UNISTAR
VUB is the coordinator for UNISTAR, a project aimed at developing a number of tools to support staff members and give them the necessary knowledge and skills in their work with refugee students. The project is funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ framework programme, combining the efforts of VUB with Vilnius University (Lithuania), Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences (Germany), Universidad Alcala (Spain), and the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht (the Netherlands), and is organised in partnership with the UNHCR.
ALEF Programme
In 2016, VUB started a programme on Arabic language courses for children between ages 6-15. It is the first secular Arabic language course in Belgium with academic supervision. The curriculum is checked by specialists and PhD experts in Arabic language. It is a non-profit programme where each lesson contains extra learning activities besides the regular teaching, such as games, Arabic songs etc. Pupils receive a certificate of attendance from VUB. This video (in English) shows the programme and the reason why we as VUB are coordinating this project, while this video gives more information in the curriculum that has been made (and is still being developed).
LEAD2
The LEAD2 project, coordinated by VUB, involves Capacity Building in Higher Education under the Erasmus+ programme. The overall goal is to strengthen the capacity of higher-education institutions in governance and academic leadership, and to build an online Knowledge Base & an EU-China Center on university governance and academic leadership in the context of innovation and internationalisation of higher education. Specific objectives include enhancing the knowledge and capacities of (potential) academic leaders on university governance and leadership, and implementing innovative and targeted blended training (MOOC, workshops & peer learning).
SIEM PROJECT
SIEM - Social Inclusion and Engagement in Mobility - is a collaborative cross-European partnership between ESN, UUKi and the European University Foundation, YES Forum, VUB, University of Vigo (ES), Masaryk University (CZ), University of Latvia (LV), ESN Spain (ES) and ESN France (FR). This project is an important step towards making international mobility opportunities more inclusive, enabling students from all backgrounds to study, work or volunteer abroad. The ultimate goal of higher education in general, and studying abroad specifically, is to shape a generation of Europeans who transcend traditional cultural beliefs, embrace cultural differences and endorse mutual intercultural understanding to shape a united society that offers space to everyone.
CORRIENTE XXI
The CORRIENTE XXI, an Erasmus+ funded capacity building project, is entitled “Moving towards innovative education for research-based and sustainable management of marine and freshwater ecosystems”. The project’s consortium consists of two EU partners (VUB, as project coordinator, and the Université de Bretagne Occidentale), two partners in Ecuador (Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral and Universidad Central del Ecuador), and two in Peru (Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos). More about the project can be found in this article.
eMWRE Project
The e-Masters in Water Resources Engineering (eMWRE) programme is an Erasmus+-funded project coordinated by VUB’s Professor Ann van Griensven and Dr. Zainab Zomlot. The consortium includes IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (the Netherlands), Eummena (a company specialising in technology-enhanced learning), the Islamic University of Gaza (Palestine), Al-Quds University (Palestine), Mutah University (Jordan), and The University of Jordan. The aim is to implement an innovative e-Master programme in water resources to modernise education by using innovative technologies and advanced tools to provide more sustainable solutions to the water scarcity issues in the MENA region. More information on the project in this article.
ELANET
The European Latin-American Network in Support of Social Entrepreneurs (ELANET), funded by the EU's Erasmus+ programme, is a consortium of 17 partners and 35 associated partners from different organisations and higher-education institutions in Europe (Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria and Italy) and Latin-America (Peru, Bolivia, Colombia and Ecuador). The consortium is coordinated by VUB, under the coordination of the VUB Chair of Social Entrepreneurship, and aims to create an IT platform that facilitates support in, for example, finding funding, access to human capital and management experience. More information is available in this article.