Minutes of the MECAS Project Partners' Kickoff Meeting

MECAS Project Kick-Off & Partner Meetings
Kick-Off Meeting

Date: 21 November 2025
Format: Online
Project: MECAS – Development of Master Curricula in EcoInformatics for the Impact on the Aral Sea Basin
Programme: Erasmus+ CBHE (ERASMUS-EDU-2025-CBHE) 
Minutes_KickOff+Agenda

The official Kick-Off Meeting marked the start of cooperation among MECAS project partners. Representatives from all consortium institutions participated and formally launched project activities.

Key outcomes of the meeting included:
Presentation of the MECAS project objectives, relevance, expected results, and beneficiaries
Overview of project duration (1 November 2025 – 31 October 2029) and grant status
Introduction of partner institutions and clarification of their roles
Detailed discussion of Work Packages, tasks, deliverables, deadlines, and responsibilities
Identification of urgent deliverables and responsible partners
Explanation of project management, quality assurance, dissemination, and reporting procedures (FTOP & SYGMA)
Establishment of communication channels, including a WhatsApp group and shared Google Drive workspace

The importance of transparency, timely delivery, and active partner engagement was strongly emphasized.

Second Partner Meeting

Date: 10 December 2025
Format: Hybrid
In-person: TIIAME, Tashkent (Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan partners)
Online: European partners 
Minutes_KickOff+Agenda

This extended partner meeting focused on ensuring a smooth start to implementation, particularly for partners participating in an Erasmus+ project for the first time.

Main discussion points:
Presentation of early deliverables (Project Management Structure, Quality Assurance bodies)
Demonstration and discussion of project logo and website demo versions
Presentation of templates for analysing partner potential and existing curricula
Discussion on procurement and installation of laboratory equipment
Review of project management, quality assurance procedures, and first-year tasks
Planning of the first teacher training to be held in February 2026 at POLITO (Italy)
The meeting concluded with agreements on next steps and reinforced collaboration among all partners.