Artevelde University College Ghent is highly internationally oriented and wants to expand its international vision by constructing a worldwide qualitative network of strategic partners.

An alliance is an agreement between privileged partners because of a common advantage, such as combining the available knowledge and know-how or being a tool for internationally constructing high-quality education and research.
This implies that the worldwide alliance consists of a limited number of well-chosen institutions, which explains the term 'strategic' alliance.

Artevelde University College Ghent enjoys an extensive network of international contacts spread over 6 continents. These partnerships (universities, university colleges, NGO’s...) were consciously chosen for their complementarities in the context of student and staff mobility but also for other domains such as joint educational development, professionalization and research.

Out of the network of institutions in countries, outside the European Union, the international coordinators of the different departments  opted for a strategic collaboration with five partner countries, i.e. the ‘strategic alliances’:

• Canada, represented by Hilde Eeckhout
• Ecuador, represented by Griet Van Herck
• South Africa, represented by Marc Velghe
• Turkey, represented by Filip Dejonckheere
• Vietnam, represented by Walter Baeten

The strategic alliances are an institution-wide initiative, in the sense that each alliance is represented by a ‘strategic agent’ who follows up the contacts with the institutions and who is also the contact person for the different departments, interested in expanding their cooperation.

Ecuador, South Africa and Vietnam belong to the partner countries of the Belgian Development Cooperation and the Flemish Interuniversity Development Cooperation (VLIR UOS).
In Ecuador, a close working relationship exists with NGO’s who work at government level to improve education.
Within this form of cooperation Artevelde University College, through its training and services, shares its expertise where necessary and requested, which with time contributes to a structural cooperation.
In Turkey, a number of fixed partners are collaborating in the organizing of interdisciplinary programmes and projects.

Artevelde University College Ghent believes that the dynamics of the strategic alliances will systematically increase and is convinced that the investment in strategic alliances will lead to afundamental added value for all institutions involved.

 The actual objectives in the cooperation with the various partners of the strategic alliance may vary by country and in the next stage also by region.

• A strategic alliance is aimed at long-term structural cooperation: mobilities are a means rather than an objective, but obviously support the structural cooperation.
• A strategic alliance will reinforce the cooperation regarding education, education development, professionalisation, applied research and services. It is a tool for developing high-quality education and research.
• A strategic alliance is a tool for the future image of Artevelde University College Ghent, domestically as well as abroad.
• The sustainable development of a strategic alliance results in a broader and more in-depth cooperation between institutions, companies and education and training.
• The reciprocity in elaborating the strategic alliance may result in mutual mobilities, and is eventually supposed to be mould into a more structural alliance with a visible added value for all partners, such as curriculum development, joint projects, applied research, professionalisation, etc.

• The partner is interested in cooperation in various areas of education, applied research and project-based cooperation. For some regions there will be proof of this by means of the results already booked by the partner.
• The partner is willing to apply the principle of 'capacity building' in the cooperation.
• The partner is willing to apply the principle of reciprocity, without this being an indispensable condition. Reciprocity is broadly interpreted as an added value for both institutions.
• The strategic partner has a broad educational offer making cooperation throughout the entire Artevelde University College Ghent possible.
• The partner is interested in interdisciplinary cooperation.
• The partner has a visible vision regarding education and research.
• The partner has a visible vision regarding internationalisation in the institution, for instance by mobility of staff and students, sharing knowledge, etc.
• The partner is active in local and regional networks.
• The partner has an active international network, making the transition from country to region simpler for the international agents.