Academic contacts with Bhutan have developed very positively in recent years, and continue with several new projects and exchanges between universities in Sweden and Bhutan.
Lund University – Royal University of Bhutan (RUB)
A new project ”Reduction of crop losses through improved solar drying” between the Department of Energy and Building Design and RUB / Jigme Namgyel Engineering College) recently started with funding from the Swedish Research Council. Nepal is also part of the project. A Swedish student was supposed to go to Bhutan for his degree project, but due to the Covid suspension, he had to go to Nepal instead. However, a second field work in Bhutan is planned for later.
In the ongoing Linnaeus-Palme partnership, two teachers from Bhutan are planned to come to Sweden during the autumn, as well as two students and two teachers from Lund to Bhutan.
Uppsala University – Royal University of Bhutan / College of Science and Technology
Four Bhutanese students from the College of Science and Technology (CST) plan to study in Uppsala in the autumn of 2022, with Erasmus + scholarships.
Four employees from CST were recently in Uppsala with the aim of learning from each other’s educations and continuing to plan joint projects. More teacher exchanges are planned, in both directions (and EU-funded) for the next academic year.
Malmö University – Samtse College of Education
Another exchange of students / teachers is planned for the autumn from the ongoing collaboration. Funds have also been obtained to plan an extension of the collaboration to also include Paro College of Education. The principal and dean of academic affairs from Paro came to Lund and Malmö at the end of May and two teachers from Malmö will go to Paro in the autumn to plan and prepare the application for continued Linnaeus-Palme partnership.
Uppsala University, Children and Baby Lab – Khesar Gyalpo Medical University
Two new projects have been added.
”How is the development of children affected by moving from rural to urban areas?” A comparative large-scale study of three countries Turkey, Zimbabwe and Bhutan starting after the summer. Funding from the Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Memorial Fund.
”Children’s cognitive development in relation to poverty and urbanization”, a study of 504 families in western Bhutan. Due to covid limitations, the Uppsala support will take place via Zoom – especially specialist training of experts in methodology for psychological tests (Uppsala’s own funding).