Global partnership projects: academic research included

What makes VLIR-UOS projects on Global Partnership less attractive for academics than EU- of FWO-funded projects? The administrative burden? Not really: VLIR-UOS did a great job in simplifying the processes of the calls, reporting, etc, though it can still be ameliorated. The difficult language of this type of project? Neither: Horizon Europe or Erasmus language are not easier. The lack of a true scientific research dimension? This is the most tricky, indeed. Some of those projects are easily connected to forefront research when the research questions are directly linked to the regions with which one collaborates: think about epidemics, environmental or biodiversity studies. Some are more difficult to get associated with ‘excellent’ research. Some have nothing to do with research. For example capacity building as such, like helping students to acquire IT skills, building the foundation of a research coordination office of learning teachers how to make attractive slides.

Moreover, most of the time, those projects are not recognized at the same level as other projects for the promotion of researchers, not to say that Global Partnership projects take more time than more ‘classical’ research projects.

Something to put on the agenda of our university councils if we want that the new generation also engage themselves in Global Partnership.