Members:
Prof Madya Dr Zaimuariffudin Shukri Nordin (Project Leader)
Prof GS Dr Tarmiji Masron (Member)
En Abang Izhar Abang Ahmad (Member)
Dr Adibah Yusuf (Member)
Dr Norita Jubit (Member)
Duration:
36 months (1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025)
Universities and countries:
1. UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA (MALAYSIA)
2. UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK (MALAYSIA)
3. ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF PHNOM PENH (CAMBODIA)
4. SVAY RIENG UNIVERSITY (CAMBODIA)
5. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LAOS (LAOS)
6. SAVANNAKHET UNIVERSITY (LAOS)
7. UNIVERSIDAD DE ALMERIA (SPAIN)
8. INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DE COIMBRA (PORTUGAL)
9. INTERNATIONAL CONSULTING AND MOBILITY AGENCY SOCIEDAD DE RESPONSABILIDAD LIMITADA (SPAIN)
CIRCULAR is a collaborative initiative that brings together six Universities from Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos (two HEIs per SEA country), two Universities from Spain and Portugal (one per EU country) and one training and research centre from Spain.
The Consortium was built on common shared needs and gaps in SEA Universities, as well as on the scientific and technical expertise and experience directly linked to the scope and objectives of CIRCULAR at the Consortium level.
The Universities involved are Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Svay Rieng University (SRU), National University of Laos (NUOL), Savannakhet University (SKU), University of Almeria (UAL), Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (IPC) and INCOMA.
Sustainable development is the decisive global challenge of the current decade. Indeed, with less than 10 years to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, the United Nations has named this the “Decade of Action” for accelerating sustainable solutions.
Even though sustainable development is built on several interlinked dimensions, as we expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change is arguably one of the most pressing issues, since, without fresh air, clean water, healthy soil, healthy and affordable food, and secure energy neither the current nor future generations will be able to survive.
Southeast Asia (SEA) is home to over 8.5% of the world’s population and projections show that, by 2030, about 70% of its population will live in urban areas. The accelerated growth of the urban population combined with industrialisation, changes in consumption habits and strong economic growth (which is expected to pick up as we recover from COVID-19) are contributing to depleting Southeast Asia’s natural capital at an alarming rate.
Despite the differences among Consortium countries, the same report reveals that open dumps and sanitary landfills were among the predominant forms of waste management. Recycling rates were below 50% in Cambodia and Laos, whereas Malaysia achieved a recycling rate between 50% and 60% for metal, paper and plastic. Therefore, this scenario puts waste management sectors at the core of local climate actions and calls for changes in the process of waste management from a linear system to a circular system.
Where the value in a linear economy is created by producing and selling as many products as possible, the goal of a circular economy is to achieve eco-effectiveness. Hence, not only does it seek to reduce, reuse and recycle in order to decrease environmental impact, but it also does it in a way that produces a positive ecological, economic and social impact. One important milestone was the adoption of the Framework for Circular Economy for the ASEAN Economic Community in October 2021, which aims at achieving a resilient economy, resource efficiency, and sustainable and inclusive growth.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have an important role in this process: they generate and transfer knowledge and educate and empower the next generation of professionals and citizens. Therefore, if we are going to make the “Decade of Action” count, HEIs need to be at the centre of this transformation by boosting their so-called Third Mission (help solve societal challenges and promote socioeconomic development) and by leading Quadruple Helix (Academia, Industry, Government and Local Communities) or Knowledge Square (Teaching, Research, Innovation and Society) cooperation.
CIRCULAR (Circular Economy Living Laboratories supporting Social Innovation in Southeast Asia) will help boost the social innovation ecosystem in Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos by bringing together and reinforcing the links between Teaching, Research, Innovation and Society 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, supported by a socially engaged student body that is committed to environmental sustainability.
In this context, CIRCULAR will pursue the following specific objectives:
Design a new collaborative model tailored to the specific needs of local communities in Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos 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.
It will focus on the collaborative design of an easily transferrable and adaptable framework for reinforcing the links between the Knowledge Square (Teaching, Research, Innovation and Society), boosting social innovation in circular economy, enhancing community-based participatory research and citizen science, and for promoting a new pedagogical framework for embedding practical projects, experiential learning activities and community engagement actions as part of existing study programmes, notably through the implementation of the CIRCULAR Living Labs.
Indicators: Number of stakeholders participating in consultations in Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos; number of stakeholders involved in the design of the CIRCULAR Model; perception of stakeholders on the relevance of CIRCULAR and the proposed approach.
The activity that has been carried out in 2023 is to hold monthly meetings online to discuss the progress of the project and complete the work that has been given. Physical meetings and workshops were held in Coimbra Portugal on 9 – 12 May 2023 at the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra Portugal.