The B-learning Uzbekistan Veterinary Network / BUzNet project will be implemented by a consortium of 4 European HEIs and 4 Uzbek HEIs. The general objective of the project is to increase the life standards of common Uzbek people through better veterinary and zootechnical teaching, which will ultimately result in better technical support for local herds’ owners and safer animal products reaching the general society. And this will be accomplished taking into account the local ecological limitations and using advance teaching techniques of practical subjects in veterinary/animal sciences. To do this we must first be sure about what we are dealing with, and so, a series of inquiries and local visits of European experts will be done in order to have a clear idea of the exact Uzbek situation in veterinary farm animal clinic and surgery and milk quality control. Then, a group of Uzbek teachers will be trained in European HEIs in new ways of teaching practical subjects and using B learning strategies to help doing so. Meanwhile, an updating of the present Uzbek curricula and local facilities present in Uzbek HEIs will be done. This way it will be possible to fully implement the new teaching strategies by the third and last year of the project. The core of the project will be the use of a B-learning interface (BLUzVet) that will create a learning community consisting of all members of the project consortium, teachers, students and veterinarians. The information is created by the students during practical classes under teachers supervision, commented by all consortium members and will be used in students’ examinations. In the future this system will be extended to members from other countries and regions. The network formed within this project agglutinates Veterinary HEIs from different backgrounds and will improve the setting of new veterinary, animal production management and milk quality control teaching standards in Uzbekistan and beyond.

The project aims to support Uzbekistan in development and implementation of study curricula, which serves needs of public and private sector stakeholders of bioeconomy sectors for professionals, who are able to link the potential of natural resources, objectives of bioeconomy related sectors of national economy, and socio-economic interests of the society, and are able to plan, build and maintain bioeconomy policy and bioeconomy innovation ecosystem, in which sustainable use of natural resources is in the focus.Overall aim: To contribute to the development of sustainable and inclusive socio-economic growth in Uzbekistan. Work packages:WP1. Detailed needs analysisWP2. Elaboration of the master study programme in the bioeconomy WP3. Increase of CA universities teaching and technical capacity WP4. Implementation of the master study programme WP5. MSP and the project quality assurance and measurement tools WP6. Publicity, dissemination and exploitation WP7. Management and coordinationMain outcomes and outputs:WP1: D1.1. Report – in depths study.WP2: D2.1. New bioeconomy related master curricula (120 ECTS) elaborated and licensed; D2.2. Set of new bioeconomy related master curricula documentation and materials.WP3: D3.1. 6 study visits held, 18 UZ HEIs teachers and 3 MARU representatives participated (in teach visit); D3.2. Teaching capacities improved – 3 video conference classes developed, scientific data base licences acquired for 3 UZ HEI.WP4, D4.1. Pilot studies provided, at least 24 students participated; D4.2. 3 open master classes provided.WP5, D5.1. MSP quality assurance methodology (QAM); D5.2. External expert assessment of the project progress, quality, results applicability; D 5.3. The results sustainability plan.WP6. D6.1. The website; D6.2. 12 TV and radio broadcasts; D6.3. 36 publications; D6.4. 2 bioeconomy forums, at least 100 participants (in total).

The project aims to modernise HE content for promotion of development of such national agro-food production systems, where farm-enterprises will apply internationally recognised good agricultural practices and sustainable agro-business management principles and approaches, thus increasing agro-food production industry effectiveness and competitiveness. Overall aim: To modernise agro-industry related higher education thus promoting implementation and effective management of sustainable agro-food production systems in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.Work packages:WP1 Detailed needs analysis and inventory of relevant curricula in 4 involved CA HEIs WP3 Increase of CA HEIs teaching and technical capacity WP4 Development of studies and the project quality assurance and measurement tools WP5 Implementation of the modernised study courses WP6 Publicity, dissemination and exploitation WP7 Management and coordination Main outcomes and outputs:WP1. The joint report – overview on conclusions and recommendations. 2 national workshops with participation of academic-business-public stakeholders organised, 60 participants participated.WP2. 6 study programmes modernised. WP3. 5 study visits held, at least 24 CA universities teachers participated, training of teachers provided, at least 48 teachers' professional competencies increased. 70 devices for laboratories, 4 sets of study literature (120 books) acquired. WP4. Modernised study programmes' quality assurance methodology. Sustainability plan. WP5. Pilot studies provided for 6 groups, at least 220 students participated. WP6. 2 national and 1 international event with participation of academic-business-public stakeholders organised, at least 120 participants participated. 12 TV and radio broadcasts, 32 publications, 1 website. Impact: Agro-food industry ensured with professionals having capacities to maintain internationally recognised sustainable agro-food management production systems.