VUB concludes strategic agreements with the University of Warwick and TU Dresden
9 January 2026 - The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has concluded two strategic collaboration agreements with the University of Warwick (UK) and the Technische Universität Dresden (Germany). Through these bilateral partnerships, VUB aims to strenghten international research collaboration and stimulate joint projects with strong European added value.
The University of Warwick and TU Dresden rank among the leading research universities in the United Kingdom and Germany respectively. At Warwick, 92% of research is rated as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ (REF 2021). TU Dresden is one of Germany’s eleven Universities of Excellence and recently secured five prestigious Clusters of Excellence awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Both universities selected VUB as their first strategic partner in Europe, recognising the strong international research profile of the Brussels-based university. VUB ranks among the leading mid-sized European research universities and was recently placed in the top 20 of more than 900 European institutions for its performance in European research and innovation activities. The university plays a pioneering role in fields such as climate research, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, robotics and international law.
The agreements include joint seed funding to launch new research initiatives, develop pilot projects and deepen collaborative research networks. In this way, the partners aim to support researchers in building strong European and international research portfolios.
Professor Pieter Ballon, Vice-Rector for Research at VUB, said:
“We are proud that the University of Warwick selected VUB as its first European partner for a joint seed fund. This initial funding will strenghten collaboration and lead to larger research projects with greater societal impact.”
Professor Mercedes Alonso Giner (VUB) also welcomed the collaboration:
“By combining complementary expertise, we are building a solid foundation for sustainable catalysis by design, while at the same time creating valuable opportunities for early-career researchers and students.”
The partnerships build on existing cooperation within the EUTOPIA University Alliance, a network of ten European and six global universities, within which the three institutions already collaborate closely in research and education.
Professor Ann Van Griesven (VUB, Water & Climate research group – HYDR) added:
“We have highly productive collaborations with TU Dresden in the fields of nature-based solutions, managed aquifer recharge, groundwater research and innovative sensor technologies. These agreements strenghten our shared ambition to contribute to an open, innovative and socially relevant European Research Area.”
Contact:
- Tania Van Loon
Coordinator Research Funding Europe VUB
Tania.Van.Loon@vub.be - Tineke Sonck
Spokesperson VUB
Tineke.Sonck@vub.be
+32 473 96 73 51
