Ides MF Debruyne

Ides Debruyne is co-founder and managing-director (since 11 September 2001) of Journalismfund Europe, an independent non‐profit organisation established in 1998 with the purpose of stimulating independent investigative journalism in Europe.
Ides is the co-founder of the Dutch-Flemish Association of Investigative Journalists (VVOJ) and the non-profit organisation SciMingo vzw.

Journalismfund Europe
He has set up various grant programmes such as the awarded European cross-border grants, the Pascal Decroos Fund, The Earth Investigations Programme, Journalismfund Local, the European Cross-border Local Investigative journalism programme, Science Journalism, Modern Slavery Unveiled, Money Trail Grants, Flemish Emergency Fund, the Flemish Journalism Fund, Flanders Connects Continents, Connecting Continents and Fox Grants.

He was responsible for the organisation of the European Investigative Journalism Conference / Dataharvest from 2009 until 2018.

In 2012 he was responsible for a study commissioned by the European Parliament: "Deterrence of fraud with EU funds through investigative journalism in EU-27".

With the support of the Flemish Government, he started the Wobbing project in 2007. The main goal was to make journalists, who use the various freedom of information acts, meet and to prepare future networking.

Since 2001, Debruyne has travelled and spoken publicly in 25 countries in four continents.

VVOJ
Ides was the co-founder (2002) and for eight years a member of the board of the Vereniging van Onderzoeksjournalisten (VVOJ), the Dutch-Flemish association of investigative reporters. As a board member of VVOJ he co-organised the 3rd Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Amsterdam (2005) and the first European Investigative Journalism Conference in Brussels (2008). He coordinated the VVOJ-cafés in Belgium and was co-editor of the VVOJ-yearbook that gave an overview of interesting investigative projects. Ides Debruyne was between 2017 and 2022 a member of De Loep jury.

SciMingo vzw
He is the founder and since 2005 the chair of SciMingo vzw (formerly know as Scriptie vzw), a non-profit organisation that promotes science communication in the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.

Post-graduate Investigative Journalism
Together with Mr. Herman Duponcheel (Director of studies / Journalism Department at Thomas More), he started in 2004 the post-graduate degree in investigative journalism (International Research Journalism) at Thomas More, the largest university of applied sciences in Flanders (in Mechelen, Belgium).

Ghent University
For a decade (2007-2017) Ides was affiliated with Ghent University (Faculty of Political and Social Science) as a lector teaching basic social media skills and data journalism. (10% FTE)

Thomas More Mechelen
For two years (2006-2008) Ides was a teacher Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) at the Lessius Hogeschool (now Thomas More), campus Mechelen (Bachelor Journalism). (10% FTE)

Memberships

Ides is since 2021 a member of the board of Bonk vzw - the non-profit organisation behind Flat Earth Society Orchestra - volunteer
Ides was a member of De Loep jury (2017-2022) - volunteer
Ides was a member of the Press Prize of the "Orde van Vlaamse Balies", Prize for the best Belgian (Dutch speaking) publication on law in general and court reporting in particular. (2020 - volunteer)
Between 2014 and 2019, he was a member of the Assessment Committee (documentary series) of Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF).
Ides was a member of the jury of the Erasmus Prize 2018 (The Netherlands) - volunteer
Ides was a board member of PEN Vlaanderen from 2013 until 2017- volunteer
Member of the board of the Vereniging van Onderzoeksjournalisten (VVOJ), the Dutch-Flemish association of investigative reporters (2002-2008 and 2012-2014) - volunteer
Member of the Belfius Award 2013 & 2014 - volunteer
Member of the general Board FMBrussel (now BRUZZ) (2006-2012) - volunteer
Member of the Advisory Committee of cultural Biographies of Flanders Literature (2007-2009, 2011 and 2012) - volunteer
Member of the jury of the Prize of the Flemish Minister of Media (Belgium, 2011) - volunteer
Member of the jury of the Prijzen Karel Van Miert – Etienne Davignon 2011 (Award of the European Commission Representation in Belgium and the Association of European Journalists) - volunteer
Member of the jury of the European Young Journalist Award (2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010) - volunteer
Member of the Advisory Committee of Users (ACU) of the researchproject FLEET, An Interdisciplinary research project on FLEmish E-publishing Trends / IWT – SBO project (2006 - 2009) - volunteer
Member of the Steering committee of the Institute for Public History (Ghent University) - 2007 - volunteer
Former member of the advisory committees (journalism) of Artevelde (Ghent) and HUBrussel (now Odisee University of applied sciences). - volunteer
Member of the jury of the World Audio Festival (Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2005) - volunteer