The National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (NUSTPB) successfully hosted the Fourth Transnational Project Meeting of the Erasmus+ SOHO Project from May 19–20, 2025. The meeting brought together representatives from the project’s consortium, which includes nine prestigious universities from Europe and Southeast Asia, for two days of intensive collaboration focused on advancing sustainable and innovative tourism education.

The SOHO Project – Smart, Optimized, High-quality, and On-demand Tourism Innovative Education for Sustainable and Green Development (2023–2026) – is coordinated by NUSTPB. The project is dedicated to transforming tourism education by integrating smart technologies, renewable energy solutions, and digital innovation. A key aim of the initiative is the establishment and development of Knowledge and Competence Centers (KCCs) in Vietnam, Malaysia, and Bangladesh. These centers act as regional hubs for capacity building, academic innovation, and international cooperation.

During the two-day meeting, held in Room 3.2 of the NUSTPB Central Library, participants advanced several strategic goals, including:

• Modernizing teaching practices to meet the evolving demands of the global tourism industry;
• Designing specialized academic programs in areas such as Smart Transportation, Sustainable Accommodation, and Renewable Energy Integration;
• Enhancing training frameworks and curriculum development to elevate the quality and relevance of higher education in tourism.

The Bangladeshi delegation was represented by Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), along with Prof. Dr. M. Shamim Kaiser and Prof. Shamim Al Mamun of Jahangirnagar University. Participants were welcomed with an official dinner hosted at Casa Doina in downtown Bucharest, providing an opportunity to further deepen international partnerships in an informal setting.

Over 25 attendees, both in-person and online, took part in the meeting, representing consortium partners from:

• National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest (Romania)
• Université Lumière Lyon 2 (France)
• Politecnico di Milano (Italy)
• American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB)
• Jahangirnagar University (Bangladesh)
• The University of Danang (Vietnam)
• University of Technology and Education – University of Danang (Vietnam)
• Universiti Sains Malaysia
• Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia)

This pivotal meeting reaffirmed the SOHO Project’s commitment to fostering a greener, smarter, and more inclusive future in global tourism education.