Newsletter

On September 23, 2025, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) officially opened the Centre for Martial Arts and Science  (CEMAS) — Belgium’s first martial arts expertise center. The 800 m² facility was made possible thanks to the support of VUB, Sport Vlaanderen, the Flemish Brussels Fund, the Flemish Community Commission, and the Flemish Boxing League. A center where sport, education, and research meet CEMAS combines sports infrastructure, education, and scientific research, u

Research by Eva Kimpe (VUB, I-CHER and the Research Centre for Digital Medicine) shows how treatments and socio-economic conditions affect the long-term survival of women with invasive breast cancer. Through a unique linkage of three national databases — the Belgian Cancer Registry, the InterMutualistic Agency, and the Crossroads Bank for Social Security — researchers were able to analyze, at the individual level, the medical trajectories, healthcare costs, socio-economic bac

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

After decades as the beating heart of Brussels student life, the iconic Luigi's has closed its doors for good. In a candid conversation, owners Marc and Monique reflect on their student years, the glory days of their café, the challenges of changing times, and their plans for the future. It's a story of friendship, legendary parties, and the inevitable evolution of a generation.   From student to local pub legend Marc began his years at the VUB as a Physical Education and Mov

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is celebrating a first: the first class of Bachelor's students in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is graduating. These five students successfully completed the entire three-year program. This makes VUB history with the only Bachelor's program in Flanders that offers such a broad, interdisciplinary perspective on AI. Unique training The bachelor's program combines insights from computer science, machine learning, logic, mathematics, cognitive psyc

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,

An international study published in Nature  and led by ETH Zurich has, for the first time, established a direct link between the emissions of the world’s largest fossil fuel and cement producers and the rise of extreme heatwaves worldwide. Shocking findings Researchers analyzed more than 200 heatwaves between 2000 and 2023 and were able to systematically trace them back to the so-called carbon majors . The results show that climate change made heatwaves in the early 2000s twe

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

At the start of the new school year, Raymonda Verdyck, chair of deMens.nu , calls on society to keep viewing education as more than tests and grades. Education is not merely about performance; it’s about providing equal opportunities, fostering broad personal development, nurturing citizenship, and above all, cultivating critical thinking. Freedom under pressure Today, fundamental freedoms are under threat across the world. Values once taken for granted — gender equality, sci

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

When you think of student-friendly Brussels, Judit Karlsson undoubtedly comes to mind. Between 2001 and 2006, she studied law at the VUB, but just as importantly, she fully embraced the vibrant student life. As president of KBS (2005-2006), cantor of 't Vat, and later president of the Guild of Polytech, she brought color and energy to generations of students. Even after her studies, Judit remained true to tradition: for years, she helped organize the Vrijzinnig Zangfeest Vlaa