Our website uses cookies to improve your experience. To make optimal use of this website please agree to our cookie policy.

I agree I do not agree.

[CLOSED] Pre-announcement of the Call for International Training Programme projects (ITP) 2023

Pre-announcement of the Call for International Training Programme projects (ITP) 2023

We are glad to announce the launch of the Call for International Training Programme projects (ITP) 2023 to start as of the 1st of January, 2023. This is the first ITP call within the new Five-Year Programme 2022 – 2027 (FYP2) to be launched by VLIR-UOS, with new ambitions, innovative approaches, and lessons learned from Covid-19.

 What’s new:

  • ITP have become projects, which means they now follow a project logic with a focus on capacity building by funding short-term training. Now, activities in preparation of, during and in the follow-up of the training can be funded as well.
  • There is no fixed format anymore as to where and how to organise the training: ITP can either be organised at a Flemish higher education institution, or in one of the 17 partner countries. Either online, in person, or in a hybrid format.
  • Several editions of a training can be implemented during a project implementation period of maximum of 3 years, benefitting at least 8 scholars.
  • The ITP project logic accommodates a maximum requestable budget of EUR 150,000, combining the training and scholars’ costs.

Ambitions of SDGs and the VLIR-UOS ambitions

For VLIR-UOS, the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and associated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as the main reference point. The 3 SDG principles of Leave No One Behind (LNOB), interconnectedness, and multi-stakeholder partnerships are mainstreamed by VLIR-UOS throughout its ambitions, policies, programme, portfolio, and VLIR-UOS expects partnerships and scholarships to do the same.

Specific objectives of FYP2 are:

  • to stimulate cooperation among academic actors in Flanders, in particular with universities of applied sciences and arts, and between academic actors and civil society actors;
  • to mobilize young/new academics to engage in “sharing minds, changing lives”. This is why the number of projects (proposals) per promoter has been limited.

Aim of ITP projects

ITP are projects, that focus on short- to medium-term, intensive, interactive and practice-oriented training courses, distinguished by topic, dealing with sustainable development, transversal skills for Higher Education (HE) management, transversal or priority themes (e.g. gender, sustainable development, human rights, digital 4 development, decent work, etc).

Through International Training Programme projects, HE Institutions aim to systematically integrate global perspectives. In doing so, they aim to create a supportive, inclusive and networked learning environment in which individual scholars, professionals and academics acquire transversal skills and state-of-the-art knowledge on sustainable development. This enables them to become experts and critical global citizens, motivated to act as change agents in their network.

Target group of ITP projects  

Professionals from civil society, private or public sector and/or academics, scientists, and researchers at HEIs with relevant professional experience in the subject of the organised training.

Key features of ITP projects  

  • Short-term and medium-term results to be achieved within the project duration of a maximum of 3 years, including training modules for short-term periods of a maximum of 6 months.
  • Organised (i) at a Flemish HEI, (ii) in one of VLIR-UOS project partner countries, or (iii) in a hybrid format.
  • Online and blended training can also be integrated into an ITP.
  • The new ITP format allows flexibility in approaches, including preparatory and follow-up activities on top of the actual training.
  • Two types of programmes are targeted in this ITP 2023 Call:
      * Academic training programmes, dealing with topics related to sustainable development challenges/ Agenda 2030/ transversal or priority themes, directed towards professionals from civil society, private or public sector.
      * Transversal organisational capacity building training programmes, oriented towards professionals of HEIs (digitisation in higher education, change management, scientific writing, QA, how to set up an international relations office, tech transfer, etc.)
  • A minimum of 8 scholarships per ITP project – no maximum

Who can apply?

Affiliation of the promoters:

  • Flemish promoter: employed as a professor/lecturer/specialist at a Flemish university or university of applied science & arts;
  • Optional: in case there is a partner promoter: employed at a recognized higher education institution or national public (not for profit) research institute located in one of the 17 VLIR-UOS project partner countries.

Additional criteria:

  • Applicants (Flemish/local) can have a maximum of one ongoing ITP project. Only 1 project proposal per applicant (Flemish/local) can be submitted.

Project partner countries

In case the ITP project includes a partnership with a partner institution, this should concern a higher education or science institution located in one of our project partner countries: Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba, DR Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam.

Training countries

An ITP training can be organized in Belgium and/or in one of the 17 project partner countries, with the option of it being held online or blended.

Budgetary Framework

The project budget amounts to a maximum of 150,000 EUR for a maximum duration of 3 years. This period can include multiple training modules and should include a minimum of 8 scholarships.
Please be informed that the budget for the ITP project 2023 call can facilitate approximately 11 projects, directly influencing your chances of success in submitting a proposal.

Project duration

Maximum 3 years

Launch date of the call for proposals

28 March 2022

Information session

30 March 2022

Deadline for submission to VLIR-UOS

4 July 2022

Selection decision

End of September 2022

How to submit a proposal

  • Who? An application involves a Flemish promoter. The Flemish promoter submits the application to the Institutional Coordinators for Development Cooperation (ICOS) of the Flemish university (association) for quality control. The ICOS will validate and submit to VLIR-UOS.
  • How? Project applications are submitted online.

Assessment procedure

All project proposals will be assessed and selected by the VLIR-UOS Selection Commission for ICP Connect/ITP based on four standard selection criteria: Relevance and coherence of the project; Quality of the project design; Implementation set-up of the project; Potential impact and sustainability.

Possible start of the ITP project

Selected projects will be able to start as of 1 January 2023.