Across TH, ID and LK there is an urgent demand and lack of supply in the ICT industry for Data Scientists and other relevant experts, which preclude their respective economies from competing in the region and progressing to the digital era. These trends all indicate that the development of appropriate educational programs to build skills in data science (DS) & AI that bring European experts together with Asian experts will contribute to regional success in the race to transform national economies from commodity-based to knowledge-based economies. This proposal focuses on MSc’s level training, providing advanced courses and guidance in developing research skills necessary to develop innovative new data-driven technologies. To widen the reach of our efforts and develop appropriate synergies with the business sector, besides full-time MSc’s courses, we will develop professional education courses that could immediately increase a company’s capability for data science and AI R&D while also providing trainees with early credit towards the full MSc degree program. The project will result in:- 16 new MSc courses in DS&AI- 3 new professional training courses in DS&AI and - Accreditation of the MSc degree in 3 countries- 8 new Data Science Laboratories in LK, ID & TH- The DS&AI VLE for academic training and the support of the MSc programmes- 96 HEI students taking the degree and participating in internships- 54 academic professional and staff being trained in the PCs- The upskilling/reskilling of 96 ICT companies’ personnel and professionals - Development of synergies with the regional ICT industry so as to address their needs and improve the employability of graduates

The major project objectives are to improve the Agricultural Education in Thailand as an efficient channel for agricultural production that contributes to the food security and high quality food for global consumption. This will be achieved. This will be achieved through cooperation on Double Degree Master Program (DDMP) between the 4 leading HEIs in in agriculture in Thailand that emphasizes the participative approach for sustainable agriculture, with the cooperation of 4 HEI in Europe. The implementation and consequences of the project will greatly contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by developing capacities in the Thai HEI in agriculture to address “Sufficiency economy”, the new concept developed by the King Bhumibol Adulyadej that proved effective by Thai Ministry of Agriculture to integrate agricultural production and social and environmental sustainability. With the well design programme in cooperation with private companies/farmers, the graduates are equipped to be in agriculture and natural resources management capable to support agricultural production/intensification/food security together with environmental sustainability and social equity. Through the integrative activities of the project, the realization of significant contribution of Sufficiency Economy for agricultural sustainability, conserving biodiversity and environment will be developed. This initiative DDMP between 4 Thai leading agricultural universities is the first cooperation for the benefit of agricultural students which will be a model for other disciplines in the future. Through this project, in the near term, agriculture will be seen as an attractive occupation and an employment option for rural youth through the promotion of problem solving research, skill training and entrepreneurship building. Thai participating universities can then offer assistance to ASEAN countries and other developing countries.

Overuse of caesarean section (C-section) has adverse consequences on maternal and child health. It also deviates essential resources worldwide and hinders universal access to healthcare services. We aim to develop and evaluate a strategy to implement non-clinical interventions to reduce unnecessary C-sections in Argentina, Burkina Faso, Thailand and Vietnam. This strategy combines four active ingredients: opinion leaders to implement evidence-based clinical guidelines, caesarean audits and feedback to help providers identify potentially avoidable C-sections, a decision-analysis tool to empower women for better decision-making on mode of delivery, and the implementation of WHO recommendations on companionship during labour to support women during vaginal birth. The project promotes the engagement of stakeholders at all levels (policy-makers, health providers and end-users i.e. women) from the very start of the project to implement intervention components, which take into account the local context and to ensure a maximisation of the expected impacts. To improve the quality of implementation and use of evidence, knowledge transfer activities will be implemented. Qualitative and health systems research to investigate the multiple layers of power and interaction as well as decision-making processes within multi-professional teams are integrated throughout the project in order to bridge the knowledge-do gap and better understand scaling-up processes. The evaluation will examine physical and psycho-social effects of the strategy and will highlight the interdependent relationship between maternal and child outcomes related to overuse of C-section. Particular attention will be given to equity issues and gender considerations in the interpretation of results. Overall, our project will improve appropriate use of C-sections and will address several SDG targets including improving maternal and neonatal health and reducing inequalities within and between countries.