TEAM projects 2024 - Stage 1 Concept Notes

• A TEAM project is expected to produce results within the duration of maximum 5 years.
• The projects allow for medium-term capacity building, e.g. through PhD research, curriculum development, network building, etc.
• TEAM projects are diverse but due to the runtime of 5 years they tend to have a strong focus on structural research/educational cooperation with local units in partner institutions, often involving the training of PhD scholars who take up a role as an agent of change within their home institution. However, TEAM projects can also pursue improved organisational systems, processes and structures at institutional level if this is deemed instrumental in tackling the sustainable development challenge the project focuses on.
• Allows for different aims (exploration, innovation, valorisation, etc.) and approaches (education, research, policies, outreach, people, networks).

Affiliation and statute of the promoters

• Flemish promoter: professor/specialist employed at a Flemish university or a professor/lecturer at a Flemish university of applied sciences and arts.
• Partner promoter: employed at a recognised higher education institution or a national public (not for profit) research institute, located in a VLIRUOS project partner country.

Details on the eligibility requirements will be available in the Call document.
 

Additional criteria

• Applicants (Flemish/partner) can submit a maximum of 2 TEAM projects in case they have no ongoing SI 2023 or TEAM 2022 project. Promoters of a SI 2023 or TEAM 2022 project can submit only 1 TEAM 2024 project.
• At the level of the partner institutions, no further criteria apply. Former and present IUC partner institutions are fully eligible, without any restriction.

Higher education and public (not for profit) research institutions located in 17 project partner countries:

Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba, DR Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam

The overall budget for TEAM 2024 allows for a maximum of 44 selectable projects. A success rate of 60% will be guaranteed in the selection stage of Fully Fledged proposals.

The project budget amounts to a maximum of 280,000 EUR for 5 years.

One bonus of 20,000 EUR can be applied for by project proposals with the following set-up:

• Multi-Institutional Partnership (MIP): this concerns a structural collaboration between several higher education institutions at Flemish / Belgian (including ITM) and/or partner level within the framework of a project.
• Multi-Stakeholder Partnership (MSP): this concerns a structural collaboration with at least 1 non-academic actor (= multi-stakeholder; civil society, private sector, governmental actors, etc.) in the framework of a project.

The bonus is not assigned automatically but only if the added value of the MIP or MSP set-up is justified.

Concept Note (this call): focus on a narrative description of the sustainable developmental challenges, the project idea, and set-up.

Fully Fledged proposal: fully elaborated Theory of Change, indicators and activity planning, risk and stakeholder analysis and budget.

Subject to change

All project proposals will be assessed and selected 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.

Concept Note proposals are assessed by Regional Selection Commissions (Africa, Asia, Latin America) tentatively between 22-31 January 2024.

The selection decision with regard to the Concept Note proposals will be communicated shortly after the selection commission meeting, tentatively in the 1st week of February 2024.

Between mid-February and June 2024 the procedure of Fully Fledged proposals will take place.

Who? An application involves a Flemish and a partner promoter in one of the project partner countries. However, it is the (main) Flemish promoter who submits to the ICOS (Institutional Coordinators for Development Cooperation) of the Flemish university (association) for quality control. The ICOS will support you in the formulation of your project, and will validate and submit your project to VLIRUOS.

Each Flemish institution has its own internal deadlines. Please reach out to the respective ICOS.

How? Project applications are submitted via the VLIRUOS online submission tool.

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