Enabel, VLIRUOS and Academy for Research and Higher Education – ARES are strengthening their collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
This is a powerful statement of intent at a time when international cooperation faces major challenges. Why this MoU? And why sign it together, today?
This partnership seeks to reinforce the synergy between our institutions and to rethink research and higher education. It aims to structure our cooperation and foster the exchange of expertise to increase the impact of international cooperation for global sustainable development, in line with the TeamBelgium approach.
The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM), the third member of this thematic Joint Strategic Framework, already signed a framework agreement with Enabel back in 2023, resulting in concrete collaborations in the fight against Malaria in Burundi, building conditions for local production of medicines across Africa, and to support health systems in multiple countries.
This collaboration will promote, among other things:
- improved exchange of information on current and future projects and expertise
- better integration of academic experts in Enabel projects
- strengthened cooperation within TeamBelgium and TeamEurope initiatives
This protocol sends a strong signal of unity among actors in the field of cooperation. By sharing best practices, pooling experiences, and exploring avenues for mutual support, we can go further together. It also formalises a commitment to strengthening our collective effectiveness, positioning ourselves more strategically in a shifting landscape, and being – together – more visible, better aligned and more ambitious in facing the challenges of a world undergoing profound change.
In these turbulent times, we must seek forward-looking solutions to jointly advance academic work and sustainable development.
