SPECIAL Project Kick-off Meeting in Rome: Advancing Sustainable Waste Management through EU-LAC Cooperation

The international consortium of the SPECIAL project officially launched its activities during a three-day Kick-off Meeting (KoM) held from January 29 to 31, 2026, at the headquarters of the fondazione SICUREZZA E LIBERTA (FSL) in Rome, Italy. This 36-month initiative, titled “Sustainable waste management, environmental pollution and circularity: Linking education and business in Latin America and the Caribbean” (Project No. 101235642), is funded under the ERASMUS-EDU-2025-CBHE framework.

Led by the University of Cassino and Southern Lazio (UNICAS), the meeting convened representatives from a diverse partnership including the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), King Michael I University of Life Sciences from Timișoara (ULST), and prominent Latin American institutions such as UNAM, UADY, EAN, and UNPHU, among others,. The sessions focused on establishing the project’s governance framework, formally confirming the Steering Committee and the Quality Board to oversee strategic coordination and internal quality assurance (QA) protocols.

The core objective of SPECIAL is to modernize higher education offerings in Sustainable Waste Management (SWM) by designing and implementing micro-credentials and digital pedagogical tools aligned with international standards,. A central pillar of the project is the creation of the SWM International Hub, designed to bridge the gap between Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), industry regulators, and professional stakeholders in Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.

Furthermore, the consortium introduced the SWM Future Learning Incubator, which utilizes a STEHEAM approach to develop educational tools for future university students,. All digital assets, including MOOCs and interactive materials, will be hosted in the SWM Online Toolbox, a centralized repository ensuring accessibility and knowledge transfer,. The project’s official website (https://specialerasmusplus.com/) is now operational to facilitate the dissemination of results and stakeholder engagement.