The 14th SILKWAY Steering Committee Meeting at Sapienza University
The 14th meeting of the Steering Committee of the SILKWAY international project (101179683) was held at the Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering of Sapienza University. The meeting brought together representatives of universities and organizations from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Spain, Italy, and other countries.
The JASU delegation took part in the meeting under the leadership of Rector, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor Keneshbek Zhumabekovich Usenov. The delegation included Kulumkan Kokumbaeva, Candidate of Technical Sciences and Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Electric Power Engineering and Mechanics; senior lecturers of the Department of Electric Power Engineering and Technology of the Tash-Kumyr Institute; as well as administrative staff of the university.
The meeting provided an opportunity not only to discuss the progress of the project and the results achieved in its key areas, but also to exchange experience, present current developments, and identify the next steps for further advancing educational initiatives within the SILKWAY project.
From Work Packages to Concrete Results
The first day of the meeting focused on reviewing the progress of the project and ongoing activities in its key areas. Participants presented the results of work carried out within the work packages and discussed the tasks ahead.
For JASU, the work under WP2 was of particular importance. The presentation on this area was delivered by Kulumkan Kokumbaeva, Head of the Department of Electric Power Engineering and Mechanics. The meeting programme also included presentations on other areas of the project, covering project management and monitoring, development of educational materials, laboratory activities, and the development of students’ business skills and practical training.
On the second day, the partners focused on the next stages of project implementation and specific activities to be completed before the end of the project. Key areas discussed included the organization of information days and SILKWAY courses, laboratory activities for students, the development of practical skills, and the preparation of materials for disseminating the project results.
International Experience
The final day of the meeting was dedicated to the Training of Trainers (ToT) technical session. Teachers and specialists explored modern approaches to teaching computational mechanics, machine learning methods for energy systems, utility-scale solar energy technologies, as well as tools for designing energy communities based on renewable energy sources.
One of the particularly important issues was the adaptation and integration of SILKWAY educational materials into the learning process, taking into account students’ needs and the specific features of national education systems. The meeting concluded with a round-table discussion on course delivery, localisation, and the partners’ next steps.
For Jalal-Abad State University, participation in the SILKWAY international project provides an opportunity to expand academic cooperation, gain experience from European and Central Asian universities, and introduce modern approaches to the training of specialists in the energy sector.
The meeting in Rome has come to an end, but the work continues — with new ideas, professional connections, and concrete tasks to be implemented within the SILKWAY project.
