The international ‘CirculEC’ project, supported by the EU’s ‘Erasmus+’ programme, aims to integrate the principles of circular economy and sustainable development into university programmes in Europe and Central Asia. Fifteen universities and scientific organisations from seven countries, including Turkmenistan, are participating in the project, according to the news website Asmannews.

From Turkmenistan, the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management, and the Turkmen State Institute of Finance are involved in the project. The main focus is on incorporating the principles of sustainable development into basic curricula to develop students' practical skills in resource management, ecology, and modern business models.

The project is coordinated by the D. Serikbayev East Kazakhstan Technical University, and European partners included universities in Spain, Italy and Germany. The cooperation aims to adapt Central Asian educational programmes to international standards, taking into account the needs of the labour market.

The project will be implemented in 2023–2026 and provides for the development of new training modules, the improvement of teachers' qualifications and the launch of pilot courses. ‘CirculEC’ is focused on training specialists for sustainable development and environmental entrepreneurship.