Title Promoter Affiliations Abstract "The development of a cost-efficient eQTL scanning strategy to unravel the broad transcriptional response of a generalist pest to novel hosts" "Tim De Meyer" "Department of Data analysis and mathematical modelling" "Aiming to unravel genetic mechanisms underlying the polyphagous two-spotted spider mite ’s unique host adaptation ability, an experimental ‘pseudo-panmictic’ population was created to: (i) Uncover eQTLs (mainly trans) linked to a host shift, relying on predominantly RNA-seq (ii) Examine genotype-environment interactions in different hosts (iii) Study genetic selection for/against relevant genotypes identified in (i) and (ii) caused by a new host" "Judicial protection in the EFTA pillar of the EEA: Reconcilable with the enhanced status of fundamental rights in the EU post-Lisbon?" "Inge Govaere" "Department of European, Public and International Law" "The EEA Agreement extends the EU internal market to Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. In these countries, judicial protection is provided by the EFTA Court. Questions arise, however, regarding the adequacy of this protection in light of the European Convention on Human Rights and EU Charter and how the EU can justify this (more) limited protection as rule of law promotor." "Equal motor development opportunities for all children" "Leen Sebrechts" "Mens en maatschappij, Stadskracht, Health and science" "Abstract is not available in english" "APplying without limits, Spotting Talent: An inclusive recruitment and selection process to promote equal opportunities for persons with mental health limitations" "Hanne Claessens" "Health and science" "Abstract is not available in english" "Nomadism and Sedentism as Equal Co-Directional Subsistence Options in Arid Landscapes: A unique study opportunity in the ""Black Desert"" of north-eastern Jordan" "Joachim Bretschneider" "Department of Archaeology" "The prevalence of nomadism or sedentism in the past and the difficulty of identifying the former in the archaeological record are globally applicable research topics. The challenges that these issues pose have led to the unfortunate effect of nomadism being sidelined in archaeological investigations, often viewed as an evidently ""earlier"" stage in the development of human civilisation rather than a cultural choice in its own right. This view is slowly being challenged, and one region that provides a unique opportunity to do so is the Harra, or ""Black Desert"", of north-eastern Jordan. The arid and seasonally fluctuating environmental conditions of this region which lend themselves to mobile pastoralism, combined with the geological properties of a landscape strewn with basalt blocks so that even temporary shelters are constructed from durable material still standing today, create a rare chance to investigate the ratio of sedentism to nomadism. This project aims to do so with regard to periods of human occupation and morphological forms of sites. In particular, one site type of the Harra, known as a ""wheel"", will be investigated in detail, including the excavation of several examples, to study these potential associations. Identified correlations between levels of nomadism and time period or site type will indicate whether this subsistence method was a response to environmental challenges, a cultural artefact that precipitated specific structure forms, or both." "Migration & Equal Opportunity in Education – a human rights law analysis" "Kurt Willems" "Research Unit Public Law" "Belgium is a country of immigration. Labor migration, colonial migration, the arrival of different international institutions and membership of the EU, have brought a growing amount of non-Belgians into the country. Their influence on Belgian demographics is significant, most importantly so among children. Almost thirty percent of Flemish children have a foreign background, with ten percent having no Belgian nationality. However, the Flemish educational system has only in a limited fashion been adapted to these changes. In ‘Migration and Equal educational opportunities: a human rights analysis’, different aspects of this problem have been examined.Firstly, the book studies the absence of schools organized by members of minority communities. Only a handful of projects exist, which is remarkable considering the long tradition within international human rights law of protecting the freedom of education. This freedom is considered to be an important guarantee that educational projects can be developed that are adjusted to the needs of minorities, including communities with a migration background.  More than in most states, the Belgian constitution contains guarantees to realize this educational freedom, a.o. by guaranteeing access to subsidies. In practice however, only a handful of projects see the daylight, suggesting that these guarantees are insufficient.This research project has evaluated the existing legal framework by interviewing all aspiring providers of education from communities with a migration background who have sought recognition and subsidies from the Flemish Community. That analysis has uncovered different obstacles: finding suitable buildings for the project, bringing together qualified teachers and gathering sufficient funds seem important bottlenecks. Providers also have to tackle these obstacles in a very short period of time: the recognition procedure forces them to comply with all conditions early on, in order to get access to funds. It does not provide a track that really allows them to gradually work towards recognition; one misstep could cause a negative decision. The result is that aspirants become more dependent on (local) governments, and their goodwill. In case they lack this goodwill, which seems to be the case for Islamic initiatives, they are at a significant disadvantage.Secondly, this project studied the development of language policies in Flemish schools. Starting in the 90’s, different initiatives were taken to integrate children with a migration background in the Flemish educational system, mostly by promoting the education of the official language, Dutch. That goal is grounded in human rights law, considering it provides children with the perspective of successful integration in society. At the same time the method to reach that goal, education in Dutch, is disputed. A growing body of research suggests that education that includes pupils’ first language, can boost learning opportunities. This has many argue in favor of the inclusion of other languages than Dutch in the Flemish educational system.This new understanding on the use of first languages, should shed a new light on how we interpret the right to education. That right, contained in the ECHR and ESC-Covenant, requires states to adjust their education to the needs of their pupils. That means that states have the obligation to work with the first languages of children in education. Traditionally, it is accepted that an interpretation that recognizes an automatic, individual right to education in or of the first language, is disproportionate. Therefore, this project proposes an alternative approach, that of a sliding scale. It proposes to consider, among other things, the sustainable presence of a community, their size and concentration, and the individual needs of pupils.That sliding scale entices import consequences for the Flemish context. It asks that the Flemish Community also creates space for first languages in its education. An important first step would be to create more leeway for education providers who would like to work with first languages, to do so. At this point, providers are limited by the existing legal framework, which forces them to stick with Dutch for educational purposes, and makes it very difficult to teach other first languages.The right to education, but also the freedom of education, require this legislation to be adjusted. The right to education of children with a migration background would benefit from allowing schools more liberty to draft their own language policies. The Council of State’s advisory practice, shows that our constitution allows for policies that find a better balance between territoriality on the one hand, and the right to and freedom of education on the other hand. Crucially, the freedom of education seems to prohibit the Communities from limiting the educational freedom as they do now. As the Constitutional Court has found, policies for recognition and subsidization cannot lead to the erosion of the freedom of education. Yet current policies seem to do exactly that, by fully taking away schools’ liberty to make choices on language (education). The choice of language is a fundamental methodological choice, and providers are supposed to be able to freely choose their methods of education – as enshrined in the 1958 School Pact.This book puts the ball in the court of different legislators: they should intervene to make sure that the Belgian educational systems can adjust to the needs of children with a migration background. In the meantime, it is up to judges to include the findings of this research project into case law on education and diversity. Increasingly, matters regarding the establishment and recognition of schools lands on their plates. In addition, pupils and parents ask judges to assess individual school policies that seem to conflict with their needs. The arguments in these cases often build on misconceptions; misconceptions that this work helps remedy. One example is that schools and governments often argue, and judges hold, that parents and children can always find or start another school where there preferences are respected. However, this project shows that the establishment of own schools is not as straight-forward as it seems, showing the malfunctioning of the educational market. Hence judges need to more critically assess which schools exist, and if what is on offer does not accommodate the pupil’s or parents’ preferences, they must ascertain that non-accommodation does not create a disproportionate limitation to the access to quality education." "Deaf sign language + right: sign language, equal opportunities and sustainable development" "Deaf sign language deaf + + equal sign language: sign language, equal opportunities and sustainable development Flemish government" "Equal Opportunities Policy" Diversity "This agreements states the conditions of the start of a platform on 'Equal Opportunities Policy' as approved by the Flemish Government for a period of 5 years, starting on 01.01.2012 til 31.12.2015. Partners in this project are KULeuven, UAntwerpen, UGent and VUB. The project will proceed under the conditions as stipulated in the present contract." "Research Centre for Equal Opportunities (2012-2015)." "Petra Meier" "Centre for Population, Family and Health, Citizenship, Equality & Diversity (CED)" "The main specific objective of the initiative is to provide scientific research Input and support for the equal opportunitiespolicy development and implementation of the Flemish government by developing multidisciplinary expertise and researchpotential in the area of equal opportunities policy in Flanders in a more integrated way. Another specific objective is tocreate a documentation and information centre and a contact point which serves a wide circle of direct and indirectbeneficiaries in the field of equal opportunities policy." "Policy Research Centre for the equal opportunities policy." "Daniël Cuypers" "Personal Rights and Property Rights" "The main specific objective of the initiative is to provide scientific research Input and support for the equal opportunitiespolicy development and implementation of the Flemish government by developing multidisciplinary expertise and researchpotential in the area of equal opportunities policy in Flanders in a more integrated way. Another specific objective is tocreate a documentation and information centre and a contact point which serves a wide circle of direct and indirectbeneficiaries in the field of equal opportunities policy."