Partners

Founded in 1425, the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) (www.kuleuven.be) has been a centre of learning for almost six centuries. Today, it is Belgium’s largest and highest-ranked university as well as one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), KU Leuven offers a wide variety of programmes in English supported by high-quality interdisciplinary research carried out at both the university and its internationally acclaimed hospitals. Boasting an outstanding central location in the heart of Europe, KU Leuven offers a truly international experience, high-quality education, world-class research and cutting-edge innovation.

KU Leuven is home to a vibrant community of international scholars spread out over its various

campuses. 14% of the university’s 54,000 students are international, representing 140 countries. KU Leuven’s Doctoral Schools provide internationally oriented PhD tracks for more than 4,000 doctoral students. KU Leuven works with a select number of high-quality partner institutions worldwide and stimulates purposeful international mobility and intensive research cooperation.

It continually strives to integrate the local and international student and research communities on all its campuses through a variety of programmes and activities. The Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET) gathers all Industrial Sciences programmes offered by the KU Leuven at 7 campuses throughout Flanders. In addition to the faculties of Science, Engineering Science, Bio-engineering Science and Architecture, the Engineering Technology Faculty is one of the five faculties within the KU Leuven's Science, Engineering & Technology Group.

The FET ensures that the unique approach and quality of the programmes taught at each of its’

campuses are guaranteed, while bearing in mind common goals and interests. Research is conducted in collaboration with the departments of the Science, Engineering & Technology Group. The faculty of engineering technology organizes degree studies in applied engineering. This means the translation of inventions and fundamental research into usable technologies. To graduate our applied engineers, we spend a lot of time on practical and lab-sessions, as the engineers need to have hands-on experience when going to industry afterwards. The FET’s international services have a great experience in organizing and administering projects and exchange of students and staff within and outside of Erasmus+. It structures administration for all international actions. As a big faculty with about 6000 students, it has an extended network of European partners for students and staff exchange (about 100 partnerships) and a network of project partners worldwide. Administration of the partnership is a challenging task. International cooperation in the faculty covers education and research. The FET is a very active faculty in educational projects. Over the last years it participated in more than 10 Tempus, CBHE and E+ KA1/2 projects.

Project Team:

Mr. Geert De Lepeleer

Dedicated and inspirational leader in the realm of international educational projects. Geert has spent decades fostering international cooperation and promoting educational excellence globally. As the International Coordinator since 2013, Geert has been instrumental in driving international collaboration and strategic initiatives at KU Leuven Technology Campus Ghent.

Steering Board Memberships: Geert actively contributes to the steering boards for international cooperation within the Faculty of Engineering Technology and the International Relations Officers at KU Leuven.

Project Excellence: His projects, including the "Quality Management Procedure for Promoting University-Enterprise Cooperation" and "Higher Engineering Training for Environmentally Sustainable Industrial Development," have been celebrated as EU best practices.

Dr. Chiara Piccardo

Inspiring Researcher in the field of sustainable construction and energy efficiency! Currently an Associate Professor at KU Leuven's Technology Campus Ghent, Chiara's research spans the environmental and socio-economic impacts of construction materials and technologies. With a PhD in Architecture from the University of Genoa, she employs Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods to integrate bio-economy and circular economy principles into the built environment.

Chiara leads key research lines at KU Leuven, supervises PhD candidates across Europe, and teaches courses that shape the future of civil engineering technology. Her projects, funded by prestigious organizations like FWO and VLAIO, aim to set new benchmarks in sustainable renovation and construction.