For over 70 years, the University of Liège has been forging high-quality partnerships with institutions in the South, across all the university's profiles and professions. Academic development cooperation at ULiège involves collaboration with 30 countries. Our academics, scientists and students are active in over a hundred projects and carry out an average of 275 missions a year. Every year, ULiège welcomes more than 400 doctoral students and 1,200 students from Belgian academic development cooperation countries.
At ULiège, development cooperation covers all areas of research, teaching and community service. The institution has contributed to the establishment of several institutions such as: UNALM, UNILU, CAVTK... In addition, ULiège has a permanent presence in Kinshasa thanks to the Central Africa Platform it set up in 2013. From the outset, ULiège has invested sustainably in partnerships rooted in the dynamics of our partner institutions.
University development cooperation activities are financed by various donors, the most important of which are public/institutional, and in particular the federal government through the Directorate General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid (DGD).
Within the Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur (ARES), a specific commission is responsible for defining and managing federal funding for academic and scientific cooperation for development, in synergy with the Flemish Higher Education Institutions (EES) via VLIR and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (IMT): the Commission for Development Cooperation (CCD). This is substantial funding (147,500,000/5 years) specifically dedicated to university activities (research, teaching and community service) where ULiège is the leader in terms of share of funding and activities.
In terms of public funding, ULiège also works with the Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL), with which it has a framework cooperation agreement. The Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (WBI) also funds ULiège's collaborations with actors in the South, through permanent joint commissions or co-financing programs for development partnership projects. Finally, at European level, certain funds are dedicated specifically to university development cooperation activities.
ULiège's activities as a player in development cooperation contribute to sustainable development. The institution shares its knowledge, which will bring about societal changes to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Through the scope of its development cooperation activities, ULiège is positioned as a leader in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in terms of citizen openness to the world.
In order to carry out its development cooperation activities, ULiège has set up a dedicated administration : PACODEL and a branch in Central Africa : Plateforme Afrique Centrale.
There is also a University of Liège NGO: ECLOSIO .
ULiège participated at the EHEW Fair 2025 in Vietnam, strengthening ties between European higher education and Vietnamese students, many of whom showed interest in Master’s programs at the university.
On August 26, 10 EMerald students were honored at the ceremony proclaiming the 10th edition of this joint Erasmus Mundus master's degree in georesources engineering.
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