PHASES

 

CLIMAR addresses the need to strengthen the interdisciplinary research capacity of partner countries and universities by presenting a multifaceted methodology based on the link between teaching, research and professional development. This approach not only helps the partner universities to develop and internationalise their research in two key areas – climate change and tourism – but also links this research to teaching, knowledge transfer and the professional development of people in the private and public sectors, thus strengthening the role of universities in society.

CLIMAR is organised in four successive phases:

Phase 1

Multidisciplinary research groups for cross-sectoral research on CC&T: Adaptation, Mitigation, Coastal Management, Health, Water Management, Risk Management

The groups will not only develop concrete working relationships leading to innovative transdisciplinary research, but will also contribute to the development of the teaching module and professional development course on T&CC. The groups will be active throughout the duration of the project, generating new ideas, publications and other outputs as they develop. These groups will publish collectively and will be sustained beyond the life of the project. They will also be expected to develop a financial plan aimed at generating other sources of funding for collaborative research.

Phase 2

Study module on “Climate Change: Adaptation and Mitigation of Tourism Activities and Impacts on Tourism for Latin America”, for postgraduate/doctoral students.

The module will present the latest trends and research, with specific cases and examples from the project’s partner countries and regions. The module can be freely applied as an elective or a compulsory course, with the understanding that different universities have different requirements for the taught parts of their doctoral degrees. It will be taught in Spanish and will have a strong Latin American focus, which will be one of its unique features. Each partner university will pilot the module in an existing programme and provide feedback. The module will then be integrated into each university’s postgraduate offer according to need, interest and feasibility. It will be positioned as an important ‘transversal’ source of information for postgraduate/PhD students considering a research career in CC&T or working in industry.

Phase 3

Short training courses for professionals and civil servants

A Continuous Training Development Team – CTDT – will be appointed, consisting of five faculty members from the partners, each representing a different discipline and each also having experience of working with industry or public services in the tourism or climate change sectors. They will propose a course length and highlight a number of issues to be considered by the partner universities in delivering the course. They will then use the results of 2.1, the perception survey, and 2.3, the national stakeholder roundtables, to develop a curriculum that provides an introduction to the key components of CC&T and also raises questions about the challenges of managing CC&T in different contexts. The course will include case studies from different countries, regions and industries. It will be developed in Spanish. The CTDT will provide a list of resources and also highlight the learning outcomes of the course and the time required to complete it. The course will be piloted by each partner country university in collaboration with a local industry partner from the public administration. Upon completion of the pilot implementation of the professional development course, the partner country universities will assess the satisfaction of the students/partner (industry or civil service) officials, obtain feedback from the faculty members who taught the course and provide a short report to the SC. This will provide feedback on the course content in general, how it was received, the profile of the professionals who participated in the course, etc. It will also provide a clear plan for the sustainability of the course, including how it will be integrated into existing CPD provision, whether it will be accredited in the future, whether it will be fee based, and which faculty will be involved in delivering it in the future.

Phase 4

Publication of academic book on Climate Change and Tourism

As a result of the research carried out in WP2 by the multidisciplinary research groups, a project publication will be produced as an open source document and published online. It will contain articles produced by the research groups as well as key findings from the project in the areas of CC&T teaching and professional development. The publication will be in Spanish with an executive summary in English. It will be coordinated by OBREAL Global and University of Caldas and edited by ULPGC. The publication will be widely disseminated through the different academic channels of the partner universities and will be presented at conferences in which the partners participate.