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine - The 3E-Partnership Project aims at modernizing and empowering higher education institutions in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Ukraine, enhancing their capacity for energy resilience and cross-regional cooperation. The project is based on two main pillars: Knowledge Generation and Building Mutually Reinforcing Partnerships. The first, ‘Knowledge Generation’ pillar covers the actions and efforts related to co-designing and piloting curricula in energy efficiency, developing modern competencies, and building necessary skills for participants.

Among several goals, the project identifies Goal 1: Development of Common Curriculum in Energy Efficiently, using innovative learning approaches and strategies, working with non-academic sectors, and fully considering ongoing geopolitical challenges.

To achieve this goal, the 3E-Partnership Project envisages Workshops and Curriculum discussion visits as part of Study visits (Belgium, Italy, Spain, 9 days) to share the best practices, teaching strategies, methods and resources in energy efficiency and green partnerships.

As a result of the study visits and knowledge exchange activities, the project is expected to deliver Jointly Designed Curriculum in Energy Efficiency: 2 BA level courses, 1 MA level course, 1 seasonal school curriculum.