Scientific research and cooperation

In 2024, the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs continued its efforts to find specific areas for its collaboration with the research ecosystem in Luxembourg through collaborations and joint projects. In this context, Luxembourg Development Cooperation systematically supports the development of capacities and expertise both in Luxembourg and in the developing countries, and works both to strengthen existing institutional ties and to build new partnerships with the academic and scientific world.

For example, the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and the National Research Fund (FNR) have launched a joint instrument called LuxAid BRIDGES, which finances innovative research projects involving Luxembourg researchers and partners in developing countries through annual calls for projects. The first call for projects, launched in September 2023, led to the selection of three projects in 2024, two led by the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), in Bangladesh and Senegal, and one by the University of Luxembourg’s Faculty of Law, in Laos.

In 2024, two agreements were signed with the University of Luxembourg to fund scholarships for students from the Luxembourg Development Cooperation intervention countries. The scholarships aim to contribute to the development of research and academic excellence in developing countries, while building collaborative ties between the University of Luxembourg and higher education institutions in the Luxembourg Development Cooperation intervention countries. Initially, scholarships will target students from Laos, Costa Rica and Cabo Verde.

Finally, in 2024, together with the NGO Appui au développement autonome (ADA), the Ministry continued its financial support to the ADA Chair at the University of Luxembourg’s Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance. The Chair works on research in European and international financial law with a particular emphasis on all aspects of inclusive and innovative finance and fintech. He or she organises the annual certification of professionals in the sector through the Certificate in Law and Regulation of Inclusive Finance, organises conferences on relevant topics relating to financial law and inclusive finance, publishes high-quality research in the field of financial law and inclusive finance and participates in national, European and international conferences.