Newsletter

With FACT, we turn climate change into an opportunity to accelerate innovation. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is bringing together its expertise in sustainable technology within a new interdisciplinary research institute: FACT (Flanders Alliance for Climate Technology). In collaboration with industry and government, FACT aims to accelerate the transition to a climate-neutral society and drive forward technological innovation. “Sustainable innovation doesn’t happen in i

Four researchers with VUB ties contribute to the seventh IPCC report When world leaders meet in November at the UN Climate Summit in Brazil, the spotlight will once again fall on the scientific foundation of global climate policy: the report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The next edition — the seventh IPCC report, to be released in 2028, will feature a notably strong Brussels presence. Four researchers with ties to the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VU

VUB philosopher honored as Atheist of the Year On November 15, philosopher and former VUB professor Jean Paul Van Bendegem will receive the title Atheist of the Year, a label he accepts with both a wink and a healthy dose of nuance. “I’m not a church-basher,” he says, “just someone who reflects on what it means to live without gods.” He speaks from his home in Ghent, surrounded by towering bookshelves and under the watchful eye of his elderly cat, Bonnie Prince Charlie. For V

VUB researchers call for greater focus on early detection and prevention Every year, around 1,500 people in Belgium are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The disease is increasingly affecting younger patients and is usually discovered only in an advanced stage. As part of World Pancreatic Cancer Month, researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and doctors from UZ Brussel are urgently calling for greater attention to early detection and prevention. “Pancreatic canc

Extra attention for relapse during Breast Cancer Awareness Month From left to right: Elisabeth Rabaey, Damya Laoui, Alex Agnew, Yamina Krossa, Joris Verluyten October traditionally marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, highlighting the most common cancer among women. Although survival rates have improved significantly, the risk of relapse remains high: one in seven women faces a recurrence within ten years. At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Professor Damya Laoui and her

Renowned psychiatrist Dirk De Wachter has been living with metastatic cancer for four years, but he continues to speak about hope, connection, and humanity. In a candid interview, he reflects on digital polarization, loneliness, technology, self-determination, and the finiteness of life. Polarization and digital communication According to De Wachter, social media reinforces rigidity and black-and-white thinking. They create bubbles where nuance disappears. Yet he also sees op

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has further expanded its solar panel park. With the installation of 470 additional panels on Building Z of the Etterbeek campus, in collaboration with Green Spark Technics and Green Power Future, the total on the Etterbeek and Jette campuses now stands at 8,034. Step into the Climate Action Plan The expansion is part of the VUB's Climate Action Plan, which aims to equip all roofs with solar panels by 2030 and achieve full climate neutralit

In 'The Plea', Anton Van Dyck, founder of Compagnon , calls for an urgent amendment to the abortion law: The new abortion law? It's long overdue. Two legislatures ago, even. Why is she important? Because one in five women will need an abortion at some point. Because today is too strict, too short, too complicated. Because those who choose to terminate a pregnancy are still too often stigmatized. The problems are clear. There is social support for this. The majority too. Th

On September 11, 2025, Maurice Weyembergh passed away in Auderghem. He was emeritus professor of philosophy at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He was 88 years old. A remarkable academic career Weyembergh was born on July 7, 1937, in Brussels, and built an impressive academic career. He was known for his clear and profound lectures, through which he introduced generations of students to the ideas of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus,

On September 4, 2025, philosopher Leo Apostel would have turned one hundred. His legacy remains strikingly relevant — especially in an era where technology and artificial intelligence increasingly shape our lives. Apostel taught us that progress only has meaning when it is guided by justice and a human compass. A philosopher of connection Apostel was never a philosopher confined to abstractions. He built bridges between disciplines, between science and ethics, between analysi

Caroline Pauwels Project: steun voor Brusselse jongeren OSB-VUB lanceert dit academiejaar een nieuw initiatief ten voordele van leerlingen van het GO! Atheneum Caroline Pauwels in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek. Meer dan 80% van de jongeren op deze school groeit op in gezinnen waar schoolkosten een zware last vormen. Met dit project willen we gelijke onderwijskansen bevorderen en drempels verlagen. Het project weerspiegelt het gedachtengoed van Caroline Pauwels: vertrouwen in jongeren