What does it take to revolutionize undergraduate education for a greener and more sustainable future? The RE-GRAD project is tackling this challenge head-on.
From December 3-6, delegations from Moldova, Armenia, France, Romania, and Italy gathered in Benevento, Italy, hosted by UNISANNIO. This marked the final phase of an ambitious -first phase- capacity-building journey, empowering Moldovan and Armenian universities to integrate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), digital innovation, and green policies into their academic frameworks.
Both countries are actively shaping their education systems to equip students with the skills needed for a more sustainable and digital future. With a focus on growth and innovation, they’re taking important steps to prepare the next generation for the challenges and opportunities ahead.
From training to transformation
RE-GRAD is all about turning policy into action, connecting European universities with institutions in Armenia and Moldova to share best practices and foster innovation. The project started by bringing together universities from Italy, France, and Romania, who worked on compiling their experiences in integrating the Green Deal and SDGs into higher education. To ensure the quality and relevance of this exchange, CESIE played a key role in structuring and coordinating the collection of knowledge, making sure that European insights could be effectively transferred to the non-EU partners. This initial phase also highlighted two essential aspects for modern education: interdisciplinary approaches and innovative teaching methods—elements that are crucial for embedding sustainability into academic programs.
Secondly, RE-GRAD organized two intensive training sessions. The first, held in Strasbourg in July 2024, focused on incorporating sustainability into curricula and institutional policies. Later, in Benevento in December 2024, the spotlight was on digital-driven education strategies and how they can support sustainable learning environments. Both sessions provided participants with valuable tools and methodologies to take back to their home institutions. Throughout the process, CESIE enriched the discussions with insights from its extensive experience as an NGO, offering a perspective on how universities can bridge academia with real-world applications in sustainability and digital innovation.
Next steps: turning vision into reality
Armenian and Moldovan universities are now gearing up for major reforms:
- Armenia will redesign sectorial qualification frameworks for key undergraduate programs.
- Moldova will develop a national concept of education for sustainable development.
With these foundations in place, universities will restructure curricula, adopt innovative teaching methods, and pilot these changes with students, ensuring that the next generation is prepared to tackle global sustainability challenges.
Education is the key to a greener future. With projects like RE-GRAD, we’re not just talking about change—we’re making it happen. For further information contact Marika D’Angelo: marikadangelo@cesie.org.
About the project
RE-GRAD – Reforming Undergraduate Education for GReen and Sustainable Development in Armenia and MolDova è un progetto finanziato dal programma ERASMUS-EDU-2023-CBHE-STRAND-3.
Partners
- Technical University of Moldova (Moldova, coordinator)
- The Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova (MER) (Moldova)
- Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu State University of Cahul (Moldova);
- Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia (Armenia)
- Yerevan State University (Armenia)
- National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia (Armenia)
- CCI France Moldavie (Moldova)
- Armenian Center for Education Policy and Management (Armenia)
- University of Sannio (Italy)
- University of Strasbourg (France)
- Transylvania University of Brasov (Romania)
- CESIE ETS (Italy)
For further information
Read more about the projec, visit https://regrad.utm.md/ and follow us on Facebook and Linkedin.
Contact Marika D’Angelo: marika.dangelo@cesie.org.
