By Prof. Carine MICHIELS
Vice-Rector for Research and Libraries, University of Namur
At the Heart of Europe: an exceptional setting
Namur, the capital city of Wallonia, is a lively and multicultural city of around 110,000 inhabitants. It is Wallonia’s most accessible city located at the intersection of a large rail and road network and near three international airports. Namur sits at the confluence of the Meuse and the Sambre Rivers and is dominated by a 17th century citadel built by the famous military architect Vauban.
The university campus is a vibrant place only a ten-minute walk from the train station, ideally located next to the city’s pedestrian zone and high street with easy access to shops, restaurants, and cultural venues.
Mission
The University of Namur’s mission is to help its students to become responsible members of society. It encourages extra-curricular activities and social, humanist and civic projects that contribute to the development of a democratic, multi-cultural and supportive society.
The University of Namur promotes scientific research which combines excellence with a truly long-term vision. It encourages interdisciplinary approaches and a thorough comprehension of the human and social implications of science and technology.
The University also engages with society. The University of Namur aims to sow the seeds of the cultural, social, political and economic development of the region it is part of. It confronts and evaluates major social problems, especially those associated with inequality.
Meaning and a focus on the human person are the guiding principles at UNamur in order to give human-centered and ethical teaching. The students are trained to take responsibility. The commitment of the professors to their teaching role is a priority, hence, the students are central to their concerns.
With 40 different programs at the Bachelor, Master and Doctorate levels, the UNamur welcomes over 4,900 students in six Faculties: Arts, Law, Economics, Social Sciences and Business Administration, Computer Science, Medicine and Sciences. Its reputation is based on the quality of its education, the availability of its professors and sufficient resources to ensure maximum chances of success for each student: introduction to study techniques, preparation courses, small group work, course materials available online, personalized assessments…
The UNamur has redesigned its study programs in line with the European harmonization of Higher Education (“Bologna Process”). The UNamur has widened the choice of its studies to reconcile both specificity and openness to social and human issues. Quality of study in Namur is a first-class advantage for those who wish to discover a university on a human scale at the crossroads of Europe, as part of a study exchange program or to prepare to enter professional life.
Open to the world
The number of international exchange students hosted in Namur continues to rise. Most of these students come from our European partner universities but an increasing number of non-European students now choose the University of Namur as their destination.
Foreign students enrolled in an exchange programme can stay at the International House with our other international students, or share flats with Belgian students. Living and studying together facilitates the integration of the students and helps them to improve their French and other language skills.
In order to facilitate the integration of its international students, the University of Namur offers an intensive two-week programme to help students improve their French and English language skills. They get the opportunity to discover Belgium, Namur and the campus. These orientation weeks are organized before the beginning of each academic year in collaboration with Namur’s various post-secondary institutions, and are very popular.
Since 1989, UNamur students have been encouraged to take part in exchange programmes. At first, only a small number of partner universities were available as exchange destinations. But, over the years, the number of partners has increased considerably and now includes a number of non-European destinations. Students can spend a term abroad to study in a partner university or take part in an internship, either in the private sector or in a research laboratory of prestigious universities, such as Harvard University, the University of California, Texas A&M, the University of Montréal…
Since 2015, the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Programme allows European HEIs to set up mobility agreements with partners from around the world that concern both students and staff members. Thanks to this programme, the UNamur has developed 20 new partnerships with Asian, African and Latin American universities and has organized many teaching and research missions. The University of Namur has received the European Commission “Good Practices” label.
Value-based research: interdisciplinarity as UNamur DNA in research
The mission of every university is, not only to diffuse knowledge, but also produce new knowledge, which requires providing an essential place for research. Our laboratories and research institutes aim to develop quality projects, by resolutely joining collaboration networks at the national and international levels. Whether this research is fundamental or more oriented, it is meticulous in taking into account the human and social dimensions of science and technology.
Research in Namur aims at balancing ethics and excellence with an internationally recognized strength: interdisciplinarity. The UNamur research institutes bring together and interweave various skills and expertise around a global topic. This way of functioning favors transdisciplinary collaboration and original approaches for research as well as for teaching.
These research institutes are centers of excellence in their fields of expertise, including Energy and the Environment, Materials, Social Sciences and Humanities, Life Sciences and ICT.
Within the 11 transdisciplinary research institutes and the 7 faculties of the UNamur, the researchers develop their projects with numerous other research teams coming from the 5 continents. Furthermore, UNamur is committed to international development cooperation. This is exemplified by the various research projects deployed with countries from the South.
In 2022, there have been 1089 publications, more than 1000 researchers, with a budget of more than 21 million euros for the newly financed research contracts. Five sectors of excellence have been delineated: Life sciences and health; Society, transition and digital; Heritage, culture and societies; social and economic vulnerabilities; Materials. These five themes gather outstanding researchers and lead the visibility of UNamur for all the research stakeholders, being partner universities and research centers as well as funding bodies.
UNIVERSEH European University
In November 2022, the University of Namur has become an official member of UNIVERSEH European University: “European Space University for Earth and Humanity”. UNIVERSEH is an alliance of seven young and mature universities from five European countries. It aims to create new higher education interactive experiences for the university community, teachers and students, and for the benefit of society as a whole.
