For years, the Benelux area has been an area of research focus for ITEM and natural partner in collaborations, such as joint events. Initiated by UHasselt and KU Leven, we now explore to join forces with partner universities and researchers in the Benelux area through the Benelux-RISE network. The mission is to unlock the full potential of the Benelux Union and the Benelux + cooperation by transforming fragmented national expertise into a unified, cross-border research pivot. As a kick-off, an exploratory workshop will be organised on Friday 22 May 2026 at the Secretariat-General of the Benelux in Brussels. We welcome interested researchers to submit a paper by 6 April.
Submit an abstract
Deadline for abstract submission: 6 April 2026.
We welcome abstracts that address questions such as:
- Which discipline-specific issues can be solved faster through Benelux cooperation?
Established Benelux-Union or Benelux-Union + initiatives—such as police cooperation,
automatic diploma recognition, etc. can be emphasized, but there is also room to
explore the need for collaboration in untapped fields. - Where is the “hidden potential” (economic, social, technological, legal, historical,
cultural, geographical, etc.) that currently remains underutilized within the Benelux
Union? - How can your expertise build a bridge to other fields of study in Benelux research? How
can your Benelux-Union related or Benelux-Union+ research be strengthened by
integrating interdisciplinary insights from operational and technical fields to move
beyond traditional frameworks?
