BRECIL is a project acronym for Building Social Research Capacities in Higher Education Institutions in Lao PDR and Malaysia. The project has a wider objective which is to develop human capital and facilitate individual learning and institutional mechanisms in Social Science research in higher education institutions in Lao PDR and Malaysia through research training and capacity building, including research governance, leading to sustainable high quality research, conditions for cooperation and potential for policy impact. In order to fulfil the general objective, the project has specific objectives with the first aiming at developing and empowering researchers in Social Sciences via training and peer learning to design, prioritize and undertake research, write up and publish research findings and inform policy. This objectitive is spesically designed to feed the knowledge transfer component and targets to be achieved within two years by September 2019.The second objective is to develop good governance of research by enhancing the capacity of research departments and teams in universities, to fund, manage and sustain themselves by September 2020. By that time, the partner country HEIS will be equipped with a research governance component and develop a better research management mechanism in their respective universities.The final objective is to create a sustainable research capacity building programme in Social Sciences including the utilization of ICT technologies leading to sustainable high quality research, conditions for cooperation and potential for policy impact by September 2020. This will bring the sustainability component throughout the project lifecycle. Therefore, it is clear that the wider, specific as well as the aim of the project are connected and rooted in the national documents on one end and on the other end, the realization of the project and project results will provide defined changes and provide platform for changes in specified fields.

The requirement to feed a rapidly increasingly human population whilst maintaining ecosystem services and reducing biodiversity losses has led to an urgent need to design more sustainable agricultural landscapes. This is particularly relevant in SE Asia where oil palm plantations are replacing hyper-diverse tropical rainforest. Current policies for the sustainable cultivation of oil palm (an important source of edible vegetable oil) require the retention of rainforest fragments within plantations. However, the assumption that these forest fragments can continue to support high biodiversity, maintain their viability, and regenerate over time has not previously been tested. Thus one of the primary criteria for sustainability is essentially untested, and forms the basis of this proposal. SE Asian rainforests are unique in being dominated by Dipterocarpaceae trees which reproduce irregularly (at intervals from 1 to many years) but synchronously in mass fruiting events. One of these unpredictable mass fruiting events has recently been initiated on Borneo, and provides a rare opportunity to study dipterocarp reproduction in rainforest fragments. Dipterocarp trees are a vital component of rainforest ecosystems in SE Asia, and hence any changes that affect dipterocarps are likely to have considerable knock-on impacts for rainforest biodiversity. Our recent data show an absence of dipterocarp seedlings in small forest fragments even when mature dipterocarps are present, raising a serious concern of reproductive failure of dipterocarps in fragments. The recently-initiated mass fruiting event provides us with an opportunity to explore potential mechanisms leading to reproductive failure and/or recruitment failure in forest remnants. The main objective of this project is to: (1) examine how forest fragmentation affects dipterocarp reproduction, (2) relate reproductive rates to biotic and abiotic changes arising from forest fragmentation (altered microclimates, habitat quality, predation), and (3) assess whether dipterocarp species are equally sensitive to impacts of forest fragmentation. The proposed work will provide the first investigation of the long-term viability of forest remnants in tropical agricultural landscapes. The project will address fundamental questions about reproduction in dipterocarp trees under altered abiotic and biotic conditions, as well as producing results of considerable practical value for policy makers. It will form the basis for new research in future focussed on understanding the impacts of habitat degradation and fragmentation on biodiversity, and contribute to scientific evidence to inform the debate on developing effective conservation and sustainability strategies.

Despite e-learning being a national higher education agenda, a survey on Malaysian HEIs found that implementation of digital learning tools remains suboptimal. There is a need to develop high quality e-learning content and build capacity in academic and technical staff around digital pedagogies and development of digital resources. This project will involve three EU Programme Countries with an international reputation for digital learning (UK, Norway, Sweden) working with three Malaysian HEIs to produce locally relevant materials to ‘train the trainers’ on how to develop high quality interactive multimedia learning tools called reusable learning objects (RLOs) in the fields of medicine, nursing, biomedical science and other health-related disciplines. The training is structured around the ASPIRE methodology (Aim, Storyboard, Populate, Implement, Release, Evaluate) for the development of RLOs. ASPIRE involves a participatory co-creation process involving end users and other stakeholders in workshops to ensure alignment of the digital content with the individual learning needs of the students. 22 RLOs will be developed during the project and housed in an open access repository which will be sustained after the project to accommodate further RLOs from the growing teams of developers. The RLOs will be integrated into the curricula of the partner institutions and evaluated. By providing the RLOs as trackable open educational resources, the outputs of the project will achieve reach and impact beyond just the institutions involved. The consortium will reach out to the Malaysian HEI e-learning stakeholders through support from the Ministry of Higher Education as well as individual HEI learning and teaching centres.

Pakistan and Malaysia are developing economies of the region. They are densely populated and have large workforce. Their industrial sector mostly relies on conventional manufacturing practices. It requires fundamental reforms and modern education system for stepping them up to switch them to advanced manufacturing technologies. Both countries need targeted trainings, clear directions, and exercises that require corporations. These objectives can be effectively implemented by introducing innovative teaching modules and courses, and by establishing Centres of Excellence for Digital Manufacturing in their Higher Education Institutions. In this project, the main aim is to introduce teaching modules and courses like Industry 4.0, ITP - Industry Training Project for PhD students, TTP - Transformative Technology Project for Bachelors and Masters Students, etc. This will allow students to work on field-based problems besides giving industry to have tech-friendly supervised young blood at low cost. There is a strong necessity to develop the capacity of professionals working in the industry with the old school of thoughts. Under the project, we will design and launch certificate courses focused on modern manufacturing practices and digital transformation. Partners in Pakistan and Malaysia are geographically located in strategic locations. Onboard HEIs are situated in the vicinity of business hubs in different regions. The proposed Centres will help the industry for their transition to switch to digital and eco-friendly manufacturing techniques. We have proposed to get selective faculty and staff trained in Europe. NED University and Multimedia University are comparatively more developed institutions. These institutions will also contribute to the development of other HEIs. The teaching faculty would be developed for adopting advanced topics whereas the laboratory staff would gain hands-on skills in Europe and/or at partner HEIs.

EURASTIP will evaluate and prepare for the launch of an international multi-stakeholder platform (MSP), so as to provide a new mechanism to create and reinforce international cooperation on sustainable aquaculture between Europe and South-East Asia and will focus on actions that will provide mutual benefit to both regions. EURASTIP, headed by the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATiP) will create and support 3 National Pilot multi-stakeholder Platforms (NPPs) in major aquaculture producing countries (Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh) and develop road-map models for others in the region, providing the foundation for an international MSP. It will create, develop and reinforce the networking needed for the promotion of B2B partnerships, using European and SE Asian networks, realising international brokerage events and promoting cooperation. EURASTIP will identify and address common standards for aquaculture site planning, animal health, food product safety and farm governance, supporting sustainable aquaculture development. Focus is given to reinforcing professional skills and competences in industry and research, using European and SE Asian education networks and industrial apprenticeship opportunities. The NPPs will develop vision documents, strategic research and innovation agendas (SRIAs), priorities and proposed actions; these will feed into EURASTIP impact measurement and including influence on national and regional policies. Attention is given to widespread dissemination actions, promoting EURASTIP in SE Asia and in Europe, encouraging a strong legacy position. URASTIP will provide recommendations and a plan for the establishment of an international MSP, covering its scope and operation further to the project timeline, leading to reinforced long-term international cooperation efforts and opportunities.