Mid-term Milestone for the RE.Act Project! Project Partners Conduct Review

The latest project meeting for the DAAD-funded RE.Act project, 'Sustainable Water-Energy Nexus Partnership for Higher Education in Central Asia', took place at the Institute of new Energy Systems in Ingolstadt at the end of November. Representatives from the two partner universities — Naryn State University in Kyrgyzstan and TIIAME National Research University in Uzbekistan — were welcomed.

As the project has now reached its midpoint, the meeting focused on a mid-term evaluation. Participants took the opportunity to review the activities of the past two years and integrate the knowledge gained into planning for the second half of the project: In the coming months, the focus will be placed more strongly on acquiring joint research projects. In addition, the partnership is to be expanded to other universities in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

As part of the project meeting, two excursions were conducted to experience the Water-Energy Nexus first-hand and in a local context: The group visited the energy centre at the INcampus in Ingolstadt to learn about its innovative heating concept and the Agri-PV plant of the Bavarian State Farms in Grub.

The RE.Act project aims to strengthen teaching and research in the Water-Energy Nexus in Central Asia. The Water-Energy Nexus describes the close, reciprocal dependencies between the two sectors: energy production requires water (e.g. for cooling purposes), while water supply requires energy (e.g. for pumping and treatment purposes). 

To promote this subject, staff exchanges have already taken place and a summer school has been organised for students from all three partner universities. Furthermore, various study programmes offered by partner universities in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the field of ‘Renewable Energies’ have been revised to be more practical and to incorporate the latest scientific findings into teaching materials. In addition, 'Meet the Expert' events were organised in collaboration with representatives from the private sector and other research institutions, providing students with insights into the world of work: Dilmurod Yusupov from the Academy of Sciences in Tashkent, for example, presented the potential of renewable energy sources in Uzbekistan, and Bakyt Askarbekov from the UNISON Group in Bishkek presented the potential of renewable energy sources in Kyrgyzstan.

The project meeting was a complete success, and we are very much looking forward to the second half of the RE.Act project with our partners. We are also very excited about the next 'Meet-the-Expert' event, which will take place at THI. Further information will follow!

More about the project can be found here: https://water-energy-nexus.org/