There is a long-standing history of cooperation between Ecuadorian and Flemish higher education institutions. After nearly 20 years of successful cooperation, Ecuador remains one of the main partner countries in our portfolio. Since 2003, we have spent over € 19 million in cooperation programmes with Ecuador, including 2 long-term Institutional University Cooperation programmes with the Escuela Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) and the University of Cuenca (UCuenca).

The outphasing IUC programme with UCuenca and a national Network in Biodiversity coordinated by ESPOL and 3 other Ecuadorian universities are the cornerstones of the Ecuador country programme.

Ongoing projects

TEAM projects

“Buen vivir” through integrated health care: optimizing intercultural collaboration in rural areas in Ecuador Improving Ecuadorian child nutrition by using mango by-products as potential sources of bioactive compounds Food standards and sustainability in the cocoa supply chain in Ecuador Enhancing the social value of the circular economy in Latin America A combined omics and bioinformatics research approach to improve spontaneous Ecuadorian cocoa bean fermentation processes Innovative governance systems for built cultural heritage, based on traditional Andean organisational principles in Ecuador.

JOINT

Asociación Ecuatoriana para el Fomento de la Investigación Educativa (AEFIE) Statistics for development Trees against malaria: strengthening of academic and research capacity on Cinchona trees in Peru, Ecuador and DR Congo Global Open Water Academic Network SEfficiency Promoting active deep learning in Water Resources using MOOCs The Internet of Drops: Linking small water related observations towards a cloud of data with IoT enabled sensor networks

South Initiatives

Longitudinal monitoring of nutritional health in Kichwa mothers and breastfed infants through saliva sequencing applications ProPED: Professionalisation of the ECEC centers by pedagogical guidance Seaweed-based innovations for a resilient aquaculture and agriculture (SIRENA) Sustainable architecture for Manabi after the 2016 earthquake DNA-based monitoring for assessing the effect of invasive species on aquatic communities in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. Consolidating a long-term forest monitoring network in a human modified landscape in Northern Ecuador II (COFOREC II) Learning Analytics Tailored to Higher Education in Ecuador. (LATHEE) Making cervix cancer screening accessible through self sampling in an intercultural context Real time volcano monitoring for early eruption prediction using unmanned aerial vehicles and image processing methods Fostering a platform for research-based education to support sustainable development through Tourism in the Cajas Massif Area Upgrading Informal Settlements by the Co-production of Inclusive Public Spaces, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. MIRA-ESTE: Microgrids for isolated rural areas: environmental, social, technological and economic aspects Evidence-based Practice as tool to bridge the gap between the academic and clinical field Incorporating sustainability concepts to management models of textile Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SUMA)

Network University Cooperation

Networks 2019 Phase 2 Ecuador Biodiversity

Country Strategy

The Country Strategy for Ecuador fits in with the Ecuadorian national strategy for improving the quality of life (‘Buen vivir’). The following main themes are identified for all future interventions in the cooperation with Ecuador:

Biodiversity/natural resources. Sub-themes: Biotechnology; Biomedicine; Energy and agricultural production systems.
Education. Sub-themes: Educational research and problem based learning; Research based education; Teacher training; Ph.D. training.
Health. Sub-themes: Health system and public health; Family medicine; HIV.
Social sciences. Sub-themes: Security issues; Migration and intercultural topics.
Food and nutrition.
Cultural heritage.

The country strategy identifies the following main transversal and cross-cutting themes:

University management and issues related to strengthening of academic skills.Sub-themes: Scientific writing; Statistics; Academic English; Library and ICT skills.
Institutional capacity building. Sub-themes: HR; Educational and research policies; University management.