Refresher Course on Developing Capacity to Participate in Biofuels Projects: Assessing opportunities & risks

Refresher course on Developing Capacity to participate in

Biofuels Projects: Assessing opportunities and risks

11 - 20 May 2009

Venue: Kathmandu, Nepal

Organised by the Netherlands Alumni Association of Nepal in collaboration with the University of Twente, Department of Technology and Sustainable Development in the Netherlands.

Organizers

NAAN

The Netherlands Alumni Association of Nepal (NAAN) which was established in 1988, is a Non Governmental Organization formed by Nepalese alumni who have carried out academic activities such as regular degree courses, short courses, training etc. at educational/training institutions in the Netherlands. The Association runs its activities in close co-operation with the Consulate of the Netherlands in Kathmandu.

The Association was formed with the aim of providing opportunities for sharing and exchange of professional experiences between institutes and alumni. NAAN promotes networking between the alumni and institutes, and also acts as a “marketplace” and “collaborative platform” for new ideas. Exploration of possibilities to provide assistance in all forms for the overall development of Nepal is the main guiding principle.

NAAN provides a forum and a meeting place for alumni, faculty members of the institutes in the Netherlands and members of the Dutch community in Nepal through the organization of seminars, conferences, meetings, social service programs etc.

NAAN had pioneered in the overall management and logistical support to host this type of the regional refresher course with different Dutch institutes and has already hosted 14 refresher courses and 1 Tailor-Made course with the support from Nuffic in Kathmandu within the period of five years.

UT Department of Technology and Sustainable Development

The Department of Technology and Sustainable Development (TSD formally known as the Technology and Development Group (TDG)) has an international reputation as one of the leading institutions in post-experience training in energy and environmental management. The courses offered aim at capacity building to enable developing countries to devise and implement policies, with innovative approaches, for sustainable development. The high quality of this training can be seen by the facts that past-participants send their colleagues to Twente and the Group has been requested by donor and international development agencies to provide special training courses.

TSD has been offering, for 25 years, annual international training programmes at the University of Twente on a range of topics related to Energy planning & environmental management for sustainable development. In addition, TSD has developed and organised a number of specially commissioned courses on behalf of clients, such as the EU, ESCAP, African Development Bank (AfDB) DGIS and UNDP. In-country training has also been held in a number of countries including: Botswana, Fiji, Malawi, Tanzania, Thailand, and Zimbabwe. In 2006, TSD organised together with NAAN a very successful refresher course on gender and energy and in 2008 on climate change initiatives.

Course focus

This training course is developed to increase the knowledge and skills of developing country mid-level policy makers and practitioners with the basic environmental science and socio-economic politics of biofuels. It is aimed at non-specialists.

Target group of participants

This refresher course is targeted at participants from Asian countries on the NUFFIC NFP list (eg: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) working as:

·	Development NGO workers dealing with biofuels

·	Government officials

·	Energy planners

·	Private sector consultants with an interest in biofuels

Eligibility for sponsorship from the organisers

Participants in refresher courses must:

·	Be an NFP alumnus, having completed any NFP-funded training or education course at least two years prior to the planned starting date of the refresher course

·	Be employed in an area to which the refresher course will make a relevant contribution

·	Have a clear-cut, functional relationship with a relevant organization and be in a position to introduce the newly acquired skills and knowledge into that organization

·	Be a national of one of the following developing countries at the time the original training course took place: Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam

·	Be nominated by their own employer, who pledges to continue payment of the participant’s salary and to hold a job open while the employee is attending the refresher course

·	Be available for the entire period of the refresher course and be physically and mentally able to take part in the entire course

It is also possible for colleagues of NFP alumni who work in the same organization to attend the course.

Objectives

The overall course objectives are to enable participants:

·	To identify the factors driving biofuels in Asia;

·	To evaluate the biofuel options from technical, social, economic and ecological perspectives;

·	To be familiar with tools and instruments which promote the benefits of biofuels and reduce the threats.

Modules

The course is divided into four modules:

Module 1: Introduction to biofuels

Module 2: Ecological aspects of biofuels

Module 3: Socio-Economic Assessment of biofuels

Module 4: How can biofuels benefit the South?

Financial matters

For participants sponsored by the organiser lodging, boarding, training material, lectures, air ticket and third party liability insurance will be borne by the organizer. Participants will be responsible for a part of their own travel arrangements such as visa costs.

For participants sponsored by other organisations are responsible for all costs including lodging, boarding, training material, lectures, air ticket, visa and third party liability insurance.

Application

The deadline for application is 10 March 2009; please visit our website to fill out the application form.

Language

The course will be conducted in English.

Further information

Further information can be obtained from our course administration:

Barbera van Dalm

University of Twente

Department of Technology and Sustainable Development

P.O. Box 217

7500 AE Enschede

The Netherlands

T: +31 (0)53 489 4377

F: +31 (0)53 489 4850

E: b.vandalm-grobben@utwente.nl