The overall objective of the FOODI project is to enhance the institutional capacity of 10 HEI in Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand by developing a new innovative MS Programme in Food Processing & Innovation. The purpose of the MSc Programme in Food Processing & Innovation is to educate aspiring food entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals, government officials, and food industry professionals in the end-to-end value chain of food processing: from understanding the elements of food, to starting a new venture for disrupting and enriching the food processing industry in Asia. The overarching goal is to enable Programme participants to apply, develop and communicate knowledge in the cross-field between food, health and innovation. To do so, they will be educated in innovation, entrepreneurship, food science/engineering, and elements of social science. Also, beyond coursework, the program will be structured around: a) industry placement, in relevant businesses, government agencies, etc.; b) digital learning, to allow modern forms of learning, as well as to enable contribution from experts across the globe in the development of the program; c) promote cooperation, exchange of know-how and good practices in the subject area between EU and PC HEIs;d) establish viable synergies and links with the regional food industry in order to address their needs in specialized personnel, and enhance the employability of FOODI graduates;e) contribute to local economic growth, by providing to program participants the right knowledge/skills/tools to turn the local food processing sector into a driver of social and economic growth;

CIRCULAR seeks to boost the social innovation ecosystem in Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos by bringing together and reinforcing the links between Teaching, Research, Innovation and Society in order to collaboratively design and test innovative solutions to mitigate waste management problems, promote circular economy approaches and improve the quality of life of local communities.It will pursue the following specific objectives:- Design a new collaborative model for reinforcing HEIs’ third mission and for enhancing effective and successful Knowledge Square cooperation for social innovation with a specific focus on the topic of circular economy. - Enhance community-based participatory research and citizen science at the same time promoting a new pedagogical framework for embedding community engagement actions as part of Higher Education study programmes. - Set-up Living Labs as open innovation ecosystems that integrate education, research, development and innovation, and regional development to help trigger the adoption of green and more sustainable practices and a more efficient use of resources.- Build the capacities of academics to design, organise and implement collaborative social innovation programmes that promote students’ active citizenship and simultaneously contribute to solve everyday sustainability and climate-change problems.- Build the capacities of researchers on new methodologies and updated strategies to conduct community-based research activities on the topic of circular economy and waste management.- Empower students and young people to become socially-engaged, climate-conscious and active citizens and raise the awareness of students, young people and members of local communities on the topic of circular economy and sustainable development, and promote alternative consumption habits and waste management practices underpinned by knowledge, research and innovation generated by Higher Education Institutions.

The irruption of Human Resource Management (HRM) as a strategic element for quality development of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is relatively recent. Few decades back and until our days, HR approaches just focused on staff recruitment, employment contracts and payment of salaries. This scenario is deeply changing with the international growth and increasing complexity of Higher Education. HRM aspects such as staff motivation, continuous development, evaluation, and strategic planning are gathering momentum under HEIs’ strategic plans worldwide.The evolution of HRM is, however, slow and certainly challenging in developing countries. In Southeast Asia, HEIs are facing significant difficulties derived from disparities in their countries’ political and social structures as well as the backgrounds of their Higher Education systems. Well-structured HRM strategies could very much contribute to HE development and HEIs’ autonomy, thus supporting the processes of reform towards regional growth. Against this background, HR4Asia aims at contributing to Higher Education organisational reform in Southeast Asia by improving HRM at the target HEIs from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Vietnam and Thailand.This global objective will be pursued by means of three specific objectives, namely: • Building capacity in HRM at Southeast Asian HEIs to enhance organizational performance;• Improving HRM Strategic plans for more staffing autonomy; • Setting up of the ASEAN University HR Network as a regional forum for the exchange of knowledge and best practices.With these, HR4Asia will introduce in Southeast Asian HEIs a scheme to developing and implementing innovative HRM approaches, paying attention to transversal and additional skills, such as communication and self-learning, as well. Tailor-made dissemination activities addressing non-partner HEIs, Ministries of Higher Education and other stakeholders will promote the project objectives, paving the way for its sustainability .

The FRIENDS project supports PC HEIs’ internationalisation capabilities and campus diversity. The project’s chief goal is to develop PC HEIs students’ global competence through the integration of intercultural dimensions into universities’ formal and informal curriculum. The project is built around the concept of internationalisation at home (IaH) that shifts HEIs’ focus of attention from outbound to virtual mobility and on-campus intercultural engagement for the benefits of non-mobile students’ employability and global outlook.The consortium combines the expertise of 4 Eastern European PrC HEIs in BG, HU, PL and TR, as well 12 PC HEIs from Asia, namely 2 in BT, 2 in KH, 2 in MY, 3 in PH and 3 in TH. The following key results will be achieved through FRIENDS:1. Institutional IaH Action Plans adopted to streamline PC HEIs’ initiatives for IaH and to improve PC HEIs IROs staff and faculty’s capacities for internationalisation.2. Intercultural Passport virtual module designed and embedded into PC HEIs' elective curriculum to build students intercultural knowledge and sensitivity to cultural diversity. The Intercultural Passport is an innovative tool that combines virtual mobility and methodologies for validation of prior experiential learning evidenced through the means of digital storytelling. At least 180 PC HEIs students will be awarded an Intercultural Passport at FRIENDS initial phase.3. FRIENDS Teahouse social spaces established at 12 PC HEIs to function as student-friendly multicultural hubs that welcome diversity, and support the welfare of students with diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition, FRIENDS Teahouses will contribute to the improvement of overall university experience of PC HEIs’ students across campus.4. Home away from Home Programme induced as a model for integrated international student care and services. In the long run, the programme will contribute to the gradual increase of international and inbound students at the PC HEIs.

In the last twenty-thirty years, quality assurance (QA) has emerged as an essential factor for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to facilitate comparability and readability of academic achievements and degrees, enhanced cooperation and mobility. In Europe, QA is embedded in the Bologna Process, which is seen as a good practice to follow in many regions willing to improve performance in this domain.Indeed, as a crucial element to an internationally competitive HE, QA is of most importance for countries immersed in HE reform and wishing to adapt and conform to global/regional trends. This would be the case of Cambodia, which thanks to enormous efforts has turned in the last two decades from one of the world’s poorest countries to a lower middle-income country today. Cambodia has formulated an ambitious policy for HE reform, the HE Vision 2030, and QA is an integral part of the same. Main strategies of the Policy include ensuring that HEIs develop QA systems/specific units to meet national accreditation standards and allow full participation in the global system of quality-assured HE. Action lines to implement the abovementioned objective imply establishing internal QA mechanisms, fostering capacities & skills, as well as infrastructures, and conducting regular internal self-assessment of the management and programmes, amongst others.Within this framework, SICA proposes a sound scheme of activities and actions to contribute to Cambodian Higher Education Vision 2030 through the improvement of internal Quality Assurance in Cambodian HEIs. Capacity building for professional development; exchange of good practices EU-Cambodia; set-up of internal QA units; and embedding quality assurance processes are some of the priority lines of the project.