Sultan Qaboos University has joined hands with the Institute for Applied Material Flow Management (IfaS) at the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld, Germany to conduct a research investigating the ‘Zero Emission Campus’ potential at the SQU. The “Zero Emission Campus” initiative of SQU is part of SQU’s efforts to serve as a higher education institute specialized in sustainability studies in the areas of energy, water, agriculture, technology and management. It will help SQU to offer excellent higher education for both local and international students in collaboration with Environmental Campus Birkenfeld and its global partner universities.

By achieving Zero Emission Campus status, SQU can host and conduct applied research in collaboration with international organizations to resolve regional problems such as sustainable water and soil management using renewable technologies. The University can also support the national mandate of augmenting the ‘green-tech SMEs’ by providing knowledge, skills, management and other expertise

As part of the learning component of the research, a group of international students from the Environmental Campus Birkenfeld has joined the program as observers of the project. The observers have been joined by local stakeholders from Oman to form the ‘collaborative Travelling University (TU) team’. TU is an academic tool pioneered by IfaS.

The international students arrived at SQU on 6 March 2019, and was received by officials led by Dr. Amer al Hinai, Director of the Sustainable Energy Research Centre at SQU. During their stay at SQU until 17 March, the team shall develop the key deliverables and submit it to SQU. The deliverable include: reports of the data analysis, assessment, and the evaluation of the legal, environmental, institutional, economic and technical framework conditions; potential of rooftop solar photovoltaic system; potential of energy saving projects; an economic feasibility study of the undertaking and subsequently develop the business plans of the suggested solutions.

The team consisting of observers and the local students will review the technical and economic aspects of the wastewater treatment facility at SQU and will submit the prospect of implementing a source segregation of waste at source and material flow of several waste streams such as papers, cardboard, glass, etc. By 17 March, the TU team will give a presentation of their preliminary findings and discuss the follow up activities.