Brochure (pdf) - KU Leuven

Education & Research
for Development at the
KU Leuven Association

Education & Research
for Development at the
KU Leuven Association
The KU Leuven Association is an open and dynamic network
linking university colleges across Flanders and Brussels with
KU Leuven (University of Leuven). Together, they hold a prominent
and influential position in Flemish and European higher education.
The KU Leuven Association consists of a cluster of centres of
excellence that offer high-quality education in nearly all academic
disciplines and conduct cutting-edge fundamental and applied
research in a wide range of domains. Its members strengthen
each other by exchanging expertise and pooling resources,
thus enhancing teaching and research excellence.
The KU Leuven Association is dedicated to development cooperation in higher education. Putting our expertise
to the service of society is an important aspect of our mission statement. Development cooperation is reciprocal.
On the one hand, we help our international partners build capacity for education and research. On the other
hand, development cooperation strengthens the quality of our own research and education because working
in an international environment fosters innovation and creativity.
Development cooperation in higher education extends
far beyond engineering and medicine. Students,
researchers and instructors from every field
of study can benefit from and contribute
to development cooperation.
Professor Mark Waer, Rector of KU Leuven
Professor Bart De Moor, Vice Rector of International Policy
Professor André Oosterlinck, Chairman of the KU Leuven Association

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This brochure provides information about our mission,
our vision of development cooperation and the regions
and domains in which we are currently active.
High-quality education and research are important
aspects of international development cooperation.
Access to information and knowledge acquisition
are crucial to socio-economic development.
Universities and university colleges play a central role
in this. They generate knowledge through research,
transfer knowledge through education, and apply
knowledge through public outreach. They stimulate
critical thinking about society and have an important
impact on policymaking.
1.
Mission
To identify expertise and potential in research
and education, and to deploy it for the benefit
of development cooperation.
2.
Goals
To integrate development cooperation as a crossdisciplinary
theme in education, research and service
to the community.
Development cooperation is a driver of innovation
in our own research and education activities.
At the same time, research and education activities
are oriented toward development. The KU Leuven
Association wants to break new ground in
development cooperation in higher education
through “Education & Research for Development”.
3.
Values
Development cooperation at the KU Leuven
Association is based on international solidarity,
mutual involvement, equality and respect for human
dignity. We pursue quality, multidisciplinarity and
sustainability.

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4.
Activities
We are active in education, research, capacity building, raising
awareness, networking and fundraising. We pursue maximum
synergy and complementarity with other donors and actors.
5.
Where?
Most of our areas of activity are indicated on the map below.
Visit our website for more information on the various projects
in each country.
COLOMBIA
ECUADOR
PERU
MOROCCO
CUBA
SURINAME
TOGO UGANDA ETHIOPIA
CAMEROON
KENYA
D.R. CONGO BURUNDI RWANDA
BOLIVIA
TANZANIA
ZIMBABWE
MADAGASCAR
SOUTH AFRICA
BANGLADESH
VIETNAM
PHILIPPINES
www.kuleuven.be/international/development_cooperation/index.html

Activity domains
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1.
Education
Innovation through experience in the South and
education innovation
KU Leuven offers more than 70 international Master’s
programmes in English. These programmes can
be particularly useful for students from developing
countries.
KU Leuven and the university colleges of the KU Leuven
Association organise various courses and course units
on development cooperation. We develop innovative
courses and course units together with partner
institutions.
An experience abroad can be very enriching for both
students and instructors. Writing a thesis or carrying
out a traineeship in a developing country challenges
students to develop their social skills and broaden
their horizons. A short teaching assignment in the
South provides knowledge and insight into a new
context and stimulates innovation and creativity.
MORE THAN AN ENGINEERING COURSE
“I work at the Ministry of Public Works
in Indonesia and was fortunate to learn
of and then receive a scholarship for
KU Leuven’s Master of Science in Water
Resources Engineering. The programme
covers everything people who work in
water resources need to know. Although it
is an engineering programme, we do not
just learn technical things. I believe that a
university education changes how people
think for the better.”
Erin Priandini, graduate student in the
Water Resources Engineering Programme
at KU Leuven

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SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE HEADING SOUTH
“The aim of ICoNS – a network on International
Cooperation for North South Relations – is to support
young people embarking on an adventure in the South.
This network, which involves alumni, professionals in
the field and partners from the South, takes support
for young people to a higher level. An important
aspect of ICoNS is our specific degree programme
which combines preparation and guidance with an
intensive stay in the South. We thus help students
make the most of their experience so they can make
a difference in their job in Flanders.”
MEDIA AND LEARNING
“If you look at the world around us, you see that
tech nology is ubiquitous. We want to use that
technology in a proper way to create an environment
that stimulates people to learn, both here and in
the South. The KU Leuven Media and Learning Unit
provides services to the university with regard to
new educational technologies and is also centre of
expertise for the gathering and sharing of knowledge
with students and instructors. Our motto is: ‘the world
is one global classroom’. Our training courses for
people from the South are enriching and inspiring
not only for the participants, but also for our trainers.
For us, capacity building is not just about providing
tools and technologies, but also about focusing on
people in their working and learning environments.
In doing this, we are sharing good practices and
enhancing the learning experience.”
Jan Van Passel, programme director of IcoNS,
Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven
Wim Van Petegem, Director Teaching and Learning
Department, KU Leuven

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2.
Research
Working together towards a better world
Insight into complex matters can lead to solutions to
the fundamental problems faced by developing countries.
At the same time, the confrontation with local conditions can
be a source of innovation and creativity for applied research
and can speed the development of fundamental knowledge.
This creates a win-win situation that can lead to a long-term,
result-oriented and research-based cooperation between
researchers from the North and South.
Qualitative development cooperation requires a solid theoretical
framework. This helps to increase the impact of the cooperation.
RESEARCH FOR POVERTY REDUCTION
“Our research results can have a direct impact on
development goals such as poverty reduction, food
security and sustainable land use. In recent years,
much research has been conducted on the impact
of the globalisation of food chains in developing
countries. This has taught us that the export of fruit
and vegetables from Africa to Europe can effectively
contribute to reducing poverty, especially through
employment.”
Miet Maertens, Professor at the Faculty of Bioscience
Engineering, KU Leuven
WHY IS SEXUALITY TABOO?
In Cuenca, as elsewhere in Latin America, sexuality is
a taboo subject and the church is only beginning to
embrace (at this point, abstinence-only) sex education.
Five years ago, we had the opportunity to research
the social and cultural factors related to the sexual
health of adolescents. Ultimately, our studies and
educational projects showed that sexuality is now a
subject that can be discussed in a number of different
contexts. Moreover, awareness about the importance
of sex education has increased, as reflected in new
social initiatives. Also, student mobility between Cuenca
and Belgium has become a reality. Several students from
Cuenca University have been offered the opportunity
to study in Belgium. During their studies, they learn more
about the process of scientific research andare given
a framework and educational materials around which
to build (sex) education. This provides a foundation
for continuing their work back in Cuenca.”
Monserrath Jerves, PhD student in medicine, University
of Cuenca, Ecuador; Paul Enzlin, Professor at the Faculty
of Medicine, KU Leuven

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3.
Capacity building
Sharing knowledge and expertise for the benefit of
the South
The KU Leuven Association is dedicated to strengthening
the capacity of its partners in the South through development
cooperation. The members of the association invest in higher
education institutions and public services in the South.
Together with local partners, they develop and support research
and study programmes tailored to the needs of the region.
Researchers, instructors and professionals in the South receive
local support and can draw on the expertise and experience of
the KU Leuven Association members. The KU Leuven
Association also provides practical institutional support.
SUSTAINABLE COOPERATION
“The townships in Bela Bela struggle with unemploy -
ment, illiteracy and AIDS. This leads to medical, social
and psychological problems. By sending students to
Bela Bela each year, we are able to develop a better
understanding of the local needs and create a
sustainable cooperation. The students carry out
traineeships there, develop a specific project and take
part in community awareness activities. At the end of
their stay, a needs analysis is conducted for project
follow-up in consultation with local community leaders.
The incoming group of students then picks up where
the previous group left off.”
Michaël Joris, Internationalisation Manager,
Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg

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LUMOS
“Leuven University Hospitals, the Biomedical Sciences
Group of KU Leuven and the Department of Health
and Technology of Leuven University College have
joined forces for the coordination of their medical
development cooperation activities, grouped under
the name LUMOS. Staff members of the LUMOS
partners volunteer their academic, clinical and
management expertise to the LUMOS projects.
These projects support the sustainable development
of health care in developing countries through
knowledge transfer and capacity building in an
interactive cooperation.”
Jan Verhaegen, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine,
KU Leuven and President of the LUMOS Board of
Governors
TRAINING FOR MANAGING KNOWLEDGE
INSTITUTIONS
“The society and economy of the 21st century will be
based on knowledge. This scarce and complex – but
(re)producible – resource is developed and maintained
by knowledge institutions. As with any human institution,
these must be led and managed. Building on the
experience of the members of the KU Leuven Association
and other institutions of higher learning, we develop
a management programme that addresses issues
relevant for leading and managing universities and
university colleges. It is geared toward those in
charge of new institutions, or those tasked with
reorienting and transforming existing schools into
knowledge institutions. To facilitate access, the training
programme utilises up-to-date communication and
teaching technology. The focus is particularly on cases
where conditions have not – or have hardly – permitted
knowledge institutions to develop, that is, institutions
whose ‘future has to be invented’. There are many such
institutions in developing societies.”
Piet Vanden Abeele, Professor emeritus at the Faculty of
Business and Economics, former dean and vice rector,
KU Leuven

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4.
Raising awareness
Supporting young people as citizens of the world
An intercultural experience in development cooperation can
be tremendously enriching for staff members and students,
both personally and professionally. For those who do not
travel abroad, various intercultural sensitisation activities
are organised in Flanders.
INTERCULTURAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Empathy of the Belgian public towards poverty in the South (HIVA, 2012)
EVALUATING SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT
“In comparison to other countries, Belgium devotes
a lot of resources to strengthening support for
development cooperation. Until recently, little was
known about how this support was evolving over
time. There was also limited knowledge about supply
and demand of awareness raising activities and their
impact. Since 2009, the PULSE Research Platform
has conducted research to answer these questions.”
Jan Van Ongevalle, PULSE Research Platform, Research
Institute for Work and Society, KU Leuven
“The journey to Ghana taught me to work together
with people from different cultures and to accept that
those cultures are different and that you cannot
transform people into copies of your own culture.
The experience encouraged me to work much more
independently. It was also a good way to learn how
to deal with stressful and unforeseen situations.”
Maxime Bolle, bioscience engineering student,
KU Leuven
The travel grant programme helps to raise awareness about
North/South issues among many hundreds of students. It is
an increasingly popular programme that encourages students
to write a thesis or carry out a traineeship in a developing country.

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“For our Bachelor’s project, we taught basic wound
care skills to students and teachers at two primary
schools in Uganda with the goal of helping to prevent
wound complications. We managed to significantly
improve the theoretical and practical knowledge
of the students and teachers we interacted with.
Their gratitude was unforgettable. Additionally, the
project gave us the opportunity to develop our own
competencies, including scientific literature research,
organisation, teaching, and group coaching. By ensuring
that the students and teachers received training, we were
able to secure the continuation of the project. They can
now pass the knowledge on to a larger audience.”
Aaron Maes, Alexander Dael, Koen Demeulemeester
and Klaas Calmeyn, undergraduate nursing students,
Katholieke Hogeschool Zuid-West-Vlaanderen

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5.
Networking
Sharing knowledge with and for local communities
Building networks in the North and South is crucial to developing
and sharing knowledge, expertise and innovation. The spread
of research results within local communities is a priority.
The KU Leuven Association encourages partnerships with
researchers from the South, for instance through co-publications.
Other actors, such as businesses and international organisations,
can also play an important role in the dissemination of knowledge.
Businesses active in the South have a great need for local
expertise.
WATER CONFERENCE
“The third conference within the framework of the
institutional cooperation programme with the Mekelle
University – ‘Water 2011: Integrated water resources
management in tropical and subtropical drylands’ – was
held in Ethiopia in September 2011. The conference
was attended by many large international organisations,
including the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
and major international research organisations, which
constituted an important added value. By keeping
the participation fees low, we were able to bring a
large number of top African scientists to the table,
enabling them to network with their international
colleagues.”
Seppe Deckers, Professor at the Faculty of Bioscience
Engineering, KU Leuven

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OUR MOTIVATION
“The rationale for participating in university development
cooperation as an academic is simple: universities
emanate the belief that development originates in
research: research for development – R4D – is the
central paradigm of any university. This holds for both
the North and the South. Hence, as an academic,
one must focus one’s research where a real difference
can be made. This attitude is transferred every day
to students, fostering the necessary awareness and
social responsibility which should be expected from
future leaders in a globalised world.”
Roel Merckx, Professor at the Faculty of Bioscience
Engineering, KU Leuven
“Our professional Bachelor’s programmes combine
competence-based education and practice-oriented
research. They focus on finding innovative solutions
for society’s concrete challenges – and this includes
challenges faced by developing countries.
Participation in development projects adds to the
quality and relevance of our educational programmes:
it challenges teachers and students to apply their
professional knowledge and skills in new environments,
to take up their responsibility as citizens of a global
world, and to broaden their personal and professional
horizons. Innovative thinking, flexibility and responsibility
are all indispensable competences for a professional
in today’s world.”
Piet De Leersnyder, President of the Professional Higher
Education Committee of the KU Leuven Association

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The Development Cooperation Unit of KU Leuven’s
International Office functions as the KU Leuven Association’s
contact, advice and expertise centre for development
cooperation within the KU Leuven Association.
Contact:
Martine Dekoninck
International Office
Development Cooperation Unit
Naamsestraat 63, box 5001
B-3000 LEUVEN
martine.dekoninck@int.kuleuven.be
+32 16 32 40 17
www.kuleuven.be/international/development_cooperation/
Our primary financing channel at the moment is VLIR-UOS,
the umbrella organisation responsible for university develop -
ment cooperation in Flanders. KU Leuven also allocates
1.3 million euro for grants, scholarships and small-scale
initiatives through the Interfaculty Council for Development
Cooperation.
Additional resources will help us to increase the impact of
our projects and develop new initiatives for the benefit of
communities in the South. Please contact the Development
Cooperation Unit for more information on how you can
support our projects.

Associatie KU Leuven
Schapenstraat 34 bus 5600
BE-3000 LEUVEN, België
tel. + 32 16 32 40 84
fax + 32 16 32 40 88
info@associatie.kuleuven.be
www.associatie.kuleuven.be
Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel
Warmoesberg 26
BE 1000 BRUSSEL
tel. + 32 2 221 12 11
info@hubrussel.be
www.hubrussel.be
Groep T – Internationale
Hogeschool Leuven
Vesaliusstraat 13
BE 3000 LEUVEN
tel. + 32 16 30 10 30
fax + 32 16 30 10 40
groept@groept.be
www.groept.be
Katholieke Hogeschool
Brugge-Oostende
Xaverianenstraat 10
BE 8200 BRUGGE
tel. + 32 50 47 18 00
fax + 32 50 47 18 10
info@khbo.be
www.khbo.be
Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen
Kleinhoefstraat 4
BE 2440 GEEL
tel. + 32 14 56 23 10
fax + 32 14 58 48 59
info@khk.be
www.khk.be
Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven
Abdij van Park 9
BE 3001 LEUVEN
tel. + 32 16 39 86 60
fax + 32 16 39 86 66
info@khleuven.be
www.khleuven.be
Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg
Universitaire Campus gebouw B bus 1
BE 3590 DIEPENBEEK
tel. + 32 11 23 07 70
fax + 32 11 23 07 89
informatie@khlim.be
www.khlim.be
Katholieke Hogeschool Sint-Lieven
Gebr. Desmetstraat 1
BE 9000 GENT
tel. + 32 9 265 86 10
fax + 32 9 265 86 40
info@kahosl.be
www.kahosl.be
Katholieke Hogeschool Zuid-West-
Vlaanderen
Doorniksesteenweg 145
BE 8500 KORTRIJK
tel. + 32 56 26 41 60
fax + 32 56 26 41 75
info@katho.be
www.katho.be
Lessius Antwerpen
Jozef De Bomstraat 11
BE 2018 ANTWERPEN
tel. + 32 3 206 04 80
fax + 32 3 206 04 81
info@lessius.eu
www.lessius.eu
Lessius Mechelen
Zandpoortvest 13
BE 2800 MECHELEN
tel. + 32 15 36 91 00
fax + 32 15 36 91 09
info@mechelen.lessius.be
www.mechelen.lessius.be
LUCA School of Arts
Koningsstraat 328
BE 1030 Brussel
tel. +32 2 250 15 11
fax. +32 2 218 58 39
info@luca-arts.be
www.luca-arts.be
KU Leuven
Oude Markt 13
BE 3000 LEUVEN
tel. + 32 16 32 40 10
fax + 32 16 32 40 14
info@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be
www.associatie.kuleuven.be