Dia 1

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www.vliruos.be
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Meeting of Flemish and Cuban rectors, MES and
the CTG partnersHavana/Santa Clara,30 March 5
April 2008Introduction to VLIR-UOSKristien
VerbrugghenVLIR-UOS director
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CONTENTS

• The organisation
• The VLIR-UOS mission statement and mandate
• How VLIR-UOS functions
• The VLIR-UOS programmes
• The application and selection system
• The project implementation system

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• I.
• THE ORGANISATION

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VLIR

• Rectors conference, created in 1976
• Umbrella organisation of the six Flemish
  universities
• Advisory body to the universities as well as to
  the respective authorities responsible for higher
  education and research

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Members of VLIR

• The six Flemish universities
• Catholic University of Leuven (K.U.Leuven)
• Ghent University (UGent)
• Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• University of Antwerp (UA)
• University of Hasselt (UHasselt)
• Catholic University of Brussels (K.U. Brussel)

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Mission of VLIR

• VLIR promotes dialogue and cooperation among the
  Flemish universities, and between the
  universities and the public authorities
• Forum
• Policy advice
• Thinktank
• Operational unit for quality assessment in higher
  education
• Cooperation with developing countries
• ? University cooperation for development

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Two separate units within VLIR

• General secretariat of VLIR
• Higher education, with special focus on quality
  assessment
• Quality assessment in research
• VLIR-UOS secretariat
• University cooperation for development

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VLIR and VLIR-UOS
Policy
Council
Bureau of Rectors
Bureau UOS
Implementing body
VLIR-UOS secretariat
General secretariat
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VLIR and university cooperation for
development(UOS)

• Until 1998
• Policy advice to public administration, based on
  proposals by Flemish academics
• From 1998
• Full responsibility for the management of the
  funds for UOS of the Flemish universities
• Funding agency

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• II.
• THE VLIR-UOS
• MISSION STATEMENT
• AND
• MANDATE

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VLIR-UOS mission statement

• General objectives
• To support the universities in the South to
  fulfill their role as actors in the development
  of their region and country (education, research
  and service to society)
• THROUGH
• cooperation with the Flemish universities and
  non-university institutions for higher education
• VLIR-UOS funds cooper ation,
• not institutions in the south

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• Specific objectives
• Institutional capacity building in the South
• Building education and research capacity of
  partner universities to stimulate the development
  of knowledge and expertise
• Expertise development in Flanders
• maintaining and enlarging development expertise
• Maintenance and expansion of the level of support
  for development cooperation in Flanders
• by promoting mutual understanding and solidarity,
  world citizenship

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VLIR-UOS basic principles

• Solidarity and quality
• Attention for sustainability
• Interuniversity approach
• Multidisciplinary approach
• Shared interest
• Participation and ownership

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Actors involved in VLIR-UOS

• In the north
• Flemish universities
• Flemish non-university higher education
  institutions
• In the south
• Type of institutions
• Universities
• Research centres
• Geographical focus
• OECD country list, limited to 41 countries (new,
  as of 2008-2009)

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DGDC country list

• 41 countries
• 18 partner countries
• Algeria, Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, DR Congo,
  Ecuador, Mali, Marocco, Mozambique, Niger,
  Palestina, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania,
  Uganda, Vietnam, South Africa
• 22 countries in which in 2004 1 mio EUR was spent
  
• Bangladesh, Brasil, Burkina Faso, Cambodja,
  Cameroon, China, Colombia, Cuba, El Salvador,
  Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinée, Haiti, India,
  Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar,
  Nicaragua, Suriname, the Philippines, Zambia,
  Zimbabwe

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Mandate of VLIR-UOS

• Platform for
• Information and expertise development, exchange,
  capitalisation
• Cooperation and networking
• Lobby organisation try and influence policy at
  different levels (governments, academic
  authorities, civil society, )
• International network of HEIs, research centres,
  embassies, sister organisations (in order to
  valorise parterships, research groups, results,
  expertise, )
• Funding agency with a specific target group,
  accountable to DGDC

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• III.
• HOW VLIR-UOS
• FUNCTIONS

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Task division between VLIR-UOS and the Flemish
universities

• VLIR-UOS
• Overall policy programmation
• Selection, follow-up evaluation of projects and
  programmes
• Accountability towards financing public authority
• Universities
• Formulation of project proposals
• Implementation of projects

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VLIR-UOS team

• VLIR-UOS secretariat in Brussels
• The Institutional Coordinators for Development
  Cooperation (ICOS) within each university
• In support of both the north and south partners

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VLIR-UOS budget

• 100 funded by DGDC
• Annual budget 30 mio EUR

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VLIR-UOS and the funding authorities

• DGDC, federal administration for development
  cooperation
• Steering committee
• DGDC
• Bureau UOS
• Five-year plan and corresponding budget, and
  consecutive annual programmes and budget
• New five-year plan 2008-2012
• Annual budgets and annual programmes

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• IV.
• THE VLIR-UOS
• PROGRAMMES

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VLIR-UOS programmes

• South programmes
• Institutional University Cooperation (IUC)
• Own Initiatives (OI)
• Congo programme
• North programmes
• North Actions Programme (NAP)
• Training costs (TC)
• Scholarship Programme (SP)

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• SOUTH PROGRAMMES

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Institutional University Cooperation (IUC)

• Long term cooperation between universities in the
  South and Flemish universities
• Objectives
• Local capacity development at institutional level
• Universities in the South fulfill their role as
  actor in development of their own society
• Contribution to self-reliance
• Max 10 years (2x5 years) (guaranteed funding),
  followed by ex post toolbox (access to competive
  funds)
• Annual budget 745.000 EUR
• Partners 17 universities in the South
• Level university at large

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IUC PROGRAMME PHASES

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• IUC partner universities
• Phased out
• Sokoine University (Tanzania)
• University of Zambia (Zambia)
• Universidad Mayor de San Simon (Bolivia)
• University of Nairobi (Kenya)
• University of Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe)
• Can Tho University (Vietnam)
• Hanoi University of Technology (Vietnam)
• Ongoing
• ESPOL (Ecuador)
• Saint Louis University en Benguet State
  University (the Philippines)
• Mekelle University (Ethiopia)
• University of the Western Cape (South Africa)
• Universidad Central Marta Abreu de Las Villas
  (Cuba)
• Jimma University (Ethiopia)
• Moi University (Kenya)
• University of Cuenca (Ecuador)

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Own Initiatives (OI)

• Development-relevant research or training
  projects initiated by academics at Flemish
  universities in close collaboration with and
  benefiting to an academic partner or a research
  institute from a developing country.
• Objective
• To strengthen the education and/or research
  capacity of the local partner by means of
  exchanging knowledge and cooperation, including
  institutional reinforcement of the academic unity
  in the South.
• Max. 5 years
• Maximum budget 330.000 EUR
• 1 call a year in 2 rounds (concept notes and
  fully fledged project proposals) r
• Average 10 to 12 projects per year
• Level at the level of a faculty, department or
  research unit
• Observation Not as such open for units which
  received substantial benefits during IUC partner
  programmes until 5 years after ending op PP
  other units can apply after finishing of IUC
  partner programme support.

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South Initiatives

• Seed money (for any subsequent regular project
  within the existing VLIR UOS programmes)
• Harvest money (to broaden the impact of earlier
  projects)
• Encouragement for innovative forms of cooperation
• Small projects (max. 1 year, max. 15,000)
• 6 typologies (to be revised), 1 call a year

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UOS with DR Congo

• VLIR UOS is has country programme for the DR
  Congo, with on average 2.500.000/year for
  scientific and institutional cooperation (under
  debate now ! )
• Country policy is new and unique for VLIR-UOS.
  All other calls are open to all 41 countries.
• Launched in 2006, further developed in 2007, and
  to be fully operational as of 2008-2009
• Country representative VLIR-UOS in Kinshasa, DR
  Congo, as of July 2007

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• NORTH PROGRAMMES

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North Actions

• Objectives
• Maintain and expand knowledge of and experience
  with development cooperation within Flemish
  universities
• Maintain and expand the support for development
  cooperation within the academic community in
  Flanders, and Flanders at large

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North Actions Programme (NAP)

• Research
• Policy advisory research
• Ph.D. grants for graduates from Flemish
  universities
• Ph.D. grants for ICP graduates
• International conferences
• Education
• Master programmes (ICPs) scholarships
• Training programmes (ITPs) scholarships
• Short training initiatives
• Sensitization activities
• Travel grants for Flemish students
• Debates, courses,

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North Actions

• RESEARCH
• Policy preparing research
• Research platforms
• Objectives
• Research funding for Flemish universities aiming
  at maintaining and enlarging development
  expertise in Flanders
• Tailor made scientific advice to Belgian
  development agencies
• Network, platform of Belgian development
  agencies, possibly also comprising actors from
  the south
• Funding
• 150.000 EUR / year
• Pilot in 2009
• Call every 2 to 3 years

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North Actions

• RESEARCH
• PhD grants for Flemish graduates
• Who ?
• Graduates from a Flemish university
• Graduated maximum ten years ago
• Annual intake
• As of 2004 6
• Funding
• Scholar scholarship and travel fund (2 x 2
  years),
• Bench fee for host unit 3.750 EUR / two years

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North Actions

• RESEARCH
• ICP PhD grants
• Who ?
• Outstanding graduates from an ICP
• Graduated maximum five years ago
• Development relevant topic
• Local institution
• Annual intake
• As of 2003 10
• Funding
• Scholar scholarship and travel fund (2 x 2
  years)
• Sandwich system (1/3 in Belgium, 2/3 at home)
• Bench fee for host unit
• Ph.D. degree award by the Flemish university

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North Actions

• RESEARCH
• International conferences (INCO)
• Objective to contribute to knowledge creation
  and distribution
• Location north or south, but with substantial
  contribution from Flanders
• Funding max. 20.000 (personnel and
  operational costs, travel costs, )

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North Actions

• EDUCATION
• International Masters (ICPs)
• What ?
• Master programmes (1 or 2 years) 15 in VLIR-UOS
  programme
• Primary target group students from developing
  countrie
• Focus on specific problems of developing
  countries
• Objective ?
• Aim provide training to people from the South
  with a responsible position in the South, in
  order to apply or transfer this knowledge within
  their country of origin
• Funding
• Funding institutional allowance scholarships
• 180 scholarships / year
• Programme and scholarship allocation frozen up
  until at least 2009-2010 new call scheduled for
  2009
• Care for impact through

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North Actions

• EDUCATION
• International Training Programmes (ITPs)
• What ?
• Short term practical training course between 1
  to 6 months
• Destined for students from the South who already
  have some professional experience
• Objective ?
• to transfer knowledge and skills to young
  professionals from developing countries and
  create possibilites for cooperation and
  networking
• Funding
• Funding institutional allowance scholarships
• 70 scholarships / year
• 5 à 6 ITPs / year
• Secury of funding 1 or 2 years
• Annual call

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North Actions

• EDUCATION
• Short Training Initiatives (KOI/STI)
• As of 2004
• In between ITP and INCO INCO (min. 5, max. 14
  days)
• To take place at a Flemish institution
• Funding
• Institutional allowance (max. 12.500) travel
  budget ( 24.000 / min. 12 participants)
• Annual call

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North Actions

• SENSITIZATION
• Sensitization initiatives
• Objective co-funding of activities organised by
  a Flemish institution which aim at communicating
  development relevant themes, in a scientific way,
  to the global Flemish scientific community, and
  beyond
• Form workshop, colloquium, conference, public
  course, series of courses, etc
• Funding institutional allowance (max. 10.000)
• Annual call
• Security of funding 1 or 2 years

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North Actions

• SENSITIZATION
• Travel grants for Flemish students
• Objectives
• Sensitize Flemish students for development issues
  through hands-on experience research paper,
  Masters thesis, internship
• Visit to a developing country eye-opener
• Part of the own institutions policy
• Funding
• 600 travel grants / year
• max. 1.000 EUR (ticket, visa, research permit,
  travel insurance, )
• Two formulas
• Individuel travel grants
• Group travels (still to be operationalised)
• Annual call

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Training Costs (TC)

• A subsidy to Flemish universities for costs
  related to the enrolment of students from
  developing countries

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Scholarship programme

• Scholarships for
• Master programmes
• Training programmes
• ICP Ph.D. programme

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• V.
• THE APPLICATION
• AND
• SELECTION SYSTEM

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Calls for proposals

• Open calls, competitive selection
• Assistance to applicants by ICOS and VLIR-UOS
  secretariat
• Submission of proposals
• Link with a Flemish university or non-university
  higher education institution
• Competitive selection by peers
• Selection criteria
• Quality (!) minimum !
• Development relevance
• Effectiveness
• Efficiency
• Feasibility
• Sustainability

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• VI.
• PROJECT
• IMPLEMENTATION
• SYSTEM

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Project implementation

• Final approval by Minister
• Agreement between VLIR and the Flemish
  university, and, if applicable, the southern
  university
• Funds are transferred
• By DGDC to VLIR
• By VLIR to the Flemish universities
• By the Flemish universities to the southern
  universities
• Annual reports
• submitted by project partners to VLIR
• First checked, and then submitted by VLIR to DGDC

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VLIR UOSSharing minds, changing lives

• VLIR-UOS photo