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On Tuesday 13 March, as part of the state visit to Canada, UCL and the University of Ottawa signed a dual degree agreement in multilingual communication. On the same day, the two universities organized a research seminar on language learning. On 13 March, King Philippe opened a research seminar on multilingualism at the University of Ottawa. The seminar, which UCL coordinated in collaboration with UOttawa, was an opportunity for various university teams from Belgium and Canada – two countries with a long tradition of multilingualism – to present recent research results on immersion education. On behalf of UCL, Professors Arnaud Szmalec and Philippe Hiligsmann presented the first results of a five-year ARC (collective research initiative) project carried out in collaboration with UNamur immersion in English and Dutch in French-speaking Belgian education. In French-speaking Belgium, the number of schools that use immersion is continuously increasing. In 2015-2016, 191 primary schools and 100 secondary schools offered an immersion program to some 32,000 students in the Federation Wallonia-Brussels. The researchers were interested in the effectiveness of this program for second language acquisition and the level of learning of general subjects in a language other than the mother tongue. The seminar also allowed Professor Bertrand Hamaide, Vice-Rector for Education and International Relations at Université Saint-Louis, to present a study on success in multilingual programs, one of his university’s areas of strength. Following the seminar, UCL and UOttawa signed an agreement concerning a dual degree in multilingual communication. In concrete terms, this will enable five UCL students and five UOttawa students to benefit from a one-year exchange at the other institution to experience Belgian-style or Canadian-style multilingualism. The agreement will boost student mobility between Belgium and Canada, which is already very dynamic: in 2016-2017, 160 UCL students made an exchange trip to Canada and UCL welcomed 88 Canadian students. This year Canada became the top exchange destination for UCL students. Since its founding in 1425, UCL has both reached out to the world and invited it in. Through student exchanges, hosting international professors and researchers, interuniversity partnerships, participation in European and global networks, and a long tradition of cooperation in international development, UCL has exerted influence throughout the world for nearly 600 years. UCL wants to enable anyone who desires an education to pursue one of the highest possible quality. Whether fresh out of secondary school or in mid-career, students can acquire skills and expertise conducive to personal and professional development. Course quality is ensured by closely tying innovation in teaching to developing programs and maintaining their cutting edge. UCL is a stabilizing force in an uncertain world. It prioritizes universal access to high-quality education and makes innovation the governing principle of its activities, teaching as much as in research. It creates synergies between its involvement in regional development and its international influence, enabling them to fuel each other. Its research reveals the complexity and provides perspective in a world that emphasizes the here and now. In June 2015, university authorities approved ‘Louvain 2020’, a strategic plan to guide UCL to the end of the decade. Designed with input from throughout the university, the plan addresses several areas, including high-quality course offerings, improving the university’s ranking as a research institution, reinforcing internationalization, intensifying regional cooperation, developing the ‘digital university,’ and promoting universal equality. UCL wants to enable anyone who desires an education to pursue one of the highest possible quality. Whether fresh out of secondary school or in mid-career, students can acquire skills and expertise conducive to personal and professional development. Course quality is ensured by closely tying innovation in teaching to developing programs and maintaining their cutting edge. As a research university, UCL assumes its place in an international community based on recognizing the excellence of its contributions to development and knowledge dissemination. UCL favors an environment conducive to scientific creativity, the commercial development of findings, and a balance between research and teaching. Leveraging its regional foothold (seven sites and two university hospitals in the French Community of Belgium), world-class research and educational capabilities, dynamic alumni network, formidable spin-off creation capacity, science parks, incubators, and international development cooperation projects, UCL contributes to the development of a society that ensures the well-being of all its members. UCL is a stabilizing force in an uncertain world. It prioritizes universal access to high-quality education and makes innovation the governing principle of its activities, teaching as much as in research. It creates synergies between its involvement in regional development and its international influence, enabling them to fuel each other. Its research reveals the complexity and provides perspective in a world that emphasizes the here and now. In June 2015, university authorities approved ‘Louvain 2020’, a strategic plan to guide UCL to the end of the decade. Designed with input from throughout the university, the plan addresses several areas, including high-quality course offerings, improving the university’s ranking as a research institution, reinforcing internationalization, intensifying regional cooperation, developing the ‘digital university,’ and promoting universal equality. The values on which UCL’s vision is based are openness to others and differences, solidarity, freedom, and respect. Faculty enjoy academic freedom enshrined in the constitution, specifically, freedom of thought in the pursuit of truth arrived scientifically and free from the undue influence of current trends. UCL is a cosmopolitan and intellectual human space whose diversity stimulates encounters between people of different backgrounds and with the world itself in the spirit of rational discussion and mutual enrichment. Its Christian tradition is a living heritage, a driving force of an authentic pluralism that benefits and respects all people regardless of their beliefs. View full university

Located in Louvain-la-Neuve and Mons, the Louvain School of Management offers two bi-lingual (French – English) Master Programmes (Master in Management and Master in Business Engineering), - 3 international Premium Programmes: CEMS Master in International Management, Double Degree, International Business - a Ph.D. Program in Economics and Management Sciences - Executive Education Programs, including an Executive Master Program in Business Administration. Located close to Europe's capital, The Louvain School of Management (LSM) offers world-class courses and highly specialized options based on advanced research. It is the Faculty of Management of the Université Catholique de Louvain, one of the oldest universities in Europe, providing opportunities for interdisciplinary and multicultural experiences. LSM is focusing on excellence and an ethical approach to business studies and business practices. LSM is accredited by the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) since 2006 and is the unique Belgian member of the Global Alliance in Management Education (CEMS). The mission of LSM is "to create and diffuse knowledge and best practices in the field of responsible management in an enriching and stimulating working environment to the benefit of our main stakeholders, our students, with the ultimate aim of developing the skills and competences that national and international private and public organizations need to thrive in terms of excellence and ethics in business." LSM's vision is "to become the preferred international management school in Belgium, and one of the leading responsible management schools in Europe focused on people and corporate citizenship, as well as an active player on the international scene." The five pillars are our Centres of Excellence are The Centre for Supply Chain Management (SCM), The Centre for Research in Entrepreneurial Change and Innovative Strategies (CRECIS), The Centre for Studies in Asset Management (CeSAM), The center on Consumer Relations and Responsible Marketing (CERMA), Center of Excellence in Management Information Systems (CEMIS). The School's mission and vision's values are summarised in its slogan of "Excellence and Ethics in Business." We define "excellence" in terms of scientific rigor, openness to the world, and entrepreneurship. Our methods, tools, and readings are based on facts and principles, not 'fads' and quick fixes. "Ethics" for us refers to humanism, critical thinking, and responsible citizenship – putting the good of individual persons and society at the center of decision-making. Inattention to social and economic sustainability, the ethical dimension emerges in all our actions regarding personal experience and diversity, in dedication to scientific integrity principles. These values are very well known to and shared by all our stakeholders. They have long shaped the School's identity and continue bringing together and guiding our academic community. Scientific rigor: The School invests in its Centers of Excellence, which focuses on high-level specialization and quality. We use active teaching methods (role-playing, in-company training, international exchanges, numerous professional testimonials, etc.). We stay in close contact with the practical needs of company life, particularly with the need to work on a project basis and in teams. Being open to the world (international, corporate, multidisciplinary) - The School is part of a full university environment that includes all disciplines. Our professors, researchers, and students deal with people working in other domains daily. They include doctors, psychologists, engineers, chemists, physicists, lawyers, economists, philosophers, etc. A dynamic setting favorable to multidisciplinary exchanges. The School encourages international exposure of students and multiculturalism. We have built a global exchange network of more than 140 universities in 44 countries and five continents. This internationalization enables many exchanges between professors and students. Our School is a member of the prestigious global CEMS network. The School educates future responsible leaders who will manage people and projects in a global environment. To support the matching between business needs and students' inspirations and ambitions, the School offers our students an extensive panel of opportunities to get considerable feedback from the corporate world. Accordingly, our programs directly provide numerous opportunities for input from various practitioners and practical work, mainly through internships or business projects. The spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation: Entrepreneurs are the engines of regional development and social and economic progress. The goal of the School is to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and initiative. We have also set up several "entrepreneurship" programs, including the CPME program, which brings together management students from other faculties (lawyers, engineers, psychologists, etc.) to work on joint projects. Critical thinking: We want to educate future responsible managers who are free, respectful of the talents of others, and sincere and tolerant. We want to promote dynamic people with vision highly motivated and whose sense of ethics goes well beyond mere integrity. Responsible citizenship: We put equal emphasis on interpersonal skills and "know-how". Our objective is to educate managers who are conscious of their responsibilities. They should follow a set of values that places the business world in its proper perspective in society and seeks to promote sustainable development to advance as many people as possible. View full university

Since its founding in 1425, UCL has both reached out to the world and invited it in. Through student exchanges, hosting international professors and researchers, interuniversity partnerships, participation in European and global networks, and a long tradition of cooperation in international development, UCL has exerted influence throughout the world for nearly 600 years. UCL is a stabilizing force in an uncertain world. It prioritizes universal access to high-quality education and makes innovation the governing principle of its activities, teaching as much as in research. It creates synergies between its involvement in regional development and its international influence, enabling them to fuel each other. Its research reveals the complexity and provides perspective in a world that emphasizes the here and now. In June 2015, university authorities approved ‘Louvain 2020’, a strategic plan to guide UCL to the end of the decade. Designed with input from throughout the university, the plan addresses several areas, including high-quality course offerings, improving the university’s ranking as a research institution, reinforcing internationalization, intensifying regional cooperation, developing the ‘digital university,’ and promoting universal equality. The values on which UCL’s vision is based are openness to others and differences, solidarity, freedom, and respect. Faculty enjoy academic freedom enshrined in the constitution, specifically, freedom of thought in the pursuit of truth arrived scientifically and free from the undue influence of current trends. UCL is a cosmopolitan and intellectual human space whose diversity stimulates encounters between people of different backgrounds and with the world itself in the spirit of rational discussion and mutual enrichment. Its Christian tradition is a living heritage, a driving force of an authentic pluralism that benefits and respects all people regardless of their beliefs. UCL’s international involvement is not about mere statistics – numbers of exchanges, international students, and staff. It is about placing its openness to the world at the heart of the university’s missions. Indeed, teaching our students to think and act in both today’s and tomorrow’s worlds is to make them aware of and open to other cultures and to endow them with the ability to communicate and collaborate in an international and intercultural context. Innovating in research, education, and serving society – the university’s three primary missions – is to understand what is going on elsewhere in the world and think differently to find solutions. View full university