VLIR-UOS Calls | Global Engagement | University of Antwerp

Accelerate

Accelerate is a pioneering initiative designed to provide policy and implementation support within the VLIR-UOS network, concentrating on three priority themes:

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)
Uptake, Use and Impact of higher education
Higher Education Management

Per theme, one consortium will be formed consisting of experts, researchers, educators, technical specialists, and administrative personnel. (including ARES en ITG)

The aim of Accelerate is to act as a catalyst (particle accelerator) in the VLIR-UOS network, for progress towards individual, institutional and societal transitions within these themes.

To accomplish the objectives of Accelerate, the focus is on three pillars:

Policy development
Translating policy into practice, in the form of tools and knowledge
Capacity building through training (Training of Trainers)

An online information session took place on Thursday 23 May 2024, you can watch it here

Project phases:

Matchmaking: 30 May 2024. Register via this link (Deadline 17 May)
Each consortium will develop a concept note.
After contracting, the Phase-in period of max. 6 months starts. During this period, the fully fledged proposal will be developed, but budget can already be used for project activities
The implementation of the project (with concrete activities and cross-thematic exchange) can take place until the end of the current five-year programme (31 August 2027)

Terms of Reference (ToR)

272_1.4._Accelerate_Bijlage 1_ToR.pdf

Budget: €200.000 (max. 40.000 during Phase-in)

Budget for trainings and associated costs (pillar iii)
Budget for services and products for pillars i and ii: daily fee of 1000 euro (incl. overhead), according to the deliverables.

Important dates:

Launch call for concept notes	7 May 2024
Informatiesessie	23 May 2024
Matchmaking workshop (with break-outs per theme).	30 May 2024
Submission proposals	1 October 2024
Selection commission Accelerate Concept Notes	28 November 2024
Contractering inception phase + implementation phase (in case of positive assessment)	December 2024
Start inception phase + Developping fully fledged proposal	January 2025
Submission Fully fledged	May 2025
Assessment commission fully fledged Accelerate proposals	June 2025
“Full start” project	1 September 2025
End project	31 August 2027 (end FYP2)

TEAM Projects

AIM	TEAM projects are medium-term projects that aim to explore, build and deepen academic/scientific collaborations among diverse teams of academics and re-searchers. TEAM projects focus on a specific sustainable development challenge. With TEAM projects, VLIR-UOS aims to strengthen the research and educational capacities of higher education and science institutions in partner countries. In addition, TEAM projects are expected to create the conditions for uptake of new and relevant knowledge, applications and/or services by academic, civil society, private and public actors.
KEY FEATURES	A project of maximum 5 years allows for medium-term capacity building, e.g. through PhD research, curriculum development, network building, … TEAM projects are diverse but due to the longer time framework they tend to have a strong focus on structural research/educational cooperation with local units in partner institutions, often involving the training of PhD scholars who take up a role as an agent of change within their home institution. However, TEAM projects can also pursue improved organisational systems, processes and structures if this is deemed instrumental in tackling the sustainable development challenge on which the project focuses. Allows for differentiated aims (exploration, innovation, valorisation, etc) and approaches (education, research, policies, outreach, people, networks)
WHO CAN APPLY?	Affiliation of the promoters: Flemish promoter: employed as a professor/lecturer/specialist at a Flemish university or university college; Partner promoter: employed at a recognized higher education institution or national public (not for profit) research institute located in a VLIR-UOS project partner country Additional criteria: Applicants (Flemish/local) can have a maximum of two ongoing SI/TEAM projects, which means they can submit a maximum of two projects (two SI, two TEAM or one SI and one TEAM) in case they have no ongoing projects after 1 September 2022. With almost all VLIR-UOS projects coming to an end on 31 August 2022, only TEAM 2019 projects should be considered as ongoing projects. TEAM 2019 promoters can submit only one new SI or TEAM At the level of the partner institutions, no further criteria apply. Former and present IUC partner institutions are fully eligible, without any restriction.
PARTNER COUNTRIES	Higher education and science institutions located in 17 project partner countries: Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba, DR Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam
BUDGET	A maximum of 280.000 EUR for five years Overall budget for TEAM 2022 amounts to 10.920.000 EUR (indicative 39 projects).
DURATION	Maximum 5 years
TWO STAGE PROCEDURE	Concept note: focus on a narrative description of the developmental problem, the project objectives, and the scientific approach (research and pedagogical methods, type of multidisciplinary and community-based approaches, vision on uptake and valorisation). No operational/budget details. Fully-fledged proposal: fully elaborated Theory of Change, intermediate changes and activities, risk and stakeholder analysis and budgeting. A peer review system applies on TEAM project proposals that are selected for Stage 2. This independent peer review focuses on the scientific/methodological quality and is applied on the selected concept note proposals. The written peer-review assessments per project will be made available to the applicants during the elaboration stage of the fully-fledged proposals for applicants to take into account the peer review assessments when finalizing the fully-fledged proposal.
TIMING	Concept notes Call for Concept notes: 30 November 2021 Submission Concept notes: 18 February 2022 Fully fledged proposals Call for Fully Fledged proposals: 25 March 2022 (indicative) Submission Fully Fledged proposals: 2 June 2022
HOW TO SUBMIT?	Who? An application involves a Flemish and local promoter but it is the Flemish promoter who submits to the ICOS of the Flemish university (association) for quality control. The ICOS will validate and submit to VLIR-UOS. How? Project applications are submitted online through the database.
ASSESSMENT	All project proposals will be assessed and selected based on four standard selection criteria: Relevance and coherence of the project; Quality of the project design; Implementation set-up of the project; Potential impact and sustainability. Project proposals are assessed by Regional Selection Commissions (Africa, Asia, Latin America) that will take place in March 2022 (stage 1) and in the 1st week of July 2022 (indicative) (stage 2). The selection decision for the different stages will be communicated shortly after the ratification of the decision by the Bureau UOS.
START DATE	1 September 2022

JOINT Projects

Programme:

JOINT projects are medium-term (three-year) partnerships between a Flemish institution and former VLIR-UOS projects and new national or international partner institutions. They can focus either on cross-cutting themes (e.g. university management, education or research culture, ICT, statistics, libraries, academic English) or on specific research topics. JOINT projects have a budget of €135,000 and a maximum duration of three years.

Goals:

are submitted by a Flemish institution with a former VLIR-UOS-South Partner (IUS, TEAM or SI) as its lead partner;
involve at least two higher education or research institutions in the Global South in their activities: the partner institution submitting the project and at least one other institution (not necessarily a VLIR-UOS partner);
may involve other stakeholders in their activities (such as NGOs).

Short Initiatives

AIM	Short Initiatives (SI) projects are short-term projects that aim to explore, build and deepen academic/scientific collaborations among diverse teams of academics and researchers. SI projects focus on a specific sustainable development challenge. With SI projects, VLIR-UOS aims to strengthen the research and educational capacities of higher education and science institutions in partner countries. In addition, SI projects are expected to create the conditions for uptake of new and relevant knowledge, applications and/or services by academic, civil society, private and public actors.
KEY FEATURES	Short term results to be achieved within the project duration of two years Easy access, particularly addressing new/young project promoters that were sensitized via the Global Minds framework, or via collaboration in ongoing projects, and/or are eager to go for a first experience as promoter of a VLIR-UOS project Allows for differentiated aims (exploration, innovation, valorisation, etc) and approaches (education, research, policies, outreach, people, networks) The partnership can vary in terms of size and composition: one or more Flemish higher education institutions and one or more local higher education and science institutions and/or other actors; one or more disciplines; young/new and/or more experienced academics, ….
WHO CAN APPLY?	Affiliation of the promoters: Flemish promoter: employed as a professor/lecturer/specialist at a Flemish university or university college; Partner promoter: employed at a recognized higher education institution or national public (not for profit) research institute located in a VLIR-UOS project partner country Additional criteria: Applicants (Flemish/local) can have a maximum of two ongoing SI/TEAM projects, which means they can submit a maximum of two projects (two SI, two TEAM or one SI and one TEAM) in case they have no ongoing projects after 1 September 2022. With almost all VLIR-UOS projects coming to an end on 31 August 2022, only TEAM 2019 projects should be considered as ongoing projects. TEAM 2019 promoters can submit only one new SI or TEAM. At the level of the partner institutions, no further criteria apply. Former and present IUC partner institutions are fully eligible, without any restriction.
PARTNER COUNTRIES	Higher education and science institutions located in 17 project partner countries: Benin, Bolivia, Burundi, Cuba, DR Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam
BUDGET	A maximum of 70.000 EUR for two years. The overall budget for SI 2022 amounts to 2.030.000 EUR (indicative 29 projects).
DURATION	Maximum 2 years
DATE OF SUBMISSION	18 March 2022
HOW TO SUBMIT?	Who? An application involves a Flemish and local promoter but it is the Flemish promoter who submits to the ICOS of the Flemish university (association) for quality control. The ICOS will validate and submit to VLIR-UOS. How? Project applications are submitted online through the database.
ASSESSMENT	All project proposals will be assessed and selected based on four standard selection criteria: Relevance and coherence of the project; Quality of the project design; Implementation set-up of the project; Potential impact and sustainability. Project proposals are assessed by Regional Selection Commissions (Africa, Asia, Latin America) in May 2022. The selection decision will be communicated shortly after the ratification of the decision by the Bureau UOS, ultimately in June 2022.
START DATE	1 September 2022

Institutional University Cooperation (IUC)

IUC programmes

are long-term cooperation programmes (up to 12 years) between Flemish universities and one partner university in the Global South;
consist of several smaller projects led by local and Flemish project leaders;
provide support to the university in its three-pronged mission to provide educational, research-related and societal services.

Duration

2 x 5 years
2 year phase out period

Budget

€350 000 - €600 000 per year

NETWORK

Programme

A Network University Cooperation Programme (NETWORK) is an institutional network at national level (in the Global South) led by a former IUC cooperation. The main focus here is on the multiplication and scaling up of capacity-building efforts, while empowering local universities to unite and contribute to national higher education and development goals together.

International Master programme (ICP)

Programme

The VLIR-UOS International Master Programme (ICP) funds Master study programmes organised by one or more Flemish universities in Flanders.

The International Master Programme:

covers topics that are relevant to the problems faced by developing countries;
is aimed mainly at students from developing countries, but the courses are also open to students from other countries;
trains managers and executives from the South partner;
is ultimately aimed at applying the acquired knowledge in the country of origin.

International Training Programmes (ITP)

Programme

International Training Programmes or ITPs are intensive, interactive and applied training courses held over a period of 14 to 90 days, organised by a Flemish university or college. Besides a programme fee, the ITP funding also provides twelve scholarships for students from the participating VLIR-UOS scholarship countries.

Funding

VLIR-UOS funds:

The organizational costs of the training (depending on the number of training days and the number of scholarship recipients).
A grant for the twelve scholarship recipients' allowances and travel expenses.

Training Objective:

An ITP contributes to the development of the participating scholarship recipient's home country through the professional impact of these individuals after completing the training (impact).
Graduates apply the acquired knowledge and skills in a sustainable manner in a private, public, or academic context, or within an NGO (outcome).
The knowledge and skills of the scholarship recipients are improved and passed on through the train-the-trainer principle.

Policy Supporting Research (PSR)

Programme

PSR is jointly funded by VLIR-UOS and ARES. The research provides output around specific themes of interest to Belgian development cooperation at the request of the Belgian government.

The research results are actively disseminated among the various Belgian development actors; not only to the government, but also to non-governmental actors, the Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL) and the Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO). The aim is to improve the relevance and performance of Belgian development cooperation in relation to the international framework of sustainable and inclusive development.

Goals

The main outcomes of the research support policy are policy papers and advice, seminars and training courses, and active contributions to Belgian position papers, strategies and academic papers.