The start of a 10-year partnership with a Vietnamese University

After an elborate selection procedure, KU Leuven and the Vietnamese Quy Nhon University (QNU) were given the green light for a ten-year partnership project. They are one of the five selected IUC partners that will start their programme in 2022. Both universities have previously worked together, but with this project, they will have the opportunity to structurally strengthen the local Vietnamese university in terms of research, organisation and education.

The IUC project: a holistic approach with a common goal

The local challenges in the environment of the Quy Nhon University, situated at the coast of Central Vietnam, are a key element in this project. “KU Leuven’s role is to help the Vietnamese university deal with these local challenges,” says project manager Elise Konings. The Quy Nhon University formulated seven ‘areas of change’. “Unlike previous cooperation projects, the focus is not only on education this time, but also on research and organisation,” states Elise Konings. Professor Vu, project coordinator in Quy Nhon University adds that these different domains are closely linked to each other: “If we improve research at our university, education will be boosted as well”.

The project team is now working on the concrete organisation of the project and activities. Two other Flemish universities and university colleges will join the project as well. “The projects can take different shapes,” says professor Temst, project coordinator at KU Leuven. “I think about shared educational projects for instance, where teaching staff from Vietnam comes over to visit our university and vice versa. The final goal is to bring people together and give them the time and space to interact with each other.” The current Corona crisis also provides some opportunities in this context, says the project coordinator: “Before Corona, the focus was always on physical meetings, but now we know that we can also work together virtually in a meaningful way.”

With digital education as one of the ‘areas of change’, Quy Nhon University focuses on future-oriented education. “Even before the Corona pandemic, we wanted to work on digital resources and online education, but because of the current situation, this has become a real priority, something we have to address urgently,” says professor Vu. Quy Nhon University was not able to provide online education during the Corona pandemic, which means they have had to pause their educational activities for quite some time. Because the Flemish institutions have made the full switch to digital education during this pandemic, a university like KU Leuven is an excellent partner to guide them in this process. “During the lockdown in March, we have had to drastically change our teaching practice at KU Leuven,” says professor Temst. “We have learned a lot from this process and this definitely had an impact on the plans for this part of the project.”

The road to a sustainable partnership

Project manager Elise Konings from the International Office at KU Leuven had the idea to participate in the selection procedure for IUC. She was in Vietnam in 2018 for the MOMA Erasmus+ project, in which Quy Nhon University was also involved. “Elise told us about IUC and even though there was no open call at the moment, we started preparing our project proposal right away,” says professor Vu. At this time, KU Leuven and the Vietnamese university had already gone through some succesful joint projects and had already developed strong ties. “This is the perfect example of an IUC project: it started out with smaller projects at faculty level and has grown into a partnership that goes beyond faculty level,” states Elise Konings.

For professor Temst, this project had a perfect timing. His term as head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy was over and he was ready for a new challenge. “I wanted to work on development coordination, so when Elise told me about the IUC project, I was convinced I wanted to be a part of it,” says professor Temst. The project coordinator immediately felt confident about the partnership: “Previous joint projects have demonstrated that Quy Nhon University has the potential and the drive to grow and to continue developing.” The Vietnamese university is an ideal partner for an IUC project according to Elise Konings: “The university is situated in a rural and less economically developed province. They really need the financial support this project will receive from the federal government to address the local challenges and issues.”

The project team has spent two years on the selection procedure. More than sixty potential partners submitted an application, but only five pairs of universities in Flanders and the South made it to the final selection. “It was a huge relief for all of us when we heard that our project had been selected,” says Elise Konings. Unfortunately, the project team has not been able to celebrate together due to Corona. “As soon as it will be possible again, we will all have a party at the beach,” concludes professor Vu. In any case, the team is excited to get started on the project and watch it grow in the future.