Autonomous, yet together

KU Leuven is an independent and autonomous institution steering its own course within the academic world. This autonomous functioning enables the university to make innovative and strategic choices that are in line with its values and ambitions.

The resources we receive as a university from the taxpayer enable us to conduct groundbreaking research and provide high-quality education. Again, a large degree of autonomy is extremely important, to have the space to develop a long-term vision, independent of, but in dialogue with, the funding government.

Historically and also legally, the K of KU Leuven points to the university’s Catholic philosophical embedding. Its ‘catholicity’ is not to be understood as static, but dynamic. This means that over the centuries our university has responded to social processes and innovative movements, inside and outside the Church. Today it is a multicultural institution, and the K symbolises a broad social commitment, carried by values rooted in a permanently evolving Christian-humanist thinking and action. KU Leuven is a house with many rooms that is open to students, staff and partners regardless of their philosophies.

However, autonomy does not mean isolation. KU Leuven’s strength lies precisely in its ability to combine this autonomy with respectful dialogue and intensive cooperation with various social actors. By 2023, for example, the university has concluded more than 3,000 partnerships, often in collaboration with external partners.

KU Leuven has greatly expanded its international policy in recent years. It is a partner in several international networks: LERU, CESAER, Una Europa, CLUSTER, U21, COIMBRA Group, EUA, FIUC/IFCU, FUCE/EFCU, UnILiON, Crowdhelix, CELSA, TenU, EUHA, VIU and most recently the Taillores network of engaged universities. The Interfaculty Council for Global Development (IRMO) and the International Policy Council drive cooperation with universities in the Global South. Such cooperation includes both teaching and research in the form of projects and individual grants, aimed at supporting processes that trigger social change.

In our global society, which is undergoing a profound (r)evolution today, the concept of autonomy is more than ever under pressure. This development forces us to adopt positions and make choices that partly determine the extent to which the university can think and act freely and independently, with the sole – perhaps utopian – aim of making the world a liveable place for everyone. Emphasising the independence of KU Leuven may clash with the need for intensive cooperation with external actors, especially if interests and priorities are not fully aligned.

1. We purposefully strengthen strategic partnerships with international institutions, but moderate less successful initiatives. The networks in which KU Leuven is involved involve a lot of staff and administration.  Continued involvement in these international networks is important for KU Leuven but we should dare to rationalise in networks where the input is greater than the return on investment. Moreover, there is substantial overlap of institutions between the various networks and little alignment between the individuals who are part of the working groups within these networks. In an era of scarce resources and savings, the added value of partnerships will have to be clearly highlighted and we must dare to discontinue partnerships that do not rise above the concept of talking shops. A thorough analysis of which partnerships are really needed and where we can make a difference is imperative. The major university networks (LERU, CESAER and EUA) remain important for KU Leuven, even if their direct impact is difficult to map. In principle, there should also be a direct impact at Una Europa, through collaborations around education and mobility, among other things, but certainly also through the involvement of a broader group of ATP staff who exchange experiences and knowledge at European level, which could also be a great added value for this staff group. However, the visibility of exchanges of students and teachers and collaborations around teaching, research and service as part of or as a direct consequence of these networks could be better, and the seed funding for involved teachers is perceived as too little for the efforts made. Nor should we always look far: there is an opportunity to develop a mini-Silicon Valley in the Low Countries in the coming years based on collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), KU Leuven, Aachen (ELAt), imec and ASML. KU Leuven can play an active role in the development of that cluster: bringing actors together, developing vision, seeking complementarities where imec and VIB are central partners.
2. We continue to focus on supporting minority and financially weaker students (such as through the Avicenna Fund). The Focus+ Fund is a good example of a recently launched initiative to increase the chances of success of students with a migration background through intensive and personal counselling in order to better connect to university life. Measuring the outcomes of such projects is important to further adjust our policy on diversity.
3. Naturally, we continue to engage with Flemish universities in development cooperation with the Global South. The world is changing at lightning speed, and demographic shifts are a powerful example of this. By the end of this century, almost half of the world’s young people will be from Africa. The future is global, and so must our approach. If we really want to tackle global challenges, we must continue to invest heavily in global development. This requires clear priorities and sustainable partnerships. Capacity-building is essential, both in the South and here in the North. We should listen to the success stories from the South, because they have the power to inspire policymakers and accelerate change. The solutions to complex world problems require knowledge and a multidisciplinary approach; two fields in which our university is strong. But we cannot do this alone. Collaboration through VLIR-UOS, our association partners, and LUMOS from UZ Leuven are needed to make impact sustainable. Today, funding for these initiatives comes mainly from VLIR-UOS and through our own BOF funds, such as the Zuid scholarships. We need to look wider and actively pursue diversification of funding, including through European projects. By spreading knowledge, research and training in the Global South, we create a solid basis on which our partners themselves will be able to attract international funds. That is sustainable impact. And that is what we want to continue to invest in.
4. Leuven University is not an ecclesiastical institution. This means that the church authorities do not determine university policy and the relationship with the church is not an obstacle to free scientific research. Rector De Somer stressed during the Pope’s visit to Leuven in 1985 that free research was not in question and that the university should have “the freedom to err”. The discussion on the Catholic nature of KU Leuven was held extensively under Rector Waer in 2011. A Metaforum working group consisting of a broad group of academics spent a year reflecting on the university’s philosophical identity. The final report suggested, among other things, broadening the content of the Religion, Meaning and Philosophy (RZL) programme component, which has since been done.
5. We must ensure that own political preferences and free exchange of ideas remain possible at our university. Each of us has our own political preferences; that is important in a democracy. However, we must take into account that political preferences can colour our views and decisions. A university also stands for truth-telling and free exchange of ideas, even those ideas that some find unacceptable. The University of Chicago statement says this very explicitly. But a university equally stands for inclusiveness, for caring for each other, for respect and for social safety. There has been a strong commitment to this in recent years, but there is always room for improvement.
6. We invest in policy-oriented research, such as in the Flemish Support Centres for Policy Research, and we encourage exchanges between researchers and politicians, such as in the Science meets Parliament programme of the Young Academy where a scientist from Flemish universities, colleges or scientific institutions is paired with a member of parliament.
7. As a university, we have a local embeddedness, we are part of the economic and social fabric, as an employer and centre of innovation. We also want to be closely involved in that local environment by researching themes and helping to develop innovations relevant to the city and the region. We also pursue close cooperation in the scientific field, such as with the Leuven 2032 Urban Lab, a platform that researches and addresses sustainability challenges in collaboration with KU Leuven, UCLL, imec, City of Leuven and Leuven 2030. We have established the Children’s University and organize the Science Day for the public. In the interdisciplinary think tank Metaforum, researchers from different faculties engage in dialogue among themselves and with stakeholders on social issues. For example, reflections on the university of the future were recently elaborated.
8. With citizen science, we are also building a direct link with citizens, warming and involving people of all ages and backgrounds in scientific research. This allows the value and nuance of science to receive more attention. We ourselves can capture new social questions and bring them into our research. Citizen science is a way to bring about more inclusion and participation. The Health Pass during the opening weekend of 600 years of KU Leuven is a great example of this.