Overview
Founded in 1970 as the Dutch-language successor to the Universite Libre de Bruxelles, VUB is one of the two major universities in Brussels. It hosts imec-SMIT, a leading research group on digital media and smart cities run by Pieter Ballon, and is active in AI, engineering, and social sciences research.
In the news
- The question is no longer whether climate change will affect our cities and businesses. It already does. After the summer of 2026, the real question is whether Brussels can remain a place where people live, work, move, and invest, even as summers grow more extreme. 🌡️ Our latest panel addition to Tapio Day brings together the City of Brussels, a Belgian negotiator on adaptation at the UN climate talks, and a company rooted in Brussels. Together, they’ll discuss how to adapt public space, which cities inspire others, and what
- 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗱? 🎮 Last week, our civic lab in Ghent started its visioning season. First method: gamification, in Minecraft Education. 💡 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲? Because "15-minute city" is an abstract idea until you can move a park, close a street or plant a tree, and undo it for free. Our first research phase (D3.1) showed that proximity is necessary but not sufficient: safety, public space and whether a place is
- L'intelligence artificielle transforme nos pratiques professionnelles. Mais qu'est-ce que cela change pour la formation continue ? Avec l'arrivée des agents conversationnels et de nouveaux outils d'IA, ce ne sont pas seulement les technologies utilisées qui évoluent. Ce sont aussi les façons de travailler, d'apprendre et de transmettre les savoirs. Pour les entreprises et les acteurs de la formation, plusieurs questions se posent : comment adapter les contenus pédagogiques ? Quels nouveaux apprentissages intégrer ? Comment
- What makes scientific research truly impactful? The discoveries themselves, but also the ability to share knowledge and connect science with society. 🔬 That's what we celebrated at the 2026 ULB–VUB Syensqo Awards, supported by the Syensqo Fund, recognizing six outstanding young researchers from Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). 🏆 Congratulations to Meisam Dabiri Havigh, Yana Girardin, Pedro Jorge, Mounsef Lahboubi,Konstantina Tzavella and Bin Wang, recognized for the excellence of their
- In 2025, Vrije Universiteit Brussel filed 45 European patent applications, ranking 36th among European public research institutions and 3rd among Belgian universities. The ranking comes from the European Patent Office (EPO)’s new Data Desk dashboard, released as part of a study on technology transfer across Europe, conducted in collaboration with ASTP and Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI. The study draws on data and insights from more than 800 European Technology Transfer Offices. The results underline the
- VUB en de Belgian Esports Federation presenteren - Esports voor steden en gemeenten - 9 december 2026 - Brussel Met veel enthousiasme nodigt de VUB en de Belgian Esports Federation u uit op woensdag 9 december van 13u > 17u te VUB Campus - Learning & Innovation Center - Brussel voor een leerrijk seminarie over esports voor steden en gemeenten. Esports en gaming zijn niet meer uit onze samenleving weg te denken: onder meer het recente apenstaartjarenonderzoek wijst uit dat ongeveer 75% van onze kinderen en jongeren op wekelijkse
- Het zijn hoogdagen voor onze Vrije Universiteit Brussel-wetenschappers. Eerst mocht Alexandre Sevrin weer mee op de slimste foto ter wereld van de jaarlijkse International Solvay Institutes Conference, ditmaal over Gravtitational Waves. En vandaag kregen tijdens het grote publieksevent met Nobelprijswinnaar Kip Thorne en Claudia de Rham niet minder dan 5 VUB-postdocs een Syensqo Award. Proficiat Meisam Dabiri Havigh, Yana Girardin, Pedro Jorge, Konstantina Tzavella en Bin Wang!
- Het zijn hoogdagen voor onze Vrije Universiteit Brussel-wetenschappers. Eerst mocht Alexandre Sevrin weer mee op de slimste foto ter wereld van de jaarlijkse International Solvay Institutes Conference, ditmaal over Gravtitational Waves. En vandaag kregen tijdens het grote publieksevent met Nobelprijswinnaar Kip Thorne en Claudia de Rham niet minder dan 5 VUB-postdocs een Syensqo Award. Proficiat Meisam Dabiri Havigh, Yana Girardin, Pedro Jorge, Konstantina Tzavella en Bin Wang!
Alumni 102 went on to found or lead
Aida NasiriPost-Graduate, Flagship Program in Economic Diplomacy & International Business→Chief Operating Officer at IONICS Surface Technologies
Allan Segebarth→Chief Executive Officer at CenEnergy
Ann BelienMasters, Biomedical Research Sciences→Founder and CEO at Rejuvenate Biomed
Ann DemarchePost Grad. Business Administration→Co-Founder & COO at CommuniThings at CommuniThings - where Things and People meet- PAnne PaduartDoctor in Engineering Sciences, Dynamic and Sustainable Renovation→Co-Founder at Decidius
Anouk LagaeMasters, Engineering and Commerce→Co-Founder of Muchin at Muchin - Lifestyle Medicine
Arthur DespiegelaereMaster in Finance, Toegepaste economie (Applied economics)→Co-Founder & CEO at CleverNett
Arvid MeyerMaster of Science in Applied Sciences and Engineering: Computer Science→Co-CEO & COO at Codifly
Bahar Zafarani→Founder and CFO at Reliability and Safety Technical Center
Bart Van VoorenBurgerlijk Ingenieur, Bouwkunde→CEO at HyperFast- PBrian O'SheaEuromaster, Urban Studies→Co-Founder at Decidius
Buvana LefevreErasmus Mundus Master of Science in Photonics, Photonics→Founder at Alari Technologies
The full Vrije Universiteit Brussel mafia →
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