Joint courses

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. 3 new start-up grants of a maximum of €5 000 per year per joint course will be awarded. In addition, existing programs that started during the academic year 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, can also receive a maximum amount of €5 000 per program for 2026-2027.

• Any Flemish university or university of applied sciences (and arts) can submit an application.
• The program is available bachelor's and/or master's programs that are jointly organized with one or more foreign institutions.
• The program is available for 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 is not restricited to particular fields of study. 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 2026-2027.
• This is the final call for the Joint Courses programme. This mobility opportunity will not be reinstated after the academic year 2026-2027. As such, extension applications will no longer be possible after 2026-2027.
• The deadline for the final report for approved applications is 12 July 2027.

The application file (only available in Dutch) must be completed 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 instruction;
• new or extant / 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 course structure, objectives and field(s) 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.

The evaluation of the applications, selection and allocation of the subsidy is handled 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.

• Call launch: winter 2026
• Application deadline: 1 March 2026. Applications must be sent via email to roya.sadeghalnjat@vluhr.be
• Selection: March 2026
• Announcement of selection: early April 2026
• Allocation of subsidies: academic year 2026-2027
• Evaluation report (narrative + financial): to be submitted before July 12, 2027

Call and attachments:

• Call 2026-2027 Joint courses (Dutch)
• Call 2026-2027 Joint courses application form (Dutch)