Joint courses

The Flemish department of Education and Training awards subsidies to bachelor and/or master programmes that are jointly organised with one or more international higher education institution(s). The financial part of the programme is managed by VLUHR-i.

Description

The program aims to stimulate Flemish higher education institutions to offer high-quality courses, together with one or more foreign institutions within and outside the EEA zone, with student mobility and possibly staff mobility.

The Department of Education and Training makes these start-up grants available for setting up and developing such joint courses. There will be awarded three new start-up grants of a maximum of €5 000 per year per joint course. In addition, the existing programs that started during the academic year 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, can also receive a maximum amount of €5 000 per program for 2024-2025.

Modalities

  • Any Flemish college or university can submit an application.
  • The program welcomes bachelor's and/or master's programs that are jointly organized with one or more foreign institutions.
  • The program welcomes new joint courses (which have not yet passed a new course test), and existing Flemish courses that are being reformed into an international joint course are also eligible.
  • When organizing the joint study program, it is preferable to collaborate with at least one foreign higher education institution.
  • Joint programs must lead to joint degrees or double degrees.
  • The program does not restrict disciplines. All fields of study are eligible.
  • The grant can be used for operating costs in the context of the preparation and implementation of the joint program and for the payment of the travel and accommodation costs of staff.
  • The budgets cannot be used to finance student mobility.
  • The joint programs are offered by one or more Flemish higher education institution(s) and one or more foreign higher education institution(s), and comprise a compulsory stay of each student at at least two of the participating higher education institutions, in two different countries. The student must have followed and obtained at least 20 credits at the other institution (s), if it concerns a study program with a study load of 60 credits, and at least 27 credits in all other cases.
  • The grants are awarded for use in the academic year 2024-2025.
  • The subsidy can be awarded for a maximum of three years to the same joint study program, so it can be extended by a maximum of two years, based on a favorable progress report submitted by the coordinating institution. Extension of the grant can be requested on the basis of a simple extension request and budget by July 14, 2025.

Application

The application file (only available in Dutch) will be filled in in Dutch or (partly) in English

The file contains the following information:

  • name of the joint study program;
  • information about: study areas / disciplines; level (Bachelor / Master); duration of the joint program (in number of years / in ECTS); full-time or part-time; participating higher education institutions; languages of schooling;
  • new or already existing / reformed joint training;
  • policy context at the institutional level and intended objectives of the joint study program;
  • substantive description of the joint study program;
  • didactic methodology of the international classroom;
  • students: intended number of students; target number of international students; admission requirements for students; academic and cultural aspects of student mobility; compulsory student mobility; quality assurance for student counseling;
  • teachers: academic and cultural aspects of teacher mobility;
  • quality assurance of the partnership and of the training;
  • legal implications (eg. copyright);
  • detailed budget - distribution key;
  • (draft of) cooperation agreement;
  • a brief summary of the structure, objectives and field of study (the areas of study) in English, and in a Word version. This text can be used for the promotion of the joint courses.
Please note: in the application form, all fields, except 16. Legale implicatie, must be completed in order for the application to be admissible.

Selection

The evaluation of the applications, selection and allocation of the subsidy is done by a Flemish selection committee, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training.

The following aspects are evaluated:

  • concept of the joint training program, the degree of stimulation of an international classroom, added value of the joint international program, complementarity of the partner institutions;
  • mobility: quality of student guidance, academic and cultural aspects of student and / or teacher mobility;
  • institutional commitment.

Timing

  • call launch: December 2023
  • application deadline: until March 1, 2024. The files will be sent electronically to alicia.decoster@vluhr.be on March 1, 2024 at the latest.
  • selection: March 2024
  • announcement of selection: no later than early April 2023
  • allocation of subsidies: academic year 2024-2025
  • evaluation report (narrative + financial): to be submitted before July 14, 2025.