The Erasmus+ project DIGITAsia – Digital Transformation of Asian Higher Education consortium will hold a meeting in the Maldives from 27 to 30 October 2025. The event will be jointly hosted by the Maldives National University (MNU), the Islamic University of Maldives (IUM), and Villa College Maldives (VCM), bringing together representatives from partner institutions across Europe and Asia to review project progress and coordinate the next phase of implementation.

Over the course of four days, the consortium will engage in 11 working sessions dedicated to key components of the project. The meeting will start with a progress briefing delivered by Full Professor Igor Balaban, Ph.D., the project coordinator, from the University of Zagreb Faculty of Organization and Informatics (FOI). Following sessions will focus on advancing the project’s core work packages, including:

• The Capstone Project Workshop (WP2)
• Presentation of the Training Plan for Teachers (WP2)
• Presentation of the Pilot Plan and Implementation Plan (WP3)
• Presentation of the Framework for Digital Teaching Transformation and the accompanying Toolkit (WP5)
• Review of Dissemination activities (WP6)

The Capstone Project Workshop marks a significant milestone in the DIGITAsia project, signaling the successful conclusion of the teacher training phase. Through this intensive capacity-building activity, participating educators have developed the skills and digital competencies needed to design and implement innovative hybrid courses. The project team is moving into the Implementation phase, which focuses on onboarding teachers, their assigned subjects, and students across partner institutions. This transition represents a shift from preparation to action, as trained educators begin applying their knowledge in real teaching contexts.

In addition to the technical sessions, the project team will hold a meeting with the senior management of MNU, IUM, and VCM, strengthening institutional collaboration and long-term sustainability of project outcomes.

Coordinated by FOI, the DIGITAsia project brings together 9 partner institutions committed to enhancing the digital capacities of higher education in Asia. Alongside FOI and the Open University of Catalonia (Spain), which contribute European expertise and experience, the consortium includes seven Asian higher education institutions: Maldives National University, Islamic University of Maldives, and Villa College (Maldives); SLT Campus and University of Peradeniya (Sri Lanka); and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Malaysia).

Funded under the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, DIGITAsia is a three-year initiative running until 31 October 2027, with a total grant amount of €719,634. The project’s main objective is to strengthen higher education systems in the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia through digital transformation, guided by the principles of Education 5.0.

Among its expected outcomes, the project will develop and implement a comprehensive training programme for 150 higher education teachers from seven Asian partner institutions. These educators will design and deliver approximately 130 hybrid courses, contributing to the modernization of teaching and learning processes in their respective universities. Furthermore, DIGITAsia aims to establish a sustainable framework for digital transformation, foster inter-institutional cooperation, and promote knowledge exchange through national events and capacity-building programmes.

The upcoming consortium meeting in the Maldives represents a significant milestone in the project’s implementation, reinforcing the partners’ shared commitment to advancing digital innovation and pedagogical excellence in Asian higher education.