The Erasmus+ KA171 International Credit Mobility (ICM) enables project-based mobility for students, doctoral candidates and academic and professional staff between Erasmus University Rotterdam and selected institutions in countries outside the EU (Erasmus+ Partner Countries or Third countries not associated to the Programme). Mobilities take place under inter-institutional agreements that adhere to the principles of the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE).
KA171 focuses on mobility that supports, for example, joint projects, the development or strengthening of partnerships, knowledge exchange, professional development, or a more balanced flow of participants in existing mobility windows. Each year, Erasmus University Rotterdam participates in several KA171 projects in cooperation with partner institutions worldwide. Below you can find an overview of the projects.
Click on a country to see an overview per project: faculty. partner institution, summary and impact.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Universidad Privada Bolivia (UPB), SDSN Bolivia hub, Center for Research in Economics (CIEE)
Summary
ISS collaborates with Universidad Privada Bolivia (UPB) on research and MA education in areas such as economic development, agricultural systems, sustainability and climate change, and multidimensional poverty. The partnership builds on earlier staff collaborations that resulted in peer‑reviewed publications and connects ISS with UPB’s MSc and PhD programmes in Economics. UPB’s profile in economic and public policy, social inclusion and sustainability complements ISS’s research. The collaboration focuses on three subjects: local governance (graduate seminars on policy design, evaluation and social/political infrastructures), multidimensional poverty (short graduate courses and PhD seminars on concepts, measurement and policy simulations) and development sustainability (short courses and seminars on scenario methodologies and greenwashing detection).
Impact
The project builds on UPB’s recent international collaborations and extends such experiences to additional scholars, offering skill‑building, networking and participation in policy dialogues. It increases diversity and interculturality in classrooms and research teams and supports more inclusive learning environments.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Fundacao Universidade Federal de Ciencias da Saude de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA, Brazil), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC, Chile)
Summary
EMC collaborates with UFCSPA in Brazil and PUC in Chile on hepatology and liver disease, building on the ESCALON project and earlier KA171 exchanges. With UFCSPA, the focus is on liver functioning and the WHO goal of reducing hepatitis‑related deaths by 2030, especially chronic hepatitis B and its co‑infections with hepatitis delta virus and HIV. With PUC, the collaboration centres on fatty liver disease, one of the most widespread liver diseases, with high rates in Latin America. EMC works on biomarkers and intrahepatic mechanisms to improve treatment strategies, while PUC focuses on risk factors and clinical prediction tools. Data from the Rotterdam Study and Chilean cohorts are analysed to compare socio‑demographic and clinical characteristics of fatty liver disease.
Impact
The project enhances participants’ skills, experience and understanding of different perspectives on liver disease and treatment and fosters awareness of patient heterogeneity, with emphasis on inclusiveness regarding gender and ethnic origin, including indigenous populations. Students and staff strengthen the educational quality and research output of their institutions and help build a broader regional network linking Latin America and the EU. Standardisation of research procedures and reciprocal training raise research quality across partners, while access to patient materials from diverse ethnic backgrounds allows comparison with European samples and improves understanding of molecular processes, disease severity and treatment outcomes. Joint training of medical doctors and translational researchers supports the development of new clinical guidelines and treatment strategies.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Fundacao Universidade Federal de Ciencias da Saude de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA, Brazil), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC, Chile)
Summary
EMC collaborates with UFCSPA in Brazil and PUC in Chile on hepatology and liver disease, building on the ESCALON project and earlier KA171 exchanges. With UFCSPA, the focus is on liver functioning and the WHO goal of reducing hepatitis‑related deaths by 2030, especially chronic hepatitis B and its co‑infections with hepatitis delta virus and HIV. EMC provides an annual lecture series and hands‑on training in laboratory and clinical settings for Brazilian students and staff, while UFCSPA staff receive training in laboratory techniques related to viral hepatitis and rotate in EMC clinics. With PUC, the collaboration centres on fatty liver disease, one of the most widespread liver diseases, with high rates in Latin America. EMC works on biomarkers and intrahepatic mechanisms to improve treatment strategies, while PUC focuses on risk factors and clinical prediction tools. EMC staff offer laboratory training and lectures at PUC, and PUC PhD students rotate to EMC to learn specific techniques. Data from the Rotterdam Study and Chilean cohorts are analysed to compare socio‑demographic and clinical characteristics of fatty liver disease.
Impact
The project enhances participants’ skills, experience and understanding of different perspectives on liver disease and treatment and fosters awareness of patient heterogeneity, with emphasis on inclusiveness regarding gender and ethnic origin, including indigenous populations. Students and staff strengthen the educational quality and research output of their institutions and help build a broader regional network linking Latin America and the EU. Standardisation of research procedures and reciprocal training raise research quality across partners, while access to patient materials from diverse ethnic backgrounds allows comparison with European samples and improves understanding of molecular processes, disease severity and treatment outcomes. Joint training of medical doctors and translational researchers supports the development of new clinical guidelines and treatment strategies.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of Law (ESL)
- Partner institutions: Universidad Externado de Colombia (UEC), Law Faculty; Centre of Law and Genetics; Centre of New Technologies and Private Law
Summary
ESL collaborates with the Law Faculty of Universidad Externado de Colombia (UEC) to formalise an institutional partnership on the limits of statehood and the balance of public and private interests in the context of digital and green transitions. ESL contributes expertise from teaching and research supported by Dutch Sector Plans, while UEC brings knowledge from its Centre of Law and Genetics and its Neurolaw and Neuroethics network.
Impact
UEC students gain insight into innovative EU approaches to regulating emerging technologies and deepen their understanding of a dynamic legal field. UEC PhD students expand their academic networks, receive research mentorship and enhance the visibility of their work. Teaching staff from both institutions benefit from teaching in new environments, exchanging methods and building robust academic networks. ESL and UEC strengthen their connections to national and regional networks and prepare for future transnational research collaborations on digitalisation and the green transition.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus School of Health, Policy & Management (ESHPM)
- Partner institutions: Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ); Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL)
Summary
ISS collaborates with USFQ, a core priority partner since 2010, on research about the effects of extractive industries on vulnerable communities and ecosystems, using citizen science methods to increase societal impact. The exchange focuses on developing research proposals that build on the “All Eyes on the Amazon” project and on starting a Double Degree MA in Development and Tropical Ecology, involving faculty and PhD students. ESHPM collaborates with ESPOL on health economics, building on links developed via ISS since 2022, a PhD researcher from ESPOL at ESHPM, contacts made at International Health Economics Association (IHEA) congresses and ongoing research. The collaboration advances research on health impacts of extractive activities such as gas flaring and climate change and strengthens ESPOL’s capacity to host the first IHEA Congress in Latin America, with participation of ESHPM faculty, PhD students, one ESPOL postdoc and MSc students.
Impact
Locally, the exchange increases collaboration between teaching and research staff and MSc and PhD students and supports the development of a new interdisciplinary double degree programme combining natural and social sciences. ESHPM students broaden their perspectives on policy implementation, data collection and global and planetary health challenges in Latin America, while ESPOL students gain insight into health economics and its specialisations, including Global Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment. The project strengthens existing research lines, develops new ones, leads to co‑publications and expands professional networks for PhDs and faculty. At regional level, the mobility programme serves as a model for ISS–USFQ collaborations with other South American universities and helps ESHPM develop new partnerships in Ecuador while supporting ESPOL’s efforts to position itself and connect with partners for organising the IHEA Congress. At national level, the collaboration enhances the international profile and expertise of all partners and contributes to bilateral collaboration between the Netherlands and Ecuador.
- Faculty: Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
- Partner institutions: Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University (FoE, ASU)
Summary
This project continues educational, research and advisory collaboration between IHS and the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University (ASU). It builds on previous joint activities such as a course on sustainable urban food security and land constraints, advisory work on urban resilience in Luxor and research on housing in Ismailia. The partnership aligns with IHS’s mission to inspire and empower urban professionals and citizens and with FoE, ASU’s mission to be a regional and international leader in engineering education and research. The collaboration focuses on four areas: education (joint course development, including an EU CBHE proposal on inequalities and the blue economy, mutual teaching in courses such as “City Lab”, “Smart Cities Lab”, “City Development Strategies” and “Cities and Climate Change”, and contributions by ASU staff to IHS MSc courses and internal knowledge-sharing sessions); project acquisition (joint project agenda and funding scans); research (support to ongoing and future research, including longitudinal work in Ismailia, and a wider research agenda); and networking (connecting the IHS Egypt network with ASU’s network and strengthening South–South collaboration).
Impact
The initiative strengthens international collaboration and academic capacity in line with the priorities of IHS, ASU, EUR and the EU. It enhances South–South and North–South knowledge co‑creation on urban development, supports inter‑institutional staff exchange, and creates pathways for long‑term educational and research collaboration between ASU and IHS. PhD and MSc students benefit from exposure to researchers from both institutions, while faculty gain opportunities for collaborative research, enriched teaching methodologies and expanded networks. Locally, the project encourages more staff‑led cross‑cultural and interdisciplinary work; nationally, it supports ASU’s development as a university with an international reputation and offers IHS new opportunities in the MENA region; regionally, it promotes co‑creation of knowledge and development of related courses, publications and research projects.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Addis Ababa University (AAU), College of Development Studies; Gambella University (GU)
Summary
ISS collaborates with AAU and GU within the ERC‑funded RRUSHES‑5 project, which examines large‑scale land deals in Ethiopia and their impacts on communities in regions such as Gambella, Oromia and Benishangul‑Gumuz. Gambella is a hotspot of the land rush, where state‑facilitated land transfers affect access to land and natural resources essential for local livelihoods and food security. GU, a relatively new university in this region, and AAU aim to strengthen their capacity for scholar‑activism and policy engagement on land politics and related issues of food, labour, climate, conflict and social justice. ISS has collaborated with AAU since 1996, including on graduate programmes in development studies and a joint Development Studies PhD programme. Staff from AAU and GU give guest lectures and seminars at ISS for the Political Ecology group and MA students in Agrarian, Food and Environmental Studies. AAU PhD candidates follow the ISS course “Agrarian and Food Politics”, participate in tailored reading sessions and workshops and engage with initiatives such as the Land Deal Politics Initiative, Initiatives in Critical Agrarian Studies and the Emancipatory Rural Politics Initiative. ISS staff visit AAU and GU to give lectures and co‑organise a writeshop on critical agrarian studies and scholar‑activism for PhD students and young researchers, and they organise capacity‑building training on the political economy of land and forums on land governance, politics and bottom‑up accountability.
Impact
Participants from AAU, GU and ISS broaden their international experience, improve their effectiveness in advocacy and gain opportunities for joint publications and new research projects on land and ethnic politics, land and labour and rural transformations. PhD students learn to identify and apply appropriate theoretical frameworks, present their research for feedback and navigate the publishing process; the impact of the writeshop is assessed through participant surveys and manuscript submissions. Institutionally, the project builds research and policy‑advocacy capacity at AAU, GU and ISS for policy‑engaged, interdisciplinary research and creates wider networks with regional state offices and social‑justice‑oriented civil society organisations. At regional level, enhanced advocacy capacity targets land‑related ethnic conflict in Gambella, where marginalised indigenous groups rely on customary land tenure and face growing pressure from large‑scale investments. Nationally, the writeshop and capacity‑building training bring together PhD and MA students, policymakers and NGOs, generating a broader network on land and rural transformations and encouraging better understanding and collaboration between academia, policymakers and civil society.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT‑H) / Human Sciences Research Centre (HSRC)
Summary
ISS collaborates with the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT‑H), a leading institution focusing on information technology and its impact on socio‑economic development, which recently established the Human Sciences Research Centre (HSRC). The project supports ISS’s strategic focus on technology and development and aligns with IIIT‑H’s interest in critical reflection on technological change. It centres on three themes: the impact of technological change on international development, labour practices in platform work, and extractive industries and their role in supplying energy for the growing AI sector and just transitions.
Impact
The collaboration contributes to ISS’s strategy of deepening connections with institutions in developing countries and to IIIT‑H’s strategy of increasing international collaborations. It supports joint research on technology and development in key sectors such as extractive industries and platform work, exposes PhD students to different perspectives from social science and technical traditions, and leads to shared research agendas for grant applications. Seminars and workshops on technology and development are streamed and publicised via institutional channels and networks, and PhD researchers disseminate their work through publications. Mobility success is monitored through pre‑ and post‑mobility interviews with participants conducted jointly by ISS and IIIT‑H.
- Faculty: EMC
- Partner institutions: Keio University School of Medicine
Summary
This project strengthens collaboration between EMC and Keio University’s School of Medicine, reviving a student exchange programme paused during COVID‑19. Both institutions are leaders in organoid technology: EMC develops HBV infection models using adult stem cell‑derived organoids, while Keio advances human hepatocyte organoid technologies. Their collaboration builds on a shared history from the Clevers’ Lab and focuses on innovative research on viral co‑infections and patient‑specific therapeutic models. The exchange programme involves junior staff participating in specialised courses and hands‑on laboratory training at both institutions, and senior staff developing training modules on organoid technologies and virology. An NDA is in place to enable transfer of hepatocyte organoids from Keio to EMC and supports preparation of an NIH research proposal.
Impact
Participants, including staff and doctoral researchers, gain hands‑on expertise in organoid technologies and virology, strengthen teaching and training skills and develop cross‑cultural competencies by teaching and working in each other’s settings. At institutional level, EMC and Keio reinforce their complementary research and educational capabilities by co‑developing methodologies for studying viral co‑infections and integrating cutting‑edge research into teaching, thereby enhancing their reputations in biomedical innovation. The mobility programme also revives the medical student exchange and supports follow‑up grants with partners in Europe, the US, Africa and Japan.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: American University of Beirut (AUB), Lebanese American University (LAU)
Summary
This mobility partnership creates a research collaboration between ISS, AUB and LAU on knowledge production and (forced) migration, with a focus on alternative forms of governance and solidarity and critical approaches such as critical realist and decolonial feminist theory. It responds to intersecting crises of displacement and economic instability in Lebanon and the wider Middle East and centres local knowledge production and perspectives from the directly affected contexts. The partnership brings together AUB’s IDRC-supported Research Chair on Forced Displacement, LAU’s Institute for Migration Studies, and ISS’s Migration and Diversity research theme embedded in the Leiden–Delft–Erasmus Center for Governance of Migration and Diversity. Staff mobility includes guest lectures, hybrid postgraduate workshops on critical knowledge production and (forced) migration, curriculum development, mentorship for early-career researchers, research seminars at all three institutions, and workshops for future joint research initiatives. PhD mobility focuses on projects at the intersection of migration, community-based crisis responses and pedagogy of crisis, with participation in seminars, engagement with local networks, joint supervision and collaborative publications.
Impact
At participant level, staff enhance theoretical and methodological expertise through structured engagement with different academic traditions, develop new teaching competencies through co‑teaching and build concrete research partnerships, while graduate students deepen theoretical and methodological skills and expand their research networks. At institutional level, ISS strengthens its capacity to deliver training on critical and decolonial methodologies and its ties in the MENA region, while AUB and LAU develop new methodological resources for studying local crisis responses and strengthen international research partnerships. Locally and regionally, the partnership contributes to a Lebanon‑based research network on community‑based responses to multiple crises, improving connections between academia and practitioners and strengthening critical development studies across the Eastern Mediterranean. Nationally, the project enhances capacity for critical research on crisis response in Lebanon and strengthens Dutch–Lebanese academic cooperation, contributing to more equitable North–South research partnerships.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of Health, Policy & Management (ESHPM)
- Partner institutions: Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI), NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
Summary
ESHPM collaborates with the Centre for Behavioural and Implementation Science Interventions (BISI) at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine on the implementation of healthcare innovations. ESHPM addresses complex implementation challenges by integrating implementation science, organisational behaviour, complexity science and organisational psychology, while BISI focuses on implementing evidence in practice through behavioural and implementation science. The partnership builds on joint research on dementia care interventions and aims to strengthen both institutions’ positions as global experts on implementation challenges. Mobility of PhD students and senior staff is organised around ongoing projects in the convergence programme Sustainable Healthcare and includes lectures, seminars and workshops.
Impact
In the short term, the collaboration strengthens both schools’ research and positions in healthcare innovation implementation and supports ESHPM scholars’ personal and academic development through collaboration with a top‑ranked university. In the long term, it supports jointly supervised PhD students and joint grant applications. Joint research on implementation challenges increases the generalisability of findings across different healthcare settings and contributes to deeper understanding of complex implementation issues affecting individuals, teams and organisations.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: ender and Development Studies (GDS), Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), GTD journal
Summary
This project extends a long‑standing collaboration between ISS and Gender and Development Studies (GDS), which includes ISS’s role in the inception of GDS and co‑editing of the journal Gender, Technology and Development. It focuses on the social impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in areas such as gender and migration, politics and conflict, and marginalisation and social justice. Staff mobility activities include joint workshops and seminars to design AI tutorials for ISS courses on Technology and Development and Conflict and Peace, incorporate AI topics into the GDS curriculum, contribute to joint research projects in Southeast Asia, organise a workshop for a GTD special issue, deliver guest lectures, and mentor learner thesis projects. Learner mobility allows GDS students to follow ISS and ESHCC courses and seminars on AI and digitalisation and to experience the Erasmian Language model, while ISS students participate in GDS courses and seminars at the AIT AI Centre.
Impact
The project strengthens cross‑cultural and transnational perspectives on AI and its societal impacts for both learners and staff. It supports the development of a new ISS course syllabus on technology and development and new GDS curriculum elements on AI and gender. Learner and staff exchanges deepen research networks, enhance teaching methodologies for AI in social science curricula and contribute to debates on AI, sustainable development and social justice at national and regional levels.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Makerere University, College of Health Sciences (Mak)
Summary
EMC collaborates with Makerere’s College of Health Sciences as a continuation of a previous KA171 partnership that supports staff and students through training, mentorship, laboratory work, grantsmanship and leadership development. The collaboration is embedded in the SPIRAL consortium on HIV pathogenesis in diverse populations in Sub‑Saharan Africa and links to projects such as AFRICURE, SPIRAL and the ARUA‑GUILD consortium. Mak staff follow training at EMC in grant writing, research leadership, coordination, supervision and knowledge dissemination, and PhD participants receive laboratory and research training in virology, immunology, pathology and infectious disease epidemiology. EMC staff give guest lectures at Mak, plan joint training modules (e.g. within the Infection & Immunity programme) and co‑organise technical skills workshops in Uganda to reach students across different biomedical fields.
Impact
For Mak, the collaboration equips researchers, clinicians and PhD students with interdisciplinary expertise, mentorship and international experience and increases their competitiveness in obtaining international funding. Young scientists gain access to state‑of‑the‑art methods and learn to apply them in local settings, while senior scientists strengthen leadership and grant‑writing skills and gain teaching experience in a different cultural context. For EMC, the collaboration extends academic horizons, supports knowledge exchange and strengthens its global position and understanding of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of communicable diseases. At institutional level, Mak connects more strongly with UNZA, CHUSS and ISS, adding conflict and migration perspectives to biomedical work. Nationally and regionally, the collaboration contributes to basic, clinical and translational capacity in public health and infectious disease research and aligns with the Dutch Multi‑Annual Country Strategy 2023–2026 for Uganda.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Makerere University, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS)
Summary
ISS collaborates with CHUSS at Makerere on an enduring partnership that includes projects such as ADAPTED and the Urban Action Innovations Lab. The mobility promotes exchange in teaching and research and deepens EUR–Mak collaboration in East Africa and with ARUA partners. Incoming CHUSS staff learn from the ISS PhD programme, participate in the ISS course for PhD supervisors and get acquainted with ISS projects in the postgraduate environment, while also giving guest lectures and seminars. CHUSS PhD students discuss their research with ISS staff and PhD candidates, present research seminars and follow research methods courses at EUR. ISS staff provide guest lectures in Mak MA programmes (e.g. Peace and Conflict, Social Work, Human Rights, International Relations and Diplomatic Studies), share examples from other countries, and discuss joint teaching in Eastern Africa (e.g. Migration and Refugee Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies). ISS PhD researchers working on Uganda use the visit for fieldwork, advised and supported by Mak staff.
Impact
For CHUSS staff, the collaboration strengthens supervisory skills and strategic thinking about postgraduate research and teaching through exposure to the ISS PhD supervision course and Erasmus+ projects on African higher education. CHUSS PhD students enhance their academic skills and their capacity to become lecturers in Uganda, while Mak students benefit from comparative perspectives offered by ISS staff. ISS staff gain insight into Ugandan higher education, work with MA students in programmes not offered at ISS and cooperate with Mak staff on joint research proposals and ARUA‑linked networks. Institutionally, ISS and CHUSS develop joint teaching for Eastern Africa on development, migration and refugees and peace and conflict and share academic networks that support postgraduate environments in Africa and reduce academic disparities between North and South. The collaboration also contributes to Dutch priorities for Uganda. Coordinators monitor progress through regular meetings, participant feedback and indicators such as publications, new courses and PhD completion.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: University of Minnesota (UMN), Hennepin campus
Summary
EMC and the University of Minnesota build on a long‑standing collaboration in liver disease that started in 2016 with reciprocal PhD, MA, medical student and faculty exchanges and was strengthened through the Horizon 2020 ESCALON project on liver cancer biomarkers. The current collaboration focuses on two pillars: (1) bimodal training of trainees and experienced hepatology providers in liver point‑of‑care ultrasound (POCUS) and (2) artificial‑intelligence‑mediated analysis of liver POCUS signals. EMC contributes its European leading role in liver POCUS training, including EASL courses and a national Dutch liver POCUS course, while UMN contributes its pioneering work on AI‑based “sound analysis” of Doppler ultrasound for early liver cancer detection and EMC coordinates the NWO‑funded Liver Artificial Intelligence (LAI) consortium. The project includes three annual pairs of liver POCUS workshops for trainees and experts at UMN, participation of US trainees in EMC’s liver POCUS course and clinical shadowing in the Netherlands, and yearly UMN faculty visits to EMC to develop and align AI applications for liver disease. The collaboration also connects to Latin American ESCALON partners UFCSPA and PUC through complementary modules and workshops.
Impact
For individual participants, the workshops expand diagnostic skills, particularly in liver POCUS, improve confidence in using and interpreting ultrasound at the bedside and broaden international and intercultural experience. Trainees and experts strengthen their clinical curricula and benefit from discussions on clinical applications of liver POCUS in different health systems. Institutionally, UMN establishes itself as a national centre for liver POCUS training in a largely underserved field in the US and advances discussions with AASLD on scaling the model nationwide, while EMC benefits from interaction with US trainees and hepatology experts and from exposure to UMN’s AI work for liver disease. Joint AI activities allow both centres to advance protocols for liver cancer screening and other liver diseases and to develop new research projects and funding applications in both Europe and the US.
At a broader level, the collaboration improves liver care by promoting earlier and more accurate diagnosis of liver disease through non‑invasive techniques, in line with WHO goals to reduce cirrhosis‑related mortality and “bring care closer to communities”. Through ESCALON links and existing joint studies with UFCSPA and PUC, the model also reaches Latin America and can be adapted for resource‑limited settings where ultrasound is a key, low‑cost diagnostic tool.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: University of Zambia, School of Health Sciences (UNZA)
Summary
EMC collaborates with the School of Health Sciences at the University of Zambia as a follow‑up to a previous KA171 partnership that led to cooperation within the SPIRAL project and an NIAID–CRDF Global Award for HIV cure‑related research. An EMC staff member is appointed as Consultant Research Scientist at the Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Zambia with dual affiliation. The mobility focuses on infectious diseases, particularly HIV, and on expanding UNZA’s infrastructure and expertise by training staff in skills and technologies that enhance research impact and improve diagnostics and treatment. EMC staff co‑organise workshops at UNZA to align training and research goals in virology, immunology, clinical science, epidemiology and implementation science in locally relevant ways. UNZA staff follow the same EMC‑based training programme as Mak staff.
Impact
For UNZA participants, the project strengthens technical, leadership and grant‑writing skills and enhances their ability to compete for international funding and to improve diagnostics and treatment of infectious diseases in Zambia. Institutionally, the collaboration increases the global visibility of UNZA, EMC and Mak and demonstrates a shared commitment to tackling global health challenges in line with the Rotterdam Global Health Initiative. It strengthens teaching, research and healthcare infrastructure by providing a platform for sharing tools, technologies, skills and innovative solutions and consolidates long‑term collaboration in the region. In Zambia, where HIV remains a leading cause of death, the programme advances infectious disease research capacity and increases local leadership in international consortia and grant applications. EMC’s training in research leadership and grant writing supports measurable outcomes such as UNZA and Mak leading EU–Africa collaborative capacity‑building proposals.
Click on a country to see an overview per project: faculty. partner institution, summary and impact.
- Faculty: Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies
- Partner institution: Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAU USP)
Summary
This project builds upon an existing collaboration between IHS and FAU USP that advances feminist urban research and educational agendas through a decolonial and South–South comparative approach. It is linked to a series of seminars funded by the Urban Studies Foundation, organised with partners in South Africa and Tanzania, which focus on the activism of peripheral women in global South contexts. The mobility involves exchanges of staff and students who explore topics in urban planning, housing and land studies, examining urbanisation processes through the lens of intersectionality and contributing to grounded and transdisciplinary knowledge.
Impact
For FAU USP, the collaboration is pivotal for improving and developing a curriculum with international content through South–South exchanges. For IHS, it strengthens a network of South-based partners and fosters collaboration in knowledge co-creation, dissemination and training in urban management and development. Staff will jointly develop and teach courses on coloniality, new epistemologies of urban knowledge, city, gender and intersectionalities, urban housing and land justice, and strategic urban planning and policies, and will design an international capacity-building short course on intersectionality and access to land. The collaboration is expected to produce a feminist urban research agenda, innovative theoretical and methodological approaches, and joint articles and courses that guide future research proposals
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies
- Partner institute: Universidad Católica de Manizales (UCM‑COL)
Summary
This project contributes to ISS’s strategic objective to strengthen the societal impact of its development studies research by building research collaborations and educational activities with South American universities, with a particular focus on Colombia since 2019. Through international mobility of staff and PhD students, ISS and the Universidad Católica de Manizales in Caldas will develop collaborative research and innovative teaching on the socio-environmental impact of agricultural adaptation to climate change and global supply chain transformations. The focus is on the department of Caldas, where export avocado farms are expanding and civil society organisations monitor the industry to prevent environmental depletion and extraction dynamics.
Impact
The mobilities aim to achieve a multidisciplinary understanding of rapid social and environmental change in the Andean region, use this understanding to innovate teaching and learning at both institutions, and exchange complementary expertise to develop scholarly networks. Visiting staff will host seminars for graduate students, organise capacity-building workshops, and work on co-authored papers with PhD students. ISS PhD candidates will conduct fieldwork, enrol in UCM PhD courses and work on co-authored papers, while UCM PhD candidates will enrol in ISS PhD courses and also collaborate on joint publications.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institution: School of Public Health of Addis Ababa University, Bahir Dar University (BDU)
Summary
This project builds on longstanding ISS research relationships in Ethiopia on health insurance coverage and maternal health and on a joint PhD programme with Addis Ababa University. It broadens the disciplinary scope by involving public health researchers and new partners, including ESHPM and the School of Public Health of Addis Ababa University. The objectives are to connect research groups via interdisciplinary staff exchange, start new institutional partnerships and promote novel methodologies, in order to generate new research and teaching on Ethiopia’s path towards universal health coverage.
Impact
Closer collaboration between BDU’s PhD students and ISS staff gives PhD researchers research and teaching experience in a North–South exchange context. EUR deepens relationships between ISS and ESHPM and with partners at Addis Ababa University. Partners such as the National Health Insurance Agency are involved in course and proposal development. At local level, the project contributes to research and policy discussions on universal health coverage and generates new research ideas and teaching approaches. At national and regional level, policy stakeholders are involved in the development of two research proposals on ways to improve health coverage.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC
- Partner institution: Tbilisi State University (TSU)
Summary
This project links EMC’s work on improving liver transplantation and organoid-based artificial livers with the expertise of Tbilisi State University in organ perfusion and tissue decellularisation. EMC explores strategies such as warm perfusion and living donor transplantation to increase the number and quality of donor livers, while also developing liver and bile duct organoids grown in vitro. TSU is a global leader in organ perfusion and in creating scaffolds for artificial organs. Through staff and student mobility, workshops on liver disease and transplantation, and six‑month research stays for Georgian graduate students at EMC, the partners aim to pool experience and expertise and give more attention to sex differences in liver disease and treatment.
Impact
The project is designed to help participants grow in skills, experience and awareness of different perspectives on liver disease, while also promoting inclusiveness regarding ethnic origin and gender. It seeks to raise awareness of male–female differences in medicine, strengthen relationships for future jointly supervised PhD students, and improve educational quality at both institutions. At institutional and national levels, the collaboration supports internationalisation strategies, extends regional networks in the Caucasus and EU, and increases visibility and reputation. Locally and nationally in Georgia, three workshops are expected to spread knowledge on liver diseases, transplantation, organoids and female medicine. Dissemination will take place via EMC and TSU communication channels, professional organisations and joint publications, with the long‑term goal of contributing to clinical guidelines.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Vietnam National University of Economics; University of Economics of Ho Chi Min City (UEH); University of Indonesia; Universitas Padjadjaran; USM
Summary
This project builds on historical bonds of about 30 years between ISS and universities in Vietnam and Indonesia. Existing collaborations include double degree programmes and a joint doctorate with Vietnamese and Indonesian universities. The thematic focus is youth studies, which is of high societal relevance for the Asian institutions and of academic relevance for the Development Economics and Political Ecology research groups at ISS. The research addresses topics such as youth nutrition and youth migration in Southeast Asia, including issues like overweight and obesity among Vietnamese children in urban areas and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption among Indonesian youth. The research work of joint PhD and master’s students within the joint doctorate and double degree programmes provides the basis of the innovative research programme.
Impact
Incoming mobility periods of three months for PhD students aim to strengthen academic (English) writing and communication, debating and networking skills within the international setting of ISS. PhD students will follow complementary courses at the Erasmus Graduate School for Social Sciences and Humanities (EGSH), research seminars and courses at the Dutch national Research School for International Development (CERES), and present their work at the annual Development Dialogue PhD conference organised at ISS. During their stay, they will work on their research projects and interact with their EUR–ISS co-supervisors, contributing to the joint research programme on youth, nutrition, and migration.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil)
- Partner institution: University of Tokyo (UT), Kobe University (KU) / Kobe Institute for Atmospheric Studies
Summary
This project continues an Erasmus+ grant from 2020 with the University of Tokyo (UT), completed in 2023, and extends collaboration to Kobe University (KU). It facilitates a philosophy exchange programme that allows EUR students to learn from faculty in the philosophy departments of Kobe and Tokyo universities and enables future exchanges of Japanese students to Erasmus University Rotterdam. The project includes guest teaching of colloquia and classes by ESPhil staff in Japan. It also involves cooperation between KU’s Kobe Institute for Atmospheric Studies and ESPhil’s Feral Ecologies Lab, with the aim of kick-starting an institutionally funded exchange programme for PhD, MA, and BA students.
Impact
The collaboration supports internationalisation objectives of EUR, UT, and KU by promoting academic diversity, cross-cultural understanding, and global perspectives among students and staff. It aims to develop intercultural philosophical understandings and a comparative conceptual framework that values philosophical differences. Key objectives include establishing a permanent exchange programme for students in philosophy and allied fields in comparative philosophy, resulting in shared publications (such as special issues), colloquia for students to present in, and regular online workshops with the partner universities.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institution: Mongolian Academy of Sciences / National University of Mongolia
Summary
This project builds on a nascent collaboration between EMC and partners in Mongolia to contribute to the WHO goal of reducing hepatitis-related deaths by 65% by 2030. It focuses on Hepatitis D (HepD), for which Mongolia is a major reservoir and EMC is a global leader in research. The project foresees mobility of staff and students, including young learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, to exchange best practices and develop new avenues for better understanding HepD. Staff exchange for teaching includes three workshops in Mongolia, while Mongolian staff receive additional training and build networks within EMC. EMC will also enrol four Mongolian students at its Graduate School.
Impact
The collaboration aims to develop into a long-term EMC/Mongolia axis and contribute to the WHO goal of reducing liver disease–related health outcomes. It strengthens Mongolian impact through the Mongolian Academy of Sciences/National University, supports jointly supervised PhD students working to improve the situation of HepD patients, and creates a virtual global HepD platform focused on collaboration between EMC and Mongolia that can grow into a global entity supporting HepD professionals.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of Law (ESL)
- Partner institution: Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU)
Summary
This project builds on a 2020 cooperation agreement between EUR‑ESL and UCU in medical and public health law. It aligns with UCU’s Global Strategy 2030, which focuses on democratic transition in Eastern Europe, war and peace, and health care reforms with an emphasis on health law and the impact of EU accession on the Ukrainian health care system. The KA171 mobility supports certificate programmes for promoting Ukrainian health law and the development of double/joint degree programmes based on existing master’s programmes. Exchange students follow International Health Law and European Union Health Law at EUR, participate in joint international moot court and seminar sessions, and may take other English‑language electives. Staff exchanges include guest lectures on international human rights and health care in Ukraine and on the relevance of EU integration and Ukrainian health law, as well as joint training seminars on patients’ rights.
Impact
Teaching on international and European health law contributes to a better understanding among learners and staff of shared principles and values in health policies, such as equitable access to care and non‑discrimination. It improves students’ skills and knowledge of human rights law and EU health law and supports UCU staff in reflecting on national policy issues. The mobility increases the exchange of ideas on European integration and human rights in health care, strengthens teaching skills, and leads to better trained trainers. At local and regional levels, it supports professionals who address post‑war challenges in Ukraine and contributes to integrating Ukraine into European intellectual discourse and the legal system. Evaluation and dissemination take place through regular meetings, reports, surveys, social media, university events and open teaching materials, as well as “success stories” shared with academic and local communities.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Tashkent Medical Academy (TMA); Samarkand State Medical University (SSMU); Bukhara State Medical Institute (BSMI)
Summary
This project connects EMC’s expertise in living donor liver transplantation and liver regeneration with liver transplantation centres in Uzbekistan. It focuses on the WHO goal of reducing hepatitis‑related deaths by strengthening living donor liver transplantation as a response to the shortage of deceased donor organs. EMC and the three Uzbek medical universities collaborate through staff and student mobility, three 5‑day workshops in Uzbekistan, two‑month research stays for Uzbek staff at EMC, and one‑year enrolment of four Uzbek students at the EMC Graduate School. The collaboration also includes work towards a virtual global living donor transplantation platform initially centred on Rotterdam–Uzbekistan, and it aligns with Uzbekistan’s national health reforms in primary care, health financing and e‑health/digitalisation.
Impact
The collaboration establishes a network between EMC and three leading Uzbek institutions to develop and improve living donor liver transplantation programmes, benefiting both donors and recipients. It trains a new generation of medical doctors and researchers, increases participants’ skills, experience and awareness of different perspectives on liver disease, and raises attention to inclusiveness and sex‑specific aspects in clinical practice. At local, regional and national levels in Uzbekistan, sequential workshops at TMA, SSMU and BSMI foster collaboration among universities and contribute to a broader Central Asian network that connects with similar initiatives in Kazakhstan and the Eastern Neighbourhood. The project strengthens institutional education and research quality, supports internationalisation strategies in Central Asia and the EU, and contributes to building a global platform and guidelines on living donor liver transplantation, supported by joint publications and coordinated dissemination activities.
Faculty: Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)
Partner institution: Universidad del Pacifico (UP)
Summary
This staff mobility project between ESHPM and Universidad del Pacifico (UP) in Peru aims to create a platform for collaborative teaching and research for students and staff from both institutions. It focuses on two joint areas of interest: methods of economic evaluation and their application to health policies, and the relation between climate change, health and healthcare. The collaboration builds on earlier cooperation in evaluating Seguro Integral de Salud and on PhD projects of Peruvian students at ESHPM, which have intensified contacts with UP around these themes.
Impact
The project aims to further develop methods of economic evaluation of health policies in a low- and middle-income country context and to gain more expertise in environmental economics. ESHPM staff will support UP in developing a new curriculum in health economics, share teaching materials, and provide teaching activities, while UP will train visiting ESHPM students in the economic analysis of environmental issues and their relation to health and healthcare. UP staff will give guest lectures at ESHPM and meet with theme chairs and programme directors to discuss curricula in climate and health and opportunities for collaboration in programmes such as Eu-HEM.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institution: PLUC
Summary
This project between ISS Erasmus and PLUC focuses on inclusive, indigenous and localised forms of knowledge production and practice. It starts from the understanding that Western methods and theories do not have the same effects in global South contexts and emphasises regionally relevant knowledge, theoretical foundations and models based on a bottom‑up principle. Joint research has shown gaps in qualitative and quantitative research methods at PLUC, and the mobility programme provides learning and teaching opportunities on these topics. The collaboration aims to develop culturally appropriate teaching in community development studies, embed indigenisation of social sciences in the curricula of both universities, and promote intercultural competence through dialogue between lecturers and students.
Impact
Experiences and findings from the project feed into the curricula of PLUC and ISS Erasmus, contributing to rethinking methodologies and epistemologies in social sciences and development studies. The cooperation supports capacity development at various levels for people and organisations and creates a transnational partnership in which intercultural processes and competence are central. The partnership promotes a working culture of mutual learning (“learn to learn from each other”), where teachers and students from both universities discuss and develop intercultural competence in theory and practice. The project also informs the universities’ internationalisation strategies and helps derive new approaches from the partnership programme.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Vietnam National University of Economics; University of Economics of Ho Chi Min City (UEH); University of Indonesia; Universitas Padjadjaran; USM
Summary
This project builds on historical bonds of about 30 years between ISS and universities in Vietnam and Indonesia. Existing collaborations include double degree programmes and a joint doctorate with Vietnamese and Indonesian universities. The thematic focus is youth studies, which is of high societal relevance for the Asian institutions and of academic relevance for the Development Economics and Political Ecology research groups at ISS. The research addresses topics such as youth nutrition and youth migration in Southeast Asia, including issues like overweight and obesity among Vietnamese children in urban areas and inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption among Indonesian youth. The research work of joint PhD and master’s students within the joint doctorate and double degree programmes provides the basis of the innovative research programme.
Impact
Incoming mobility periods of three months for PhD students aim to strengthen academic (English) writing and communication, debating and networking skills within the international setting of ISS. PhD students will follow complementary courses at the Erasmus Graduate School for Social Sciences and Humanities (EGSH), research seminars and courses at the Dutch national Research School for International Development (CERES), and present their work at the annual Development Dialogue PhD conference organised at ISS. During their stay, they will work on their research projects and interact with their EUR–ISS co-supervisors, contributing to the joint research programme on youth, nutrition, and migration.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of History, Culture & Communication (ESHCC)
- Partner institution: Seoul National University (SNU)
Summary
This project expands the existing collaboration between ESHCC and Seoul National University, which has been a partner since 2011 and has exchanged about two students per year. It focuses on AI-related education and research, as both institutions have AI ambitions and Korea has recently adjusted data privacy laws to cater to AI research. SNU’s Department of Communication has a strong human–computer interaction and AI focus and has established the Center for Trustworthy AI (CTAI). Mobility activities include SNU MA students attending ESHCC’s “Unboxing the Algorithms” course and BA students following the “AI and Societal Impact” minor, while EUR students at SNU can take courses such as “Understanding AI and Story Generation,” “Machine Learning,” “AI in the Media,” “Human Computer Interaction Communication,” and “Korean Language and Culture.”.
Impact
The project broadens ESHCC’s perspective on AI topics and supports its investment in AI research and education, including the development of two courses and a new master’s degree on AI and societal impact. Staff mobility for teaching allows both institutions to benefit from insights in AI cooperation through guest lectures within ESHCC’s AI cluster and the CTAI. The collaboration will also be used to prepare joint research grant proposals for Horizon projects in the 2025–2027 framework on human–computer interaction and AI.
Click on a country to see an overview per project: faculty. partner institution, summary and impact.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Khazar University (KU) – Department of Political Science and Philosophy; Department of Geography and the Environment
Summary
ISS collaborates with Khazar University to increase the societal impact of development studies research by building research and educational activities around shared themes of water governance, peace and diplomacy. KU works on issues such as climate change, increasing water scarcity and the role of transboundary water bodies (e.g. the Sarsang reservoir and the Kura and Araz rivers) in conflict and peacebuilding with Armenia. ISS–KU collaboration started through co‑publications that feed into the ISS Governance and Development Policy (GDP) programme and has been strengthened by an ISS Research Innovation Fund project in which KU is a stakeholder to prepare a double‑degree programme.
Impact
For PhD candidates, the project improves substantive expertise, methodological skills, international experience and professional networking, leading to joint publications and better prospects for continuing research careers. For academic staff, it supports joint research on issues of strategic importance for both Azerbaijan and the Netherlands (peace, water governance, climate change) and deepens mutual understanding of research strategies and teaching practices. Institutionally, the partnership enhances the quality and intensity of academic collaboration, creates a stronger basis for externally funded projects and strengthens the capacity to design attractive (double‑degree) programmes for international students. The cooperation also positions ISS–KU as a regional reference point for universities in the Southern Caucasus working on water diplomacy and conflict.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Azerbaijan Medical University (AMU) – Liver transplantation centre
Summary
EMC collaborates with Azerbaijan Medical University on liver transplantation and biobanking in support of the WHO goal to reduce hepatitis‑related deaths by 65% by 2030. AMU is the largest and most advanced liver transplantation centre in Central Asia and seeks stronger integration into European networks; EMC brings experience with a dedicated liver transplantation biobank and precision‑medicine approaches but is limited by transplantation volume. The cooperation builds on a nascent consortium involving EMC and Central Asian liver transplantation centres, supported by the Islamic Development Bank, which already includes a joint PhD, co‑publications and direct links to the Azerbaijani government.
Impact
For individual participants, the project strengthens skills in biobanking, data and sample management, and translational liver‑disease research, and broadens their international networks and career prospects. Institutionally, EMC shares its biobank expertise and gains access to larger and more diverse transplantation cohorts through AMU, increasing statistical power and the ability to identify factors that drive transplant success or failure. AMU strengthens its research capacity and positions itself more firmly within European and global research networks. At regional and global levels, pooling material and harmonising biobanking practices across centres from Turkey to Kazakhstan improves evidence for clinical protocols and outcomes and lays the groundwork for a global liver transplantation biobank platform. This contributes directly to better patient outcomes and to the broader effort to meet WHO liver‑disease targets.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Rajshahi Medical University (RMU) and affiliated hospitals; BGMEA University (and affiliated hospitals)
Summary
EMC collaborates with Rajshahi Medical University and BGMEA in Bangladesh to address quality and safety in acute care and hospital management in the context of severe overcrowding and limited resources. The partnership builds on experience from a previous KA107 project during the COVID‑19 pandemic and responds to the need for more efficient management and improved acute care. EMC staff provide training at RMU and BGMEA on skills and simulation, work safety, evidence‑based practice, quality systems, teaching and examination methods, communication skills, simulation‑course development and curriculum development based on Dutch experience.
Impact
For participating staff and students, the collaboration develops competencies in acute medicine, hospital management, occupational and environmental health, and modern didactic methods such as blended, case‑based and simulation‑based education. Participants become better equipped to organise and deliver training in their home institutions, increasing their value in the labour market and their contribution to institutional quality. Nationally, the project bridges the gap between public and private sectors by including both RMU and BGMEA, fostering collaboration in a system where these sectors typically operate separately. Existing simulation facilities at Jahanara College Sirajganj (affiliated to RMU) provide a basis for a potential national training centre, while incoming mobilities to EMC strengthen research capacity in acute medicine. Overall, the project contributes to improved acute care quality and safety and supports the development of collaborative skills and shared standards across the Bangladeshi health system.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ); Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL); Amazon Defence Front (FDA, civil‑society partner)
Summary
ISS collaborates with USFQ and ESPOL to strengthen the societal impact of development studies research through community‑based monitoring of extractive industries in the Amazon and to develop a double degree. The Development Economics and Political Ecology groups at ISS have worked with USFQ for over ten years on the effects of mining and fossil‑fuel activities on vulnerable populations in the Amazon, in close cooperation with FDA. This partnership has already supported the protection of 500,000 hectares of forest and influenced Ecuador’s legal framework on extractive industries. USFQ, with a strong international profile and growing interest in European links, and ESPOL, Ecuador’s top public university, both seek collaboration with high‑ranking partners.
Impact
For PhD candidates at ISS, USFQ and ESPOL, the collaboration strengthens supervision links, improves PhD training quality, supports co‑authored publications and builds more relevant professional networks and prospects for follow‑up research. For academic staff, it offers an opportunity to co‑design a double degree that bridges natural and social sciences, deepen research on extractive industries and public policy in Ecuador and better understand each other’s teaching systems and educational cultures. Institutionally, increased collaboration among teaching staff, researchers and PhD students underpins a concrete action plan for a joint degree and consolidates the partnership’s role in shaping community‑centred, evidence‑based approaches to Amazon governance at local and national level.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Faculty of Medicine
Summary
As part of a broader Latin American hepatology network, EMC collaborates with USFQ to improve research and education on hepatobiliary cancers and infectious diseases. Ecuador faces high mortality from hepatobiliary malignancies, and EMC views the exchange of clinical knowledge and laboratory skills for early detection and management of these diseases as strategically important. Mobility focuses on MSc and (bio)medical students and staff. Ecuadorian students spend time at EMC to gain hands‑on experience with state‑of‑the‑art diagnostic and laboratory techniques and with clinical management of hepatobiliary disease, while EMC students visit USFQ to learn about local patient populations, care practices and research environments.
Impact
For students, the collaboration provides practical training in modern laboratory and clinical methods for hepatobiliary disease, exposure to different health‑system contexts and cultural approaches to care, and experience with international teamwork—strengthening both research capacity and employability. For staff, it expands research horizons, supports new collaborative projects and enhances teaching skills in diverse, multilingual classrooms. Institutionally, the EMC–USFQ partnership reinforces Ecuador’s capacity to train specialists and researchers in liver disease and integrates Ecuador more firmly into transnational research and education networks aimed at improving early detection and treatment outcomes for hepatobiliary cancers.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Bahir Dar University (BDU), Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Political Science and International Relations
Summary
ISS collaborates with Bahir Dar University to strengthen research and PhD education in governance and political science. The partnership builds on a 2017 Memorandum of Understanding and joint projects such as “Strengthening Law, Democratisation and Media in Ethiopia” (LA‑DEM‑MED) and the ADAPTED European Joint Doctorate. ISS offers what BDU currently lacks in its PhD programme: sufficient supervisory capacity and a structured programme in research methodology.
Impact
For BDU PhD students, the collaboration raises the quality of their PhD training, improves methodological skills and broadens their international academic networks, supporting joint publications with ISS staff and continued collaboration after graduation. ISS staff gain insight into BDU research projects, expand their networks and develop new joint research agendas that strengthen engagement with Global South perspectives. At institutional level, BDU’s research and teaching capacity in political science and governance increases, particularly in supervision and research methods training, while ISS advances its mission to conduct societally relevant research and capacity building in the Global South. Regionally, the collaboration allows ISS and BDU to extend initiatives that grow out of LA‑DEM‑MED and ADAPTED, and nationally, its focus on governance and political science aligns with the priorities of Dutch–Ethiopian cooperation.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Ilia State University (ISU); Tbilisi State Medical University (TSMU); Alte University
Summary
EMC collaborates with Georgian universities to strengthen acute care through train‑the‑trainer (TTT) programmes and to adapt EMC’s simulation‑based training to local conditions. After COVID‑19 highlighted weaknesses in acute care and multicultural teamwork, EMC targets simulation training for doctors and nurses using the ABCDE method and team‑training for both technical and non‑technical skills (e.g. communication). Additional acute‑care courses are offered in cardiology, paediatrics and oncology at TSMU, and CPR training at Alte. The project supports Georgia’s aim to bring medical education and care in line with EU quality and structures by intensifying cooperation with European partners.
Impact
The project develops practical acute‑care and simulation‑teaching skills, deepens understanding of working in multicultural teams and exposes them to international classroom settings. Staff gain insight into each other’s teaching cultures and methods and learn how to deliver simulation training and assessments themselves. Institutionally, the collaboration is a first step towards a sustainable exchange programme covering the full training spectrum from specialised nursing and medical bachelor students to master’s students, and it lays a basis for joint research in acute care and education. At national/EU level, the project contributes to aligning Georgian medical education with EU standards, supports mobility and ECTS recognition and ultimately aims to improve the quality of healthcare education and communication between professionals.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC)
- Partner institutions: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)
Summary
ESHCC collaborates with TISS, India’s leading institution in social sciences, to enhance research and teaching on the cultural and creative industries and the creative economy. The partnership builds on an earlier KA107 collaboration that showed the value of exposure to non‑Western perspectives on the creative industries and led to a joint book on creative industries in India. The current project focuses on staff mobilities only, enabling scholars in cultural and creative industries to experience different teaching methods and academic cultures. TISS offers applied research and teaching in a rapidly growing creative economy where traditional crafts and trade in creative goods are important and where links to Dutch creative goods and services are strong. ESHCC brings expertise in international business transformations, cultural industries and international art markets, and in integrated, blended teaching approaches.
Impact
For staff, the collaboration enriches teaching practice through exposure to different didactic approaches, strengthens research networks and fosters new perspectives on shared topics in the creative economy. For TISS, it supports curriculum development in creative economy and cultural industries, drawing on ESHCC’s courses and Graduate School experience in PhD supervision. For ESHCC, it deepens understanding of the Indian creative economy and supports the diversification of course content. Institutionally, the partnership strengthens Indo‑Dutch academic ties, creates opportunities for new teaching modules, joint workshops and publications and lays the groundwork for initiatives such as new courses at TISS and joint activities (e.g. winter schools) in broader European master programmes on arts and cultural heritage in global markets.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: Nazarbayev University (NU); Karaganda State Medical University (KSMU); Kazakh National Medical University (KNMU)
Summary
EMC collaborates with three leading Kazakh medical universities to advance living‑donor liver transplantation and related research in line with WHO goals on reducing hepatitis‑related mortality. Liver disease—from viral, metabolic and toxic hepatitis through cirrhosis and cancer—is a major global health challenge, and liver transplantation remains the only option for irreversible liver failure. Deceased‑donor livers are scarce, making living‑donor transplantation essential. Kazakhstan is a world leader in this area, with around 80% of liver transplants coming from living donors, while EMC has invested heavily in a living‑donor programme and in a biobank to study factors that determine outcomes. The Kazakh centres have extensive clinical experience with living donors but limited biobanking and postgraduate research infrastructure; they seek to build European research networks in a disease area of high national relevance. The collaboration builds on an embassy‑initiated framework and an emerging research network that connects EMC with liver‑transplant centres across Central Asia (and with an existing partnership in Azerbaijan).
Impact
The project deepens skills in transplantation medicine, biobanking and research methodology and broadens understanding of different healthcare settings and approaches to the same disease. Participants gain access to EMC’s graduate training environment and build networks that can lead to co‑supervised PhDs and future joint research projects, thereby increasing their professional value and their institutions’ capacity. For EMC and the Kazakh universities, the partnership strengthens education and research quality in transplantation, aligns with internationalisation strategies and creates a Central‑Asia–Europe axis in living‑donor liver transplantation. At regional and global levels, the collaboration underpins the creation of a virtual global living‑donor transplantation platform modelled on EMC’s successful global Hepatitis E platform. This platform, combined with pooled clinical data and biobanked material, will make larger studies feasible, support best‑practice exchange and ultimately help extend living‑donor transplantation capacity and improve outcomes, contributing to WHO targets on reducing liver‑disease mortality.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions: University of Pristina (UniPr), Faculty of Medicine
Summary
EMC collaborates with the University of Pristina to address viral hepatitis and strengthen clinical and public‑health responses in line with WHO goals. Viral hepatitis is a major health threat in the WHO European Region, with tens of millions living with chronic HBV and HCV and around 171,000 deaths annually. Kosovo has a young population, low health expenditure and a health system that continues to face serious challenges in policy implementation, surveillance, procurement and financing. Data on viral hepatitis are limited to a few surveys in specific settings, and preventive measures for healthcare workers and high‑risk groups are inadequate. Local authorities and stakeholders have therefore requested external support to assess and address viral hepatitis. EMC, with strong expertise in infectious‑disease epidemiology, structural monitoring systems, clinical guidelines and diagnostics, uses this mobility project to support knowledge transfer on epidemiology, testing strategies, awareness, treatment implementation, education, monitoring and biobanking.
Impact
The collaboration builds skills in clinical management of hepatobiliary and infectious diseases, modern laboratory diagnostics for viral hepatitis, public‑health surveillance and guideline implementation. Participants gain experience in different educational systems and healthcare contexts, improving their employability and capacity to contribute to institutional quality. For UniPr, the partnership supports the development of research capacity, biobanking and monitoring systems and strengthens its ability to implement national recommendations on viral hepatitis prevention, testing and care. For EMC, working with a Western Balkan partner broadens its research horizon, deepens understanding of geographical differences in patient characteristics and outcomes and reinforces its role as a global leader in hepatology and infectious diseases. At national and regional levels, the collaboration contributes to better preparedness and response to viral hepatitis in Kosovo and supports more harmonised public‑health approaches within the wider European region.
- Faculty: Erasmus School of Law (ESL)
- Partner institutions: Moldova State University (MSU) – including the Inter‑University Medical Law Centre
Summary
ESL partners with Moldova State University to address the relative absence of health law and strengthen training on patients’ rights, a core democratic principle. While MSU focuses on internationalisation in line with the Bologna process, there is limited knowledge and teaching on protecting patients’ rights, which contributes to human‑rights violations in healthcare. ESL aims to help MSU integrate international and European health law into its legal curriculum by deepening staff knowledge of international health law, EU integration and human rights in healthcare; by discussing dilemmas such as informed consent, privacy, professional secrecy and access to care; and by exchanging best practices in teaching, debating and communication. The collaboration builds on ESL’s recent experience with a similar programme in Ukraine.
Impact
For participants, the project enhances understanding of international and EU health law and global health law, and of their relevance for healthcare actors, leading to better‑trained staff, better‑educated students and improved employability. Teaching EU health law also strengthens knowledge of shared principles in national and European health policy, such as equitable access to quality care and non‑discrimination. Institutionally, the new training increases educational capacity, attracts strong students and supports collaborative teaching across departments. It encourages staff to develop joint research on shared interests, facilitated by MSU’s Inter‑University Medical Law Centre, and supports more advanced legal studies and advisory opinions feeding into national policy. The long‑term goal is to embed health‑law and patient‑rights training in Moldova’s legal curricula, significantly improving the protection of patients’ rights and enabling broader collaboration between MSU and EU partners in the field of health law.
- Faculty: International Institute of Social Studies (ISS)
- Partner institutions: Birzeit University (BU) – Institute of Women’s Studies; Graduate School; Law Clinic at the School of Law
Summary
ISS collaborates with Birzeit University in the South Mediterranean region to increase the societal impact of development studies research. BU is one of Palestine’s leading universities, with a wide range of master’s and PhD programmes, a strong focus on supporting women and marginalised groups and an explicit commitment to internationalisation despite severe geopolitical constraints. ISS has a long‑standing academic engagement with Palestine across fields such as women and gender studies, critical legal studies, legal sociology, political economy, political ecology, social policy and conflict and peace studies, and is embedded in multiple Middle East–focused networks. ISS and BU now use staff and student exchange to develop collaborative teaching and research partnerships on land, women, human rights, international justice, climate change and migration in Palestine and the wider region.
Impact
For PhD candidates and students, the collaboration is expected to improve the quality of MA and PhD education, deepen experiential learning opportunities, bring them into closer contact with international supervisors, and foster co‑publications and sustained research cooperation after graduation. For staff, it builds a better understanding of where students come from or continue their studies, how partner institutions organise teaching and curricula and how research agendas complement each other. Joint work on curriculum development and shared subject areas (land, women’s rights, human rights, international justice, climate change, migration) supports more compatible programmes and prepares the ground for sustainable double‑degree and joint PhD trajectories. Institutionally, closer links between ISS and BU around specialised curricula—such as gender and legal studies—help refine teaching approaches, align quality standards and stimulate externally funded joint research initiatives. Over the longer term, graduates and researchers are expected to contribute to addressing complex societal challenges in Palestine and the MENA region, while the partnership strengthens BU’s and ISS’s roles in regional and international academic networks focused on governance, law and social justice.
- Faculty: Erasmus MC (EMC)
- Partner institutions:
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) and associated imaging groups at Harvard Department of Psychology and Massachusetts General Hospital
- Masonic Institute of the Developing Brain (MIDB, University of Minnesota), key partner in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study
Summary
EMC collaborates with Harvard and MIDB to establish Population Neuroscience as a formal educational and research field. Population Neuroscience sits at the intersection of health sciences, epidemiology and cutting‑edge imaging neuroscience. Although the partners already teach key topics, no dedicated training programme exists, while demand for experts is rising. EMC has extensive experience with brain imaging in large cohorts (e.g. Generation R), but advanced imaging neuroscience is not yet structurally embedded in its epidemiology, health sciences or neuroscience curricula. The joint initiative aims to develop methods‑focused teaching materials and advanced skills training, and to integrate Population Neuroscience into master programmes at EMC, with Harvard and MIDB as core transatlantic partners. MIDB brings access and analytical expertise from the ABCD Study, the world’s largest adolescent brain‑imaging cohort, while Harvard contributes sophisticated longitudinal imaging analyses, machine learning and novel rs‑fMRI methods. In turn, both US partners are keen to work with EMC’s unique Generation R data. The collaboration builds on prior joint work, including one of the first book chapters on Population Neuroscience and earlier exchanges around health‑sciences summer courses.
Impact
The project provides high‑level training in causal inference, machine learning for imaging, brain‑age modelling and longitudinal vertex‑wise analyses, all embedded in real research projects. They gain close‑supervision skills training in different academic cultures, build international networks and are expected to co‑author resulting publications, which significantly improves their career prospects. For mid‑career staff, co‑creating a new Population Neuroscience curriculum and associated teaching materials offers a unique opportunity to shape a new discipline, increase visibility through conferences, workshops and a planned book, and generate new collaborative research and grant proposals. Institutionally, establishing Population Neuroscience as a structured curriculum (initially at EMC, then also at Harvard and MIDB) positions these centres at the forefront of an emerging field and strengthens their transatlantic collaboration. The project will feed new methods and tools into existing Horizon Europe and Marie Curie brain‑imaging networks, and the resulting open‑access software, teaching materials and masterclasses will disseminate Population Neuroscience approaches widely, supporting long‑term impact well beyond the partner institutions.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.