After nearly 25 years of successful cooperation, Ecuador assured itself a special place in the VLIR-UOS portfolio, currently second in Latin America in terms of budget scope after Cuba. From 2003 to 2021 VLIR-UOS spent 23,4 million Euros in cooperation with Ecuador, including 2 long-term Institutional University Cooperation programmes with the Escuela Politécnica del Litoral
(ESPOL) and the University of Cuenca (UCuenca).

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

Ecuador and Agenda 2030 - country reference framework

VLIR-UOS revised its country approach towards an ‘Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development’ centered approach, where country reference frameworks (CRF) are worked out. The CRF document supports teams of academics when identifying and formulating project proposals, by providing a context analysis focused on Agenda 2030 on Sustainable Development and the higher education sector in a given country, and by providing an overview of Belgian development actors, their ongoing projects and partners in that country in view of exploration of opportunities for synergy and complementarity within the Joint Strategic Framework of Belgian Non-Governmental Actors active in Ecuador. On the other hand Belgian HE and Science actors joined in a thematic Joint Strategic Framework (JSF) on HES4SD.

VLIR-UOS cooperation in Ecuador has always been strongly aligned with the Ecuadorian national strategies for improving the quality of life (‘Buen vivir’) and with its priorities in terms of Higher Education and Science supporting the strengthening of higher education institutions in their role as driver of change by improving education, research and extension of new knowledge, applications and services in various domains. This is in line with the objectives of the thematic JSF.