The city as a laboratory: Erik De Bom on the UCSIA Solidarity Academy
In the latest issue of Tertio, our acting director Erik De Bom wrote an inspiring article about the social role of the UCSIA Solidarity Academy. He emphasises how the academy responds to the universal apostolic priorities of the Jesuits and focuses on solidarity as the foundation of society and ethics.
UCSIA coordinates new European project on service-learning and democratic competences
The University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp (UCSIA) has secured a new Erasmus+ project in collaboration with eleven European universities and organizations.
The three-year project, entitled “Service-Learning to promote Competences for Democratic Culture” (SL4DC), aims to investigate how service-learning can strengthen democratic competences among students and actors in society.
The project will start on 1 November 2025 and end in October 2028.
UCSIA and Streven join forces
From September 2025, the Flemish online magazine Streven Vrijplaats and UCSIA vzw will join forces. UCSIA vzw has become the responsible publisher of Streven Vrijplaats.
Nothing will change for readers: the magazine will continue to exist online with its characteristic focus on critical, nuanced and carefully written contributions.
Looking back at the CEUC 2025
From 16 – 20 June 2025 UCSIA hosted the Conference of European University Chaplains at Drongen Abbey in collaboration with Zomaar een Dak (University of Antwerp), the University Parishes of KU Leuven and KU Leuven-KULAK, Rapenburg100 of Leiden University, the Studentenkerk of Radboud University Nijmegen and MoTiv of TU Delft.
Revisit the talk on the medieval ‘tables of the poor’ and social care
On Wednesday evening 21 May, UCSIA and the Ruusbroec Society organised a lecture by historian Hannelore Franck on the fascinating world of medieval ‘tables of the poor’.
Throwback lecture series ‘Compassion in Context’
Look back with us at the ‘Compassion in Context’ lecture series! UCSIA joined forces with MAS | Museum aan de Stroom on the occasion of their exhibition COMPASSION.
The expo explores how people throughout time and cultures show and depict compassion, and confronts visitors with the complex and sometimes confrontational aspects of compassion.
To this end, UCSIA programmed the four-part lecture series ‘Compassion in Context’, in which experts illuminated the concept of compassion from different perspectives: neurophysiology and psychology, sociology, politics, philosophy, religion and literature.
Service-learning as a bridge between education and society
The recent issue of Tertio featured an interview with colleague Kaat Somers (UCSIA) on what the added value of service-learning in higher education is to society. As an experiential form of education, service-learning bridges the gap between learning and engagement, and offers students the chance to contribute to societal challenges through concrete projects.
Compassion as a silent force behind innovation
On Thursday 22 May, Finnish sociologist Anne Birgitta Pessi will be our guest for the final lecture in the ‘Compassion in Context’ series. Ahead of this talk, an interview appeared in Tertio in which Pessi shares her insights on compassion as a driver of innovation in organisations and communities.
UCSIA advocates for an Eco-Social Union
On 9 May – Europe Day – Bea Cantillon and Erik De Bom of the Universitair Centrum Sint-Ignatius Antwerpen (UCSIA) published an editorial on the future of Europe in newspaper De Morgen. Their plea: an Eco-Social Union in which ecological sustainability and social justice are inseparable.
Scholarship Louis Bruyns 2025-26
UCSIA is offering the Louis Bruyns Scholarship for the 2025-2026 academic year, a grant for a PhD student from the Global South to spend a research period at the University of Antwerp. During the stay, the student will also contribute to a public event on a relevant theme, such as equitable transition or migration.
Submit your proposal before 31 May 2025!
Keynote Johan De Wilde highlights cross-links between service-learning and co-creation
At the network event of the Flemish Network for Service-Learning in Higher Education on 21 February 2025, Johan De Wilde (Odisee) gave an inspiring keynote on the interfaces between service-learning and co-creation. Although he does not consider himself a service-learning specialist, he referred to previous experiences and insights from other fields that are valuable for the discussion.
The call for papers for the 2025 UCSIA Summer School is open!
Are you a PhD or postdoctoral researcher exploring the intersection of religion and politics? The UCSIA Summer School 2025 offers a unique opportunity to present your work and engage in critical, interdisciplinary discussions on moral debates in religion and politics.
We are pleased to invite you to apply for the UCSIA Summer School 2025 in Antwerp, Belgium, from 24 to 29 August 2025. This interdisciplinary programme brings together young scholars from around the world to critically examine the complex relationship between religion and politics, with a special focus on moral debates and their impact on power structures and societal transformations.
Application deadline: 30 April 2025