HUGETECH hosted a wrap-up seminar and the final JCC!

The Project for Strengthening Human Resource Development of Engineering and Technology for Industry Development in Lao PDR (commonly known as HUGETECH) has been providing technical cooperation at the Faculty of Engineering (FEN), National University of Laos since December 2020. HUGETECH has aimed to foster improvement of coursework through introducing necessary experimental/practical work and implementing final projects including studies on practical problems with appropriate utilization and maintenance of the equipment as well as extension of industry-university collaboration to materialize the quality of undergraduate engineering education. After nearly five years of dedicated collaboration, the project was concluded at the end of October 2025.

To share the achievements of the past five years with our valued partners—including ministries, private companies, universities, and donors—and to seek their continued support and collaboration, HUGETECH held a wrap-up seminar on October 22, 2025, at the Lao Plaza Hotel.

The seminar welcomed about 250 participants. During the event, faculty members from the FEN, who led the task force teams, presented the outcomes of the project such as various industry-university collaboration activities, improvements in undergraduate education through enhanced laboratory experiments, and the systems developed for the use and maintenance of research equipment. Additionally, faculty members from six departments showcased the results of research projects supported by the HUGETECH initiative.

It was a great honor that H.E. Mr. Kingmano PHOMMAHAXAY, Vice Minister, Ministry of Education and Sports, participated in the event and addressed that the project’s nickname “huge-tech” implies a higher technology than “high-tech”. He assured the Ministry’s utmost support for FEN to sustain the significant outcome of the project after its completion.

In the morning, the final JCC meeting was held to review HUGETECH’s achievements and discuss future directions. The participants unanimously pledged to continue their efforts despite challenges, to further develop FEN based on their experience in HUGETCH.

HUGETECH’s legacy sets the stage for FEN to further enhance education and research that meet industry needs.