Lighting is the major consumer of electricity in developing countries consuming up to 86% of total electricity production. In the un-electrified rural villages, traditional biomass and commercial petroleum fuel is used to provide minimal lighting in the homes. Nepal and Bhutan are perfect examples of such developing countries where on one hand large population have to rely on fuel based lighting and on the other hand major portion of electricity is consumed for lighting. Most of the current lighting design, lamps and lighting technologies used in these areas are inefficient. Nepal and Bhutan has large potential of energy saving by applying energy efficient techniques in lighting. There is growing need of technical expertise and experience to convert that potential into reality.The aim of the project was to support Nepali and Bhutani Higher Education Institutions to provide education that promotes sustainable socio-economic development. The specific objectives of the project were: 1. To raise awareness in efficient lighting management and to identify important factors of needs and opportunities in efficient lighting in Nepal and Bhutan2. To develop energy efficient lighting courses and lighting laboratory3. To enhance and upgrade the skills of teaching staffs for improved academic environmentThe direct target groups of the project are 1) undergraduate, graduate and post graduate students at Universities in Nepal and Bhutan 2) Trainers, educators, and teachers in professional academies; 3) Academics in the advanced lighting field. Final beneficiaries of the project are professionals in the building industry chain, lighting industry equipment producers and lighting efficiency service providers, and government officials, energy regulators, NGOs. The project was able to improve the situation and enhance the opportunities of all target groups by providing them with detailed new higher education tools in the field of energy efficient lighting.

Education is recognized by the Indian and Nepalese Government as the most important vehicle for the economic and human development of the countries, being HE a relevant sector in both coutries. Internationalization has not been integrated into strategic planning at the majority of Indian and Nepalese HEIs despite the tremendous benefits that could accrue to them. InterNepInd project aim is to contribute to this process through collaborative work and experience sharing between European HEIs and HEIs from India and from Nepal. The general objective of the project is to support the internationalization process of Indian and Nepalese HEIs. The expected result is that Indian and Nepalese HEIs participating in the project have a strategy for internationalization and the capacities, network and means to implement it. InterNepInd main achievements will be: - The 5 Indian partners and 2 Nepalese partners will have an internationalization strategy to guide them on their internationalization process. - Trained staff on international relations management and international projects management will implement the strategy in each of the institutions. - They 5 Indian and 2 Nepalese partners have an International Office to promote and manage internationalization. They inform students and staff about the international mobility possibilities they have and motivate them. - They have a network of Asian and European partners and they have signed agreements to cooperate on students and staff mobility, international research projects and promotion of double degrees and joint doctorates. - The results of InterNepInd in disseminated in different forums and contributes to the scaling up of the project.

In a globalised world, the principles of sustainable development (SD) have become central values. Education is critical in shaping knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to enable moving along pathways towards SD, and a catalyst for development. It is a key determinant of social and economic transformation, and an essential precursor to sustainability. The significance of education for achieving the SDGs is clear. In target 4.7, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is mentioned as a key instrument. Although SDGs are equally important, indivisible, and common for all countries, their priorities are country specific, depending upon the level, gaps and structure of development. B+NESDG responds to a need as lacking international support, Nepan and Bhutan will not manage to create own institutions which can steer their policy on the national level towards SD (German Report on Curriculum Framework ESD). B+NESDG will contribute to increase the quality of tertiary education through a capacity building holistic approach of 6 HEIs on SD to facilitate the accomplishment of relevant SDGs in Bhutan and Nepal, modernising HEIs to be more internationally recognised and competitive by:-Creating “whole-institutions” mainstreaming sustainability into all aspects of the institution, reinforcing their capabilities to support the country on accomplishing SDGs, turning them into institutions fostering SD, inclusion and social commitment. The principle “leaving no-one behind” will be a cornerstone in the project aligned with Bhutan and Nepal commitment to addressing the needs of the vulnerable.-Integrating ESD within HEIs through and inclusive and equitable quality educational approach, contributing to modernise and update the pedagogical framework and to equip learners with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to be responsible global citizens. -Extensive capacity building through training of the university community (staff, educators and students).

Nepal, Bhutan and India face serious development challenges, compounded by shortage of workforce trained with modern pedagogical methods. Solving such challenges requires transdisciplinary engagement with societal partners. Problem Based Learning (PBL) methodologies provide an effective way to educate students in systems thinking and deal with complexity. But most technical Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in South Asia do not offer such PBL based courses. Educators are not trained in using PBL methods, especially to deal with complex development goals. In contrast, EU HEIs such as Aalto and TU Delft focus on university-wide efforts for global inclusive development. Through this project, the EU HEIs aim to develop a leading practice for global PBL projects. This project addresses a strategic bottleneck: preparing graduates for challenging work, holistic problem analysis and interdisciplinary knowledge creation in real settings. The two layers of cooperation include 1) training of faculty and the development of PBL methodologies, and 2) joint piloting of PBL cases involving student teams. The project will establish PBL into the curricula of partner HEIs in Nepal and Bhutan. The EU HEIs each take a specific role in the project: TUDelft with entrepreneurship education and online education, KTU with data gathering and monitoring of project results, and Aalto in overall project management and emphasis on global sustainability issues. IISc Bangalore and IIT Bombay will develop a regional network of PBL specialists and disseminate best practices through teacher training and policy influencing activities in India. All HEIs will contribute to the student case pilots. Dissemination will be carried out through publications, seminars, and creation of a regional PBL network in South Asia. After the end of the project, PBL courses will continue in all the ten participating HEIs.