VUB International Relations

🇳🇱Yesterday morning, our Rector Jan Danckaert our future Vice-Rector Internationalisation Professor Wim Vandenbussche, and colleague Casper Mazijn, had the pleasure to meet with H.E. Ambassador Brechje Schwachofer and Liesbeth Versluis, Education and Science Attaché, from the Dutch Embassy (Nederlandse Ambassade in België). They discussed the challenges and opportunities facing the university in Brussels, education and research, international cooperation and exchange, as well as ways to support one another.

🇨🇷This morning, our office had a meeting with H.E. Eliana Villalobos Cárdenas, Ambassador of Costa Rica, along with Diplomatic Counsellor, Raquel Arce Mora. They met with our Vice-Rector International Professor Karin Vanderkerken, and colleagues Casper Mazijn (Academic Diplomacy), Gunter Gaublomme (Brussels Diplomatic Academy at VUB), and Christophe Goossens (International Equitable Cooperation).
🤝The topics covered cooperation opportunities, priorities in view of internationalisation at the universities in Costa Rica and VUB, collaboration possibilities within Latin-America, and possible future events - with Embajada de Costa Rica en Bélgica

👩‍🎓👨‍🎓𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿! 🎓𝟱-𝟳 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 will see the graduation ceremonies 2026 take place on the wonderful Grand Place in Brussels.
>>Check out all the details via the link below!

VUB Graduation Ceremonies on the Grand Place of Brussels From 5 to 7 October, VUB students will be celebrated on the Grand Place

🇺🇸🤖Last month, a VUB delegation spent time in California's Silicon Valley to meet with founders, researchers, and entrepreneurs of research institutes, universities, companies & start-ups focusing on robotics. The delegation was led by Vice-rector Innovation & Valorisation, Professor Peter Schelkens, along with researchers from BruBotics VUB. They meet - among others - people from Stanford University, Nvidia, Saildrone, Blue River, Caltech, Coco robotics, Intrinsic, and Silicon Valley Robotics. The delegation also spent an evening with locally-based VUB alumni at the Belgian Consul General's residence.

VUB visits Silicon Valley with focus on robotics A VUB delegation spent time in California to meet with a series of research institutes, universities and companies focussing on robotics

𝗢𝗣𝗘𝗡 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗩𝗨𝗕 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹; International experience & expenses covered!
🤝Join Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Barcelona & students from across Europe to develop your innovation skills & expand your global network. The overarching theme: European Identities. The programme is set up around three main sub-themes:
🔸Why European integration? (history & economics of integration)
🔸What is the European Union? (governance, democratic principles, regions & cities)
🔸Who shares values and identities? (citizenship, non-discrimination, migration & borders)
✒️𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘: https://shorturl.at/aGw1b
⏰𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡? 6 - 10 July 2026 (travel may be 5 and 11 July)
📍𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘? Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona
🔔𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝟭𝟬 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 (there might be interviews)
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 & 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Eutopia

🇨🇭🔭At the end of May, VUB's Vice-Rector Internationalisation Professor Karin Vanderkerken and Professor Lars De Laet (Architectural Engineering) spent two days in Switzerland at the end of May as part of an initiative set up by the Belgian Embassy in Bern to establish contacts between Belgian and Swiss universities.
VUB Faculty of Engineering, VUB Architectural Engineering

VUB fosters contacts with Swiss universities The Science Days iinitiative was set up by the Belgian Embassy to establish contacts between Belgian and Swiss universities, and to encourage more cooperation.

🎂Happy birthday, VUB! Dies Natalis!
On 28 May 1970, VUB became a separate entity! 🎉

AI experts Ann Dooms & Luc Steels have expressed concern regarding the development of AI, and our dependency on major American tech companies who drive AI development from a single perspective. In their book, History of Ideas in the Science of AI, they make the case that universities must continue to play a central role in AI. 📚

Should universities gain greater control over AI research? Leading AI experts at Vrije Universiteit Brussel voice concerns over the development of artificial intelligence

🧐Exams are coming! Check out some important 'good to know's in advance.
All info available on wearestudent.vub.be: https://shorturl.at/oKMUu

The 𝗕𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 (𝗕𝗗𝗔) 𝗮𝘁 𝗩𝗨𝗕 offers three Postgraduate Certificate programmes in Economic Diplomacy, International Trade & Investment, and its flagship Programme in Economic Diplomacy & International Business. It also has short trainings, discussion and research opportunities such as roundtables, seminars, and film screenings.
𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀 p𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲!
ℹ️ https://brusselsdiplomaticacademy.eu/education-and-training/