The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has presented its 2026 International Equitable Cooperation (IEC) Career Award to Prof. Kim Van der Borght and Prof. Matthieu Kervyn. The award recognises VUB academics who have demonstrated an extraordinary, long-term commitment to equitable academic partnerships with higher education institutions and communities across the world.
The ceremony, organised by VUBâs International Relations office, welcomed distinguished guests including Ambassador Amal Jadou from the Mission of Palestine to the EU, Belgium & Luxembourg, alongside diplomatic representatives from the Embassies of Uganda and Indonesia.
From UDC to IEC: A Strategic Shift in Global Engagement
Opening the ceremony, the VUB Rector highlighted a significant evolution in the awardâs identity. First launched in 2020 as the âUDC Career Awardâ (University Development Cooperation), the initiative was renamed to the International Equitable Cooperation (IEC) Career Award, as part of a wider renaming last year.
The name change from âUniversity Development Cooperationâ to âInternational Equitable Cooperationâ reflects a fundamental strategic shift in VUBâs approach to global engagement by moving away from traditional development narratives toward genuine, mutually beneficial partnerships.
"This was not just an exercise in semantics," noted the Rector during the opening address. "It represents a fundamental change in strategy and approach, responding to evolving global challenges, and fully in alignment with our universityâs mission as a research-driven, critically-thinking, and internationally-oriented institution committed to social impact and sustainability. We wanted to move away from traditional constructs and development narratives, and ensure that we engage in equitable partnerships which produce meaningful impact, both locally and globally."
Established within VLIRUOSâs Global Minds programme, the IEC Career Award celebrates researchers who not only achieve high-level scientific output across multiple partner countries, but also actively raise awareness across the Flemish academic community and inspire new generations of researchers and students to build international bridges.
The 2026 Laureates
This year, the award honours two outstanding professors whose careers exemplify multi-regional, long-term, and deeply impactful collaboration.
Prof. Kim Van der Borght (Faculty of Law and Criminology)
Having joined VUB in 1995, Prof. Kim Van der Borght has built an extensive career bridging international legal research with institutional capacity building, policy-oriented research, and doctoral training across the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America. To date, he has successfully supervised 20 PhD candidates from partner institutions.
- Palestine (since 1998): Prof. Van der Borghtâs earliest and most sustained international collaboration has focused on supporting Palestinian legal education, doctoral training, and institutional capacity building (including work with Birzeit University). Under a recent VLIRUOS Short Initiative (2025-2027), his focus continues on legal empowerment, justice, and advisory contributions to sustainable energy law frameworks.
- Indonesia and Nepal: His work has centred on sustainable rural development, legal frameworks for agriculture, and empowering rural women smallholder farmers. His initial research on farmers' innovation laid the groundwork for an FWO Senior Project on plant breeding rights.
- Cuba & Bolivia: Appointed Visiting Professor at the Universidad Central "Marta Abreu" de Las Villas (UCLV) in Cuba, he initiated the VUB-UCLV Strategic International Partnership, co-developed doctoral programmes in legal sciences, and advised state authorities on energy transition. He has also fostered linkages with partners in Bolivia (USFX) and South Africa.
In the words of one of his alumni Professor dr. Amir Khalil, from Birzeit University, Palestine: âMore than a supervisor, Kim has been a trusted mentor and friend, whose dedication, integrity, and support have left a lasting impact on my professional and personal growthâ.
Prof. Matthieu Kervyn (Department of Geography, Faculty of Science and Bioengineering Sciences)
Since joining VUB in 2010, Prof. Matthieu Kervyn has established a remarkable track record in natural hazard assessment, disaster risk reduction, and environmental science across Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Over the past 15 years, he has led 4 Short Initiatives, 3 TEAM projects, 2 IUC sub-projects, and 1 joint PhD project across 5 countries, supervising 10 PhD graduates from partner institutions.
- Uganda: His extensive research on landslides in the Rwenzori region pioneered innovative, citizen-science approaches to geohazard monitoring. This work contributed to establishing the large-scale VUB-led Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) with Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST), where he leads climate adaptation initiatives.
- Tanzania & Central Africa: Beginning with his early volcanology research in Tanzania and Mount Cameroon, he later led projects on fluor-contaminated groundwater in Arusha and geohazards around Lake Kivu (DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi). His team co-created educational tools like the Hazagora board game and the Global Minds-supported documentary 'Goma: Living with the risk of Nyiragongo eruption' to raise awareness in local communities.
- Vietnam & Beyond: In Southeast Asia, Prof. Kervyn coordinates remote sensing and hazard modelling projects across multiple Vietnamese universities to mitigate climate-induced landslides and floods. He also leads land degradation research in Ethiopia (Arba Minch University) and volcanic risk research in the Comoros.
Professor dr. Grace Kagoro, from the University of Science and Technology, Uganda, had this to say about Professor Kervyn: âI have witnessed enhanced capacity development, increased community engagement through the Citizen Science approach of research which has improved environmental stewardship in the global south, all courtesy of Prof. Matthieu Kervyn.â
A Lasting Impact on Education, Policy, and Society
Beyond their extensive scientific achievements, both laureates actively integrate international insights directly into VUBâs teaching and governance. Prof. Kervyn serves as head of the Faculty Commission for Internationalisation and was an active member of VUBâs Advisory Body for International Equitable Cooperation (BAEIS) and on the VUBâs Council for International Policy (RIB). Similarly, Prof. Van der Borght, who was also part of the RIB, has consistently involved students in academic mobility, group exchanges, and global justice initiatives.
Through their dedication to equal partnership, capacity building, and community engagement, Prof. Kim Van der Borght and Prof. Matthieu Kervyn continue to embody the core values of VUBâs international vision, by inspiring researchers, students, and global partners alike. This IEC Career Award is the perfect way to recognise current and future laureates alike, to help shine a light on the amazing achievements by VUBâs academics on their international equitable cooperation work.
Photos courtesy Gregory De Leeuw can be viewed on VUB Flickr