UNICAM

UNICAM is an abbreviation of project title on “Implementing quality of education & training of the Young UNIversities in rural area of CAMbodia”. UNICAM is a three-year (2015 – 2018) project, co-funded by the European Union uder the Erasmus+ Programme for the action Capacity-Building in Higher Education (CBHE). The main objective of the project is to enhance higher-education quality and develop human resources, and build  university capacity through implementing comprehensive curriculum for Master´s programme in Sustainable Agriculture, and advance training courses at young universities in the rural areas of Cambodia.

The UNICAM project focus on the four public Universities in rural areas of Cambodia, recently established in the Northwest, near the Thai border (University of Battambang (UBB) and Mean Chey University (MCU) and Southeast, near the Vietnamese border (Svay Rieng University (SRU) and Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear (CSUK). They play very important role to develop human resources for agricultural sector at the rural areas. Collaboration with four EU universities, including University of Girona (UdG – Catalonia, Spain), Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse III. (UPS – France), Ghent University (UGent – Belgium), and Università degli Studi dell’Aquila (UNIVAQ – Italy).

Objectives

- Enhance the knowledge, skill and attitudes 
- Acquire theoretical and practical knowledge
- Promote the exchange of experiences
- Improve the institutional capacity.
 
The specific objectives:
- To enhance higher-education quality
- To develop human resources
- To build university capacity
 
Innovative character of the UNICAM project
  • To address an internationally recognized education systems on sustainable agriculture
  • To take advantage to be able to conduct research on sustainable agriculture in the hotspot areas that is currently contaminated due to population and economic increases
  • To transfer these methodologies to an inter-regional network and combine it with their recognized expertise
  • To generate collaborative genuine products that are expected to have a sustained international scientific impact
 
Project activity and methodology
Methodological/technological innovations will be included:
 
  • A comprehensive master’s curriculum on Sustainable Agriculture to meet the requirements of job market at SEA regional scale
  • Exchange programmes, internship and research stay at abroad
  • Field work in Cambodia and abroad for exploring and learning to find out main issues to deal with, and opportunities in the SEA region
  • The advanced training courses (ATC) and exchange programs among the universities for academic staff and young researchers (e.g. research and teaching skills) and also among the four Cambodian universities to share their experience
  • Providing seed grants for young researchers in order to improve and build their capacities up in development of technological innovations, which are related to sustainable agriculture, food safety and environmental conservation
  • Develop an academic journal for publishing research articles to disseminate research findings as well as to strengthen their capacities
  • Annual scientific conference at regional level to provide opportunities for them to improve and upgrade their knowledge through participating in the scientific meeting