MACCARD project aims at improving the higher education training offer on urgent issues common to two Latin American neighboring countries, Ecuador and Peru, by implementing an interuniversity Master in Climate Change, Agriculture and rural Sustainable Development in the Universities of Toribio Rodriguez de Mendoza (UNTRM) and the National University of Jaen (UNJ) in Peru, the Regional University of Amazon (IKIAM) and University of Azuay (UAZUAY) in Ecuador, while enhancing the quality of teaching and contributing to strengthen cross border cooperation between Ecuador and Peru HEIs and between them and EU Programme countries.The project involves the University of Sassari (UNISS, IT) as coordinator and Granada University (UGr, ES) as European Programme Country HEI. A new Master on climate change with a focus on Agriculture and Sustainable development , in each local University both in Ecuador and Peru, contributes to build the necessary expertise and develop professionals able to conduct studies and to plan and implement reliable measures to respond to climate change challenges and threatens on crucial sectors. The project will be developed carrying out the following steps: 1) An updated need assessment of the curricula of the involved Latin American Universities related to Climate change, Agriculture and Rural Sustainable Development(CCARSD) 2) Depending on the results of the previous step, a new Master Degree on CCARSD will be defined 3) a new e learning environment will be implemented and new e learning materials will be created by EU HEIs professors and uploaded in the interactive e learning platform 4) 32 local teachers will be involved in an active training where they will learn new teaching methodologies in the field of CCARSD to be further applied in the new Master Degree 5) which will be implemented in each of the local University addressing 60 students. Master' students and teachers will be involved in exchange and mobility activities.

The NB-LAB project addresses the need of the partner universities in Peru and Ecuador for more applied research and research oriented programs, relevant to the current societal and environmental challenges in the region. With this respect, the project will contribute to the modernisation and internationalisation of higher education structures of the partner universities, by setting up capacities for user-driven applied research and innovation that will contribute to sustainable rural community development under preservation and responsible use of the natural resources in the Amazonian Region. For this purpose, the NB-LAB project partners will establish nature-based living labs at the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. Close connection and collaboration with local communities and the indigenous populations will open new avenues for social and economic development in the region.The sustainable operation of the labs will be ensured by their direct integration in both educational and research processes in the partner universities. Community service learning has been selected as most suitable educational approach for the transfer of the research results in the society. It is the most appropriate methodology as it is a powerful experiential tool to improve curricular learning, contribute to solve real societal and environmental problems and develop competencies of engaged citizenship. The NB-Labs will be piloted by the means of an international participatory exchange programme for international students and researchers from multiple disciplines. Two rounds of implementation will test the facilities in the NB-Lab “research village” in Iquitos and the scattered research stations in the rainforest around Tena that will be connected through coordinated research expeditions. By organising staff trainings and exchanges the project will develop the skills and professional performance of the academic to secure the sustainability of the innovation structures.