Institute of Development Policy

Save IOB 2025 Campaign


With great shock, on 23rd of September 2025 IOB learned about Flemish government's intention NOT to renew the management agreement with the Institute of Development Policy (IOB) at the University of Antwerp. The funding associated with the management agreement amounts to €2,643,429 in 2025 and formed the backbone of our IOB operations, sustaining 32 core staff members and our teaching and research activities. In addition, the institute employed around thirty project staff members through externally acquired funding.

In the meantime, the IOB has been saved, as it became a semi-autonomous institute at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Below, you can read more about why we strongly disagreed with the decision of the Flemish government and how we set up the #SaveIOB campaign ...

Read more about the MOTIVES behind the SaveIOB Campaign...

Since its creation in 2000, IOB has consistently received highly positive evaluations. Only a few weeks before this decision, as requested by the Flemish government administration, IOB submitted our new policy plan and our budget for the 2026–2030 period. Like earlier agreements, the ongoing 5-year management agreement (2021-2025) announced its renewal in case of a positive evaluation. Negotiations with the Flemish government administration on a new agreement were well advanced. The government's announcement therefore came as a great surprise and went against the reasonable expectations created by the Flemish government.

IOB is widely recognised as a global key player in development studies, and for its regional expertise on Central Africa. Drawing upon a multidisciplinary approach, IOB offers three Master programmes that are particularly oriented towards students from the Global South, while also attracting participants from the Global North. Our global network of high-level alumni active in governments, international organisations, business, NGOs, academia enhances the soft power of Flanders and Belgium by strengthening their visibility, influence and partnerships worldwide. In doing so, IOB contributes directly to the international reputation and policy impact of Flanders and Belgium.

What made the announcement particularly painful is the timing of its supposed implementation, which meant we only had 3 months of funding left. This left us with pressing concerns about how we could complete the academic year responsibly, and about the consequences for our students, staff, and international partners...

What followed was an intense #SaveIOB Campaign, in which IOB staff, students, alumni, friends, the University of Antwerp, international partners and fellow academics, and experts from Belgium and beyond advocated for the continuation of  IOB.Jointly we have pursued several strategies to secure IOB’s future:

We continued to advocate for revisiting the decision to discontinue the funding, in the media, through an online petition (started by our alumni), Open letters, interviews, through Parliamentary action, with several MPs raising critical questions ( find out more about these different actions below). In parallel, we initiated constructive discussions with the University of Antwerp, aiming to continue as a more lean version of IOB, which eventually led to the integration of IOB as a semi-autonomous institute within the Faculty of Social Sciences.

IOB is very grateful for all the support we have received from IOB students, alumni, colleagues, fellow experts, diplomats, the media ... and certainly also the University of Antwerp and the Faculty of Social Sciences in particular.

THANK YOU!

Find out more about HOW IOB staff, alumni and the global IOB community advocated for IOB

In the media: 

Open letters: 

Petition

Sign the petition to oppose cuts to IOB’s core funding & protect students’ futures, global collaboration & academic excellence. https://chng.it/8DhtrFSBpm