Development of innovative curricula and modules in Circular Economy and Sustainable Development - CirculEC.

The CirculEC international project, supported the Erasmus+ program by the European Union, aims to integrate circular economy and sustainable development principles into the curricula of universities in Europe and Central Asia. The initiative brings together 15 academic partners from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Spain, Italy and Germany and focuses on modernizing higher education in line with contemporary global priorities.

Turkmenistan is represented in the consortium by the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management and the Turkmen State Institute of Finance. Unlike the traditional approach, which treats sustainable development as an optional topic, CirculEC integrates these principles into the core curriculum, developing the practical competencies of students in the areas of resource efficiency, environmental management and innovative business models.

The project is coordinated by the East Kazakhstan Technical University named after D. Serikbayev. European partners include the University of Santiago de Compostela, the University of Naples Federico II and the FHM University of Applied Sciences. This collaboration enables the adaptation of Central Asian educational programs to international standards, taking into account regional specificities and labor market needs.

The project, which runs from 2023 to 2026, includes the development of new educational modules, faculty development and the introduction of pilot courses in undergraduate and graduate programs. In 2025, monitoring events and online meetings were held at partner universities to assess the progress of project and exchange practical experience.

CirculEC aims to train specialists capable of implementing sustainable management and production solutions, developing eco-entrepreneurship and participating in the transformation of economic sectors. The project demonstrates that the transition to a circular development model begins with updating educational approaches and equipping students with the applied skills in demand in the modern economy.