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

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

Sourdough bread is making a major comeback. It’s praised for being pure, nutritious, and full of character. But what exactly makes this bread so special? In his PhD at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), researcher Víctor González Alonso delved deep into the heart of the fermentation process — and discovered how wheat fibers influence not only the texture but also the flavor of bread. At the center of his research are arabinoxylans (AX), dietary fibers naturally present in

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

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

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