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The UIUC–KULeuven Faculty Exchange Program is a collaboration with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. Founded in 1425, KUL is Belgium's largest University. It offers programs in Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, Applied Biological Sciences, Law, Business, Economics, Social Sciences, Arts, Basic Sciences, and various research programs on biotechnology, environmental and health sciences. Graduate instruction and research are conducted in English. Leuven, a beautifully preserved medieval city of about 90,000 inhabitants, is located only 20 minutes by train from Brussels and the international airport, and thus within very easy reach of other European capitals.
To date, nearly 40 faculty from a wide variety of disciplines have participated in this exchange. Faculty from either institution are eligible to apply for funding for an exchange visit of between one and three months under the terms of this agreement. The hosting institution provides housing and a modest living stipend, while the sending institution provides roundtrip airfare. U of I Faculty applications will be evaluated by an internal UIUC committee, and nominations will be forwarded to KUL for approval by a faculty committee of KUL. Preference will be given to applicants whose projects demonstrate the greatest potential for ongoing research and collaboration with KUL colleagues, and applicants are encouraged to approach their academic counterparts in Leuven prior to the application. If help is needed in this respect, please contact IFIC. We may be able to offer assistance.
Faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who wish to participate in this exchange program may download guidelines and application materials here. The application deadlines for proposed exchange visits to KUL during the Spring and Summer sessions are typically at or around the beginning of October in the previous year. The application deadlines for proposed exchange visits to KUL during the Fall session are typically at or around the beginning of March of the year. However, these deadlines are subject to change and applications may not be accepted at all for certain semesters, in order to maintain a reasonable balance in this reciprocal exchange.