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Global Minds

Through our Global Minds programme, Flemish higher education institutions can strengthen and deepen their specific development-relevant expertise as well as establish it on a national and international level.

Target group

Flemish universities and university colleges

Duration

Ongoing

Need more information?

Contact the ICOS at the Flemish institution of your choice.

What is Global Minds?

Global Minds aims to strengthen and deepen the capacities and knowledge of Flemish universities and university colleges in the area of development. For this end, different institutions select and deploy strategic niches/themes that are relevant to the Belgian development cooperation. This capacity building is necessary to implement effective university cooperation for development with other stakeholders, and hence to contribute to facing development challenges in the South.

What is the goal?

Global Minds focuses on three intermediate results:

  • Integrating a development dimension in Flemish higher education in line with the priorities of the institution;
  • Integrating a development dimension in the Flemish universities' and university colleges' research in line with the priorities of the institution;
  • Raising awareness on development challenges among students, personnel and other stakeholders of the Flemish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
     

This capacity within each institution, in combination with its own experience and international network, is necessary to do policy supporting research in certain areas, to organise trainings relevant to development, to support scholars from developing countries, to set up and execute projects in the South, etc. 

How does it work?

Every Global Minds programme aims at developing basic academic capacity to execute effective university cooperation for development with other stakeholders. Each university or university colleges itself does, however, define the focus and results of their Global Minds programme, based on the institution’s priorities and policies. Contributions to specific academic capacity at Flemish institutional level can entail:

  • Training (PhD-)students from both developing countries as well as from Flanders
  • Integrating a development dimension in regular Flemish programmes, through i.a. case studies of scholars from the South, cases from South projects, visiting lectureships of South partners and/or development- relevant research stays or internships of Flemish students in a developing country
  • Executing research relevant to development 

This is necessary to initiate, develop or submit development-relevant projects in the framework of competitive calls from (i.a.) our organisation, as well as in order to implement those projects (after selection).

Documents