This project aims to establish a virtual network to advance information exchange, increase communications, improve networking and develop joint curricula through the introduction of new technologies to existing networks in Asia and Europe. The project targets higher education students and academics within the areas of environment and development at Universities in Malaysia, Thailand and Denmark.

The main activities of the project are to establish an administrative and pedagogic framework to ensure the sustainability of the virtual network and identify the key educational approaches to learning. Further activities are to create a virtual open access web service enhancing interconnectivity, as well as, to develop, design and teach joint courses to test the virtual network. The project duration is 24 months.

The target countries for the proposed project are Denmark, Spain, Malaysia, and Thailand and Europe. Presently, uUniversities in Denmark, Malaysia and Thailand operate together under a consortium, namely Tthe Linked University Consortiaum for Environment and Development – Industry & Urban Areas (LUCEDLUCED–I&UA). The LUCED-I&UA consortiumum was established to enable the strengthening of environmental management research and higher education in Denmark, Malaysia and Thailand (and Southern Africa), focusing upon environmental issues with a development perspective within iIndustry and uUrban aAreas. The Spanish counterpart, whilealthough not a specific member of the existing consortia has a history of collaboration with the Danish uuniversity consortiuma in particular with regard to virtual learning and the design and development of educational multimedia projects. Their involvement of the Spanish counterpart brings much needed expertise and experience into the consortiuma in particular as regardsing pedagogyeducational multimedia.

Under the joint umbrella of LUCEDLUCED-I&UA, each country has its own nNational consortiaum, which acts to further emphasise the development of environmental education within industry and urban areas. At the nNational level the Malaysian Universitiesuniversities are represented by MUCEDMUCED-I&UA, the uUniversities in Thailand are part of the TUCEDTUCED-I&UA consortium and DUCEDDUCED-I&UA represents the Danish uUniversities.