Working with the Flemish Higher Education Institutions
Explore how VLIRUOS collaborates with the Flemish higher education institutions. Learn more about the structure and cooperation between universities and universities of applied sciences and arts.
VLIRUOS provides funding for each Flemish university to set-up a minimum policy framework, organisational structure and operation of higher education and science for sustainable development (HES4SD) at institutional level of each university.
The Institutional Coordinators for Development Cooperation (ICOS) are the contact persons for HES4SD at the Flemish universities. The Global Engagement Officers (GEO) are the contact persons at the Flemish universities of applied sciences and arts. ICOS and GEO inform academics, specialists and lecturers about opportunities for cooperation. They help with formulating project proposals and provide support for the execution of VLIRUOS-funded projects and scholarships.
Through the “associatieve projecten”, each Flemish university commits to offer, in principle and as far as possible, the same or comparable services in the context of HES4SD to the lecturers of the universities of applied sciences and arts (UASA) that are associated with the university, as is offered to the academics of the university. These services consist, among others, of support when submitting project proposals, eligibility check, explanation of the financial framework, support when looking for project partners, etc.
The “associatieve projecten” also aim, as a second formal objective, at intensifying cooperation among the university and the UASA. The scope of the “associatieve projecten” is primarily focusing on the UASA of the university’s association, but should ideally go beyond and also focus on all Flemish UASA, regardless of the association they are affiliated to.
Multi-Institutional and Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships
VLIRUOS is fostering cooperation beyond the borders of a single higher education institution, as well as between academic institutions and other societal actors, with the aim of obtaining better results by pooling all relevant and available expertise and stakeholders. The “associatieve projecten” have been created by the Flemish higher education institutions as platforms that are dedicatedly fostering these types of cooperation in the context of VLIRUOS projects and scholarships.
Promoters are advised to reach out to the ICOS for more information.