IOB’s activities in Research and Outreach continue to be remarkably diverse and engaged. Guided by our commitment to creating a just and sustainable world, we work across multiple geographical regions and employ interdisciplinary approaches to tackle complex, often politically sensitive policy challenges. Our outreach activities have been evolving beyond traditional policy briefs and opinion pieces to embrace innovative collaborations with artists and various stakeholders. These partnerships have produced unique outputs including photo-books and comics, while also emphasizing citizen-science and action-research initiatives. To learn more about our work, please explore our social media channels and research website, where you’ll find additional projects and activities.
Project applications
Throughout the year, we received the results of several project calls and were happy to see many projects being accepted. We host 2 new FWO projects; an FWO-MSCA seal of excellence; 3 Global Minds Research Sholarships; a Biodiversa+ project; an MSCA staff exchange; numerous travel grants; etc. And we are awaiting news from many more project and fellowship applications that were submitted this year and which will hopefully be able to start throughout the following year.
Yet it would be unfair to present this as being all sunshine and roses, though. In an increasingly competitive context, the success rate funders is rarely higher than 20-25%; a figure which is going down rather than up over the years. So congratulations as well to the many strong, interesting, and relevant proposals in which researchers have invested a lot of time writing and planning, but that unfortunately did not make the cut.
The following figure provides an overview of the evolution in external research funding that was attracted by IOB:
40 years of USOS
At the end of 2025, IOB joined USOS (University Foundation for Development Cooperation) in celebrating their 40th birthday. You can visit their website to see the wealth of activities during this festive week. It included the presentation of a book “Caring for Our Common Home”, exploring sustainability, justice, and solidarity across global university partnerships. This publication marks 40 years of collaboration between USOS at UAntwerp and its partner institutions in the Global South. Through voices from multiple disciplines, the book highlights how local and indigenous communities respond to the urgent challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, extractivism, and inequality. IOB colleagues also hosted a workshop on global partnerships, where we took stock of the experiences of such partnerships at UAntwerp, drawing on available project data as well as on the results of a survey carried out among colleagues at partner institutes in the Global South.
IOB in the media: contributing to the public debate
Engaging in public debate is a core part of IOB’s outreach mission. Our research addresses urgent and often sensitive global challenges — from violent conflict and contested elections to ethical dilemmas in international cooperation. We believe that academic expertise should not remain within university walls, but actively inform public discussion in Belgium and beyond.
Over the past year, IOB colleagues have contributed to media debates on a wide range of issues. These included discussions on the Cycling World Championships in Rwanda, with contributions in different outlets and raising questions about sports, politics, and regime legitimacy. Colleagues also spoke out on the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, which is affecting countless lives, including those of our colleagues, friends, and research partners. Kristof Titeca spoke extensively to international media, such as several interviews with the BBC, interview quotes for the New York Times, and pieces for Foreign Policy. To keep everyone informed, we created a dedicated page where we shared news and media articles featuring IOB colleagues on the topic of the conflict in the Kivus, as well as on the Cycling World Championships in Rwanda.
IOB scholars contributed to the very important and necessary debates on Gaza and the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. With pieces on moral consistency or hypocrisy, for instance, where Gert Van Hecken critically reflected on academic collaboration and human rights. Or the discussion on Stef Vandeginste’s resignation from the university’s ethics committee, following the UAntwerp Executive Board’s decision to continue a research collaboration with Tel Aviv University, despite a negative ruling over human rights concerns.
Finally, there was media coverage on the decision of the Flemish government to cut its spending for IOB, contrary to previous signals (and a very positive evaluation) that we could expect a renewal of the management agreement for the next five years. IOB colleagues as well as other key figures in development studies and policy have emphasized the implications and short-sighted nature of this decision.
IOB-EADI 2026 General Conference
Some of the work that we have been doing during 2025 will only come to fruition or become visible in 2026. In particular, we take this opportunity to invite all of our readers to participate in EADI’s general conference, which is hosted by IOB this year. Click here for information on how to register.
Publications
In 2025, we hosted more than 20 publications in our in-house publication channels: 13 Working Papers, 8 Policy Briefs and 3 Discussion Papers. You can read them all here.
For a full overview of all the publications of IOB staff, we refer you to the UAntwerp library. Enjoy the reading!
Read on
In the next few blogposts, we will be sharing some highlights from IOB’s research lines and transversal themes. Together, with these research lines and themes, we strive to address major development challenges with innovative and socially engaged inquiry.
Read about the research lines and overarching themes: