SERDANG 6 January 2023 – The Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia hosted the 10^th Meeting of the Erasmus+ Project SKYBELT from 4^th – 5^th January 2023. SKYBELT is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project, funded by the European Union, titled “Enhancement of engineering skills of students of all levels for application of evidence based sustainable renewable energy solutions in the built environment/SKYBELT”.

The consortium consists of universities from Europe and Asia led by Università Telematica eCampus, Italy, with members from University of Northumbria, UK, University of Cukurova, Turkey, Beijing University of Technology, China, Lanzhou Jiatong University, China, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Naresuan University, Thailand and Chiang Mai University, Thailand. The project concentrates on three pillars; enhancement of modules at Bachelor and Master level and improvement of skills development of PhD students, familiarisation of academic, technical and administrative staff of partner universities with best practice at EU level and cooperation with industry stakeholders.

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Ir. Dr. Mohd Khairol Anuar Mohd Ariffin delivered the opening remarks for the meeting which was also attended by the Deputy Dean of Research and Innovation, Associate Professor Ir. Ts. Dr. Mohd. Khair Hassan. The meeting was lead by Dr Ermira Junita Abdullah, the coordinator for SKYBELT UPM and during the meeting, the members of the consortium held discussions on progress of the project. The members also visited the laboratory at the Faculty of Engineering and were introduced to the Renewable Energy System equipment funded by the Erasmus+ CBHE grant which is used in the teaching of undergraduate courses.

An industry and academic seminar was also held in conjunction with the 10^th SKYBELT Meeting where the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community Relations), Professor. Dr. Ir. B.T. Hang Tuah Baharudin, gave the opening remarks to welcome the members of the consortium, the industry guest and participants. The seminar featured Ir. Mohd Yusrizal Bin Mohd Yusof, the Managing Director of TNB Renewables and Professor Ir. Dr. Mohd Zainal Abidin Bin Abdul Kadir of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

As part of the social and cultural exchange between partner countries, the members were also introduced to the local culture with a visit to Malay Heritage Museum at the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia as well as a tour of Putrajaya.

At the end of the meeting, the members of the consortium thanked and congratulated the Faculty of Engineering for a successful meeting of the 10^th SKYBELT meeting in UPM. The consortium expressed hope for continued strong collaboration with partner countries in teaching and research on topics related to renewable energy solutions.

Link for picture the whole event | https://photos.app.goo.gl/1wipS7iMqveneWsW8 

Date of Input: 10/01/2023 | Updated: 10/01/2023 | ahmadadib