80 New Short Initiatives Approved and Launched
80 new Short Initiative (SI) projects were launched on 1 September.
Just before the Belgian summer holidays, 80 new Short Initiative (SI) projects were approved, all of which started on 1 September. The highest numbers of new projects are in Ethiopia (11), Ecuador (8), and Tanzania (7). Other projects are taking place in Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba, DR Congo, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Palestine, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Uganda, and Vietnam.
Extra attention was given to Palestine in the project selection. Palestine was added to the VLIRUOS partner country list in 2024. Five projects with Palestinian partner institutions were submitted under the SI 2025 call, launched in autumn 2024. Thanks to an additional budget reserved for Palestine, all five proposals were selected. These projects focus on themes such as mental health, rule of law, public health resilience, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and strengthening education.
Short Initiative projects are short-term, impactful collaborations designed to explore, build, and deepen academic and scientific partnerships. They are ideal for academics new to the VLIRUOS community, as well as experienced promoters seeking to expand partnerships or valorise existing ones. With a strong focus on urgent sustainable development challenges, SI projects deliver tangible results within two years.