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

A voice that refuses to be silenced Writer and slam poet Hind Eljadid has been awarded the 2025 Human Rights Award by the Liga voor Mensenrechten (League for Human Rights). The organization honors her for her uncompromising commitment to naming injustice and for her courage to speak out “regardless of the consequences.” The award stems from an incident in early 2024, when Eljadid was detained for six hours following an action during the official celebration of Belgium’s EU pr

The global rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is one of the greatest health challenges of our time. At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB), biologist Jessie Vandierendonck has been working on an innovative solution: using bacteriophages — viruses that specifically infect and destroy bacteria. Bacteriophages, or simply phages, have been known for over a century but are now regaining attention as a promising alternative to

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

Fermentation is as old as humanity itself, yet the microorganisms that drive this process remain surprisingly mysterious. With her PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), bioengineer Louise Vermote helped change that. Using advanced DNA sequencing techniques, she uncovered the invisible world of bacteria, yeasts, and fungi that shape our food, from Belgian lambic beer to Korean rice vinegar. “Fermentation is an ancient process, but only now can we truly see which microor

At the start of the new academic year, the FWO SBO Engine project is launching its website — and with it, the first large-scale study in Flanders to systematically map the ethnic gap in higher education. The project, officially titled Tackling the EthNic Gap IN Higher Education , is a collaboration between VUB, KU Leuven, and UHasselt, and aims not only to uncover the structural causes of inequality but also to offer concrete solutions. “Today, fifty percent of young people i

How far can we push the Standard Model of particle physics? According to young researchers Kunal Gautam and Eduardo Ploerer — doctoral students at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the University of Zurich — the end is nowhere in sight. Their work provides crucial building blocks for the Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee), the planned successor to CERN’s current Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The FCC-ee will be an unprecedented precision instrument — but that precision re

VUB researcher Michaël Hinderdael coordinates large-scale GRADΞD project on innovative material combinations At the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), the ambitious GRADΞD project officially launched on October 1, 2025, under the leadership of researcher Michaël Hinderdael. With a €2.8 million grant from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), the four-year project aims to make 3D printing technology smarter and more versatile by combining multiple materials within a single

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is taking a leading role in the fight against the adulteration of argan oil, the precious “liquid Moroccan gold.” For her doctoral research, conducted in collaboration with Mohammed V University in Rabat, Meryeme El Maouardi developed innovative methods to rapidly and accurately verify the quality and authenticity of argan oil. Science against fraud Argan oil is prized worldwide for its culinary and cosmetic properties, but its rarity make

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

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

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

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