The Brussels Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Migration and Minorities (BIRMM) has been awarded the prestigious FWO-SBO funding for a significant project ENGINE (Tackling the Ethnic Gap in Higher Education). The project is a joint initiative between VUB, KULeuven and UHasselt, which aims at addressing the ethnic gap in Flemish higher education.
To create societal impact through science, this initiative will involve 26 societal stakeholders and collaborate with ethnic minority students to conduct innovative research and develop a Close-the-Gap toolkit. The toolkit will equip relevant actors, including governing institutions, higher education institutions (HEIs), civil society organizations, and ethnic minority student associations, with tailored tools to address the ethnic gap in education.
Prof. Florian Trauner, Dean of the Brussels School of Governance, highlighted the importance of this initiative in addressing a persistent societal issue. "I would like to congratulate our researchers on being awarded the FWO-SBO funding for their significant project to tackle the ethnic gap in higher education," Prof. Trauner stated. "The project is of great importance to address a major societal problem in our society."
In his closing remarks, Prof. Trauner expressed gratitude to the Flemish Research Council (FWO). "I would like to thank the Flemish Research Council (FWO) for their immense support to our faculty’s research mission," he said.
This project represents a significant step forward in addressing ethnic inequalities and fostering a more diverse, equitable and inclusive academic environment in the Flanders region of Belgium.