BAYBAY CITY, Leyte -- Visayas State University (VSU) has been chosen as the only Asian university to advance to Stage 2 of a highly competitive global academic partnership program organized by VLIR-UOS, the network of Flemish universities in Belgium.
This places VSU in the company of other top institutions from the Global South, including South Africa, Ethiopia, and Peru, in a program that supports long-term international research, education, and innovation collaborations with leading European universities.
The VLIR-UOS Institutional University Cooperation (IUC) program is one of the most sought-after platforms for academic exchange and funding in the developing world. VSU is the first and only institution from the Philippines, and all of Asia, to reach this level in the 2025 cycle.
A delegation of top VSU officials, led by University President Dr. Prose Ivy G. Yepes, visited Belgium from May 3 to 11, 2025 to finalize the project proposal with counterparts from Ghent University, KU Leuven, Hasselt University, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
The proposal, called Strengthening Visayas State University’s Capacity for Sustainable Societal Transformation by Advancing Innovation, Inclusive Growth, and Building Networks or “Sustain,” outlines a 10-year academic and development partnership focused on major global and regional concerns such as food and water security, disaster preparedness, climate change, rural health, and digital transformation.
If approved, this initiative will give VSU access to sustained research funding, faculty and student exchanges, equipment support, and direct engagement with global experts, all of which will strengthen its capacity to serve not just Eastern Visayas but also national programs in agriculture, education, and resilience planning.
The proposal introduces seven major themes for the partnership, including a newly added focus on disaster risk reduction that recognizes the Philippines’ high vulnerability to typhoons, droughts, and floods.
The meetings in Belgium were organized by Dr. Peter Goethals of Ghent University, a leading expert in aquatic ecology who now works closely with VSU to align their research with global agenda and community needs.
VSU is expected to submit its final proposal to VLIR-UOS in the coming months. Once approved, the Sustain project will enter full implementation in 2026.
While universities in Metro Manila often dominate international headlines, VSU’s selection puts the spotlight on regional institutions as drivers of global research and innovation.
It also signals that global partnerships are now more open to diversity not just in terms of geography, but in the types of problems being addressed.
The VLIR-UOS IUC program has supported similar partnerships across Africa and Latin America, but VSU stands out this year as Asia’s only representative, a proud moment not just for the university, but for the Philippine higher education system as a whole. (PR)