Successful research trip from Turkey to Thailand: Focus on new partnerships and sustainable innovations

The trip from Dokuz Eylul University in Turkey to Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi (RMUTT) in Thailand was characterised by in-depth expert discussions and the strengthening of international cooperation.

We started off with a visit to Dokuz Eylul University, where we discussed with the scientists there about topics such as clean energy, hydrogen technology and sustainable mobility. These discussions provided valuable insights and laid the foundations for future joint projects.

We were welcomed by Dr Aytaç Gören from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and his doctoral student Kübra Tural from the Faculty of Mechatronics. During a detailed tour of the laboratories for automatic control and robotics, we were given an in-depth insight into the current research projects and technical innovations. The area of solar energy and electric vehicles is particularly noteworthy, where we were able to see the impressive prototypes of the solar car.

During our stay, we had an intensive exchange of experiences and ongoing projects and identified numerous potential opportunities for cooperation. The joint discussions and tours emphasised the great potential for future cooperation in the field of sustainable technologies. Since our visit, we have been in close contact with Dr Gören and his team and are already working on planning specific joint projects.

In Thailand, we continued our trip at the RMUTT. Here, discussions centred on the circular economy and the development of innovative, sustainable technologies. By exchanging ideas with our Thai colleagues, we were able to gain new perspectives and explore potential collaborations.

A particular highlight was our participation in the HydroThailand Symposium in Bangkok. Together with TICTEC GmbH and RMUTT Technical University, we discussed the role of green hydrogen in the energy transition and what contribution it can make to achieving the net-zero target in Thailand. Our presentations were divided into three main topics:

The potential of hydrogen for a climate-neutral industry: In this topic area, we presented the relevance of innovative hydrogen solutions as well as their fields of application and political framework conditions for green hydrogen. We also presented the results of our BMUV-funded third-party project "GH2GH - Green hydrogen for decentralised energy systems in Sub-Saharan Africa" on our sustainability criteria catalogue. The project focuses on "Pilot and model projects abroad" and is part of the "Export Initiative Environmental Protection" (EXI), with which the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) has been funding projects since 2016 that support the transfer of expertise and the application of German environmental protection and resource efficiency technologies, primarily in emerging and developing countries. Global environmental and climate protection can only succeed if the necessary infrastructure, legal, political and administrative framework conditions are in place. The GH2GH project is being sponsored by Zukunft - Umwelt - Gesellschaft (ZUG) GmbH with the participation of NOW GmbH as the program association. The consortium comprises the Laboratory for Sustainability in Technology at Bochum University of Applied Sciences, the companies Green Power Brains and SFC Energy AG as well as the associated partner Don Bosco Solar and Renewable Energy Centre.

Green Workforce of Tomorrow - Education for a sustainable future: In our presentation on the topic of "Green Workforce of Tomorrow", we first introduced the UN concepts of education for sustainable development and capacity building. These concepts form the basis for our efforts to promote education and training in the context of the energy transition. Our GH2GH pilot project in Ghana, which aims to strengthen the educational landscape specifically for the challenges of the energy transition, was also a central part of our discussion. The project serves as a role model for future initiatives to promote sustainable education worldwide through practical learning and the inclusion of innovative, new topics. As part of our presentation, we also outlined our long-term plans for hydrogen education. These include the development of innovative teaching modules and training programmes that provide both theoretical knowledge and practical skills to train professionals for the future of sustainable energy. Our participation in the HydroThailand Symposium provided an ideal platform to present these concepts and projects to an international audience and to build further partnerships for the promotion of a green workforce worldwide.

Circular Economy - Strategies for effective management and evaluation: In our discussion on the Circular Economy, we highlighted the differences between current growth models and the circular economy and explained the positive developments resulting from them. Particular attention was paid to the relevance of the circular economy in the context of hydrogen technology. A key project that we presented is our pilot project "Pilot4CircuLEV". This project is about developing a pilot factory for end-of-life strategies for light electric vehicles (LEVs) as part of a resource-efficient circular economy. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding this project, which is being led by Forschungszentrum Jülich. Pilot4CircuLEV will develop innovative solutions for the sustainable utilisation and recycling of LEVs in collaboration with universities and industrial partners. Our aim is to use such projects to create the basis for future sustainable practices and to establish the circular economy as a key concept for promoting an environmentally friendly and resource-efficient industry.

A highlight of our trip was the visit to the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation in Thailand, where high-ranking decision-makers were present. At this important meeting, we were not only able to present our plans and joint projects with TICTEC GmbH for a hydrogen learning centre, but also experienced positive feedback and an open discussion about future collaborations. The joint project discussion on the establishment of a Hydrogen Learning Centre in Thailand is particularly noteworthy. We also presented our GH2GH project as an example, which emphasises the importance of international cooperation and technology transfer for sustainable energy systems.

Another notable event during our trip was our visit to the Young Smart Farmers in Thailand. This meeting gave us the opportunity to get to know small farms and discuss with them practices that can lead to more sustainability and long-term livelihoods. Based on our expertise, we were able to gain in-depth insights and discuss recommendations for possible improvements.

We had the opportunity to visit a farm that has already integrated photovoltaic systems. This combination of traditional agriculture and renewable energy was very interesting. In particular, the concept of agrivoltaics was at the centre of our discussions. These experiences led to stimulating conversations about possible collaborations and future projects that can both modernise agriculture and help promote sustainable practices.

At the end of our successful research trip from Turkey to Thailand, we would like to emphasise the importance of international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and technologies for sustainable development. The knowledge gained and partnerships established open up new ways to jointly develop innovative solutions to the global challenges of our time. We are confident that the cooperation with our partner institutions in Turkey and Thailand will lead to significant progress in the areas of sustainable energy, education and agriculture in the long term.

We would like to thank everyone involved for their extraordinary hospitality and support. With this optimistic outlook, we look forward to future projects and the continuation of productive dialogue.