About
Establishment
On July 5, 2011, IRIS was officially founded. During a festive ceremony attended by prominent figures from the academic and professional world of social fraud, the knowledge center was inaugurated with great interest.
Objectives
IRIS was founded in 2011 with the following objectives:
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Knowledge Center: To collect and exchange strategic and academic information related to the fight against social fraud, thereby offering informed expert solutions for identified issues.
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Expert Network: To establish an international network of actors involved in the field and study of social fraud, developing and sharing the knowledge held by partners while maintaining confidentiality where necessary.
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Multidisciplinary Approach: To approach social fraud and social dumping from a broad scientific framework with the aim of improving collaboration between institutions as support for an innovative, effective, and efficient anti-fraud policy.
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Meeting Point: To serve as a space where practice and theory converge, creating a tangible symbiosis between field actors and the academic world, and to formulate proposals for strategic options.
Activities
IRIS:
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Writes reports and research papers.
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Collaborates on national, international, and European projects.
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Supports public actors in the field by offering both academic and practical information and assisting in the development of proposals and policy options.
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Actively participates in multidisciplinary seminars, conferences, and colloquia.
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Maintains a specialized library and documentation center.
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Builds (inter)national networks between academia and various field actors.
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Organizes events where experts can meet, share experiences, and stay up to date.
Network Members
Prof. Dr. Yves Jorens
Director of IRIS
Prof. Dr. Yves Jorens is professor of (European) social law and social criminal law at Ghent University. He has an extensive track record in coordinating large-scale European projects related to European social security and labor issues of migrant workers, as well as themes such as social dumping and social fraud. His main research areas include the coordination of social security for migrant workers, posting, cross-border employment, the fight against social fraud and dumping, and working conditions in the aviation sector. Professor Jorens is also an Honorary Professor at the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham. He is the Director of IRIS.
Dr. Lien Valcke
Researcher
Dr. Lien Valcke obtained a PhD in law entitled "Happiness in the Sky?" and holds a master’s degree in criminology from Ghent University. She is also a certified nutritionist and registered sexology consultant.
Currently, Dr. Valcke is a postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University, specializing in the interplay between legal and psychological aspects of workplace well-being. Her current research primarily focuses on the aviation sector. She worked for over ten years as a teaching assistant for a wide range of courses in (European) social law and is passionate about elevating education through innovative teaching methods. Dr. Valcke has published in various academic journals and provides valuable insights in her fields of expertise.
Drs. Zeger Vannieuwenhuyze
Researcher
Zeger Vannieuwenhuyze is a PhD researcher at Ghent University (Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law) within the Faculty of Law and Criminology. He obtained a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Philosophy from Ghent University and a Master of Law from the University of Liège.
His doctoral research focuses on operationalizing the legal concept of "appropriate due diligence" that companies must observe in collaborations with external labor. The study starts from the relevant provisions of regional, national, and European law, with special attention to the European Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD or CS3D).
He is also a member of the International Research Institute on Social Fraud (IRIS) and a research associate at the SIOD Chair for the Reduction of Social Fraud and Social Dumping. In this role, he works under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Yves Jorens on implementing the Chair’s agenda.
Drs. Roel Van den Bossche
Researcher
Roel Van den Bossche is a teaching assistant at the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law at Ghent University, where he supports several courses in the field of social law. In addition, he is a PhD researcher within the same department. His doctoral research focuses on the concept of "work" from the perspective of Belgian social security law, under the supervision of Professor Dr. Yves Jorens. In 2023, he obtained his Master of Laws degree from Ghent University.
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