The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...

located in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, ...

.
list
of all official institutes of higher education in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

is maintained by the Flemish government. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engineering Campus (in

Elsene ( French, ) or (Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the munic ...

), Brussels Health Campus (in Jette), Brussels Technology Campus (in Anderlecht) and Brussels Photonics Campus (in Gooik). The Vrije Universiteit Brussel was formed in 1970 by the splitting of the Free University of Brussels, which was founded in 1834 by the Flemish-Brussels lawyer Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. The founder aimed to establish a university

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

from state and church, where

academic freedom Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teac ...

would be prevalent. This is today still reflected in the university's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mo ...

''Scientia vincere tenebras'', or ''Conquering darkness by science'', and in its more recent slogan ''Redelijk eigenzinnig'' , or ''Reasonably opinionated''. Accordingly, the university is pluralistic – it is open to all students on the basis of equality regardless of their ideological, political, cultural or social background – and it is managed using democratic structures, which means that all members – from students to faculty – participate in the decision-making processes.According to the statutes of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel: VUB is a strongly research-oriented institute, which is positioned among the world's Top 200 universities according to the 2021 QS World University Ranking. Its research articles are on average more cited than articles by any other Flemish university. The university is organised into 8 faculties that accomplish the three central missions of the university: education, research, and

service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a pu ...

to the community. The faculties cover a broad range of fields of knowledge including the natural sciences, classics, life sciences,

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at th ...

, and engineering. The university provides bachelor, master, and doctoral education to about 8,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students.Figures from the ''2011–2012 Yearly Report'' of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel:

History

Establishment of a university in Brussels

The history of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is closely linked with that of

itself. At the time of the declaration of independence of Belgium in 1830, two state universities existed in the cities of

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...

and Liège. In Brussels, the capital of the newly established country, a university was lacking. A group of leading

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator o ...

s in the fields of arts, science, and education – amongst whom Auguste Baron and the astronomer and mathematician

Adolphe Quetelet Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet FRSF or FRSE (; 22 February 1796 – 17 February 1874) was a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician and sociologist who founded and directed the Brussels Observatory and was influential in introdu ...

— pointed out the advantages of a university to the new capital and country. Initially, they sought for the establishment of a state university, but the Belgian government showed little enthusiasm due to the onerous financial burden of yet another state university. In 1834, the Belgian

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

decided to establish a Catholic university in

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

with the aim of regaining the influence of the Catholic Church on the academic scene in Belgium, and the Belgian government had the intent to close the university at Leuven and donate the buildings to the Catholic institution. The liberals in Belgium strongly opposed to this decision, and furthered their ideas for a university in Brussels as a counterbalance to the Catholic institution. At the same time, Auguste Baron had just become a member of the freemasonic lodge "Les Amis Philantropes", as had a large number of other intellectuals with enlightened ideas. Baron was able to convince Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, the president of the lodge, to support the idea for a new university. On 24 June 1834, Verhaegen presented his plan to establish a free university. After sufficient funding was collected among advocates, the Université libre de Bruxelles was inaugurated on 20 November 1834, in the Gothic room of the city hall of Brussels. After its establishment, the Université libre de Bruxelles faced difficult times, since it did receive no

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

or grants from the government; yearly fundraising events and tuition fees provided the only financial means. Verhaegen, who became a professor and later head of the new university, gave it a mission statement which he summarized in a speech to King Leopold I: the principle of ''free inquiry'' and academic freedom uninfluenced by any political or religious authority.

Splitting of the university

In the nineteenth century, courses at the Université libre de Bruxelles were taught exclusively in French, the language of the upper class in Belgium at that time. However, with the Dutch-speaking population asking for more rights in Belgium, some courses were already taught in Dutch at the Faculty of Law as early as 1935. Nevertheless, it was not until 1963 that all faculties offered their courses in Dutch. On 1 October 1969, the university was finally split in two sister institutions: the French-speaking Université libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This splitting became official by the law of 28 May 1970, of the Belgian parliament, by which the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université libre de Bruxelles became two separate legal entities.

Organisation

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is an independent institution. The members of all its governing entities are elected by the entire academic community – including faculty staff, researchers, personnel, and students. This system guarantees the democratic process of decision-making and the independence from state and outside organisations. Nevertheless, the university receives significant funding from the Flemish government, although less than other Flemish universities. Other important funding sources are grants for research projects (mostly from Belgian and European funding agencies), scholarships of academic members, revenues from cooperation with industry, and tuition fees to a lesser extent. The main organisational structure of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is its division into faculties:See the *Faculty of Law and Criminology *Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School *Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences *Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences *Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy *Faculty of Arts and Philosophy *Faculty of Engineering *Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy These faculties benefit a wide autonomy over how they structure their educational programmes and research efforts, although their decisions need to comply with the university's statutes and must be approved by the central administration. The central administration is formed by the Governing Board, which is currently presided by Eddy Van Gelder. It decides the university's long-term vision and must approve all decisions made by the faculties. The Governing Board is supported by three advising bodies: the Research Council, the Education Council, and the Senate. These bodies provide advice to the Governing Board on all issues regarding research, education, and the academic excellence of faculty staff, and may also propose changes to the university's strategy. The daily management of the university is the responsibility of the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

and three Vice-Rectors. As of 2022 the rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is Prof. Dr.

Jan Danckaert Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Numb ...

, who succeeded

Caroline Pauwels Caroline Pauwels (23 June 1964 – 5 August 2022) was a Belgian communication studies scholar and rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, serving from September 2016 to February 2022. Career Caroline Pauwels studied philosophy and communicat ...

(1964-2022), who resigned in 2022 due to health reasons.See the

Education

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel offers

courses Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

in a large variety of modern disciplines: law, economics,

, management,

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

physical sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

, life sciences, medical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences,

, engineering,

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explora ...

. About 12,000 students follow one of its 128 educational programmes.According to the All programmes are taught in Dutch, but 59 are also taught in English. In agreement with the Bologna process, the university has implemented the so-called bachelor-master system. It therefore issues four types of degrees: bachelor's, master's, master after master's, and doctoral degrees. Admission to the programmes is generally not restricted; anyone can subscribe to the programme of his/her choice. However, prerequisite degrees may be mandatory for advanced programmes, e.g., a bachelor's degree is required to subscribe to a master's programme, and a master's degree is required to subscribe to a master after master's or doctoral programme. An exception to this is the admission exam to the bachelor in medicine, which is required following ruling of the Flemish government. Tuition fees are low, and even decreased or eliminated for some students with less financial means. The

academic year An academic year or school year is a period of time which schools, colleges and universities use to measure a quantity of study. School holiday School holidays (also referred to as vacations, breaks, and recess) are the periods during which sc ...

is divided into two semesters, each spanning thirteen course weeks: the first semester lasts from October to January, the second semester from February to June. Students take exams in January and June. Apart from the Christmas and Easter holidays (both lasting two weeks) that are normally used to prepare for the exams, students are free the week between both semesters and during the summer vacations from July to September. The university has implemented several quality control schemes in order to preserve the high quality of its educational programmes. Each semester, all students evaluate the courses they have followed. All programmes are also regularly assessed by internal panels and by external international visitation committees. Furthermore, all programmes are accredited by the Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie, an independent accreditation organisation charged with the

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

of higher education programmes in both

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

.Accreditation details can be consulted at

Research

Notable faculty: * Diederik Aerts *

Kris Deschouwer Kris Deschouwer is a Belgian politicologist and professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. He was a member of the Coudenberg group, a Belgian federalist think tank. His research is on the consequences of the institutional complexity of Belgium ...

Paul Devroey Paul Devroey is a prominent Belgian researcher and professor specialized in human fertility. He worked more than 30 years in the university hospital of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he directed the Center for Reproductive Medicine. Tog ...

* Mark Elchardus * Francis Heylighen * Jonathan Holslag *

Dave Sinardet Dave Sinardet (Antwerp, 6 October 1975) is a Belgian political scientist, author and columnist. Biography Since 2007, Dave Sinardet is a professor at Saint-Louis University, Brussels. In 2009, he also started giving lectures at the Vrije Universit ...

* Hugo Soly * Luc Steels *

Jean-Paul Van Bendegem Jean Paul Van Bendegem (born 28 March 1953 in Ghent) is a mathematician, a philosopher of science, and a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels. Career Van Bendegem received his master's degree in mathematics in 1976. Afterwards ...

Willy van Ryckeghem Willy van Ryckeghem (Ghent, 1935) is a Belgian economist and statistician who devoted much of his career to Latin America. He studied economics in Ghent, Copenhagen and Paris and taught Business cycles at Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Econometric ...

* Andre Van Steirteghem * Irina Veretennicoff *

Els Witte Els, Baroness Witte (born 30 September 1941, Borgerhout) is a Belgian historian. She was professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and honorary rector of the university. Els Witte was the first female rector of a Belgian university. She was a m ...

Lode Wyns Lode Wyns is a Belgian molecular biologist and professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium). He is head of the '' VIB Department of Molecular and Cellular Interactions, Vrije Universiteit Brussel'' of the VIB. His research int ...

Basic principles

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel considers itself an open-minded and tolerant university. Its central principles are the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...

and in particular the principle of ''free inquiry'' for the progress of humanity. The latter includes the dismissal of any argument of authority and the right of free opinion. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the only Flemish university that has incorporated such principle in its statutes. The principle of free inquiry is often described by a quotation of the French

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

and philosopher

Henri Poincaré Jules Henri Poincaré ( S: stress final syllable ; 29 April 1854 – 17 July 1912) was a French mathematician, theoretical physicist, engineer, and philosopher of science. He is often described as a polymath, and in mathematics as "The ...

: This principle is also reflected in the university's

''Scientia vincere tenebras'', or ''Conquering darkness by science'', and in its seal. The seal of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel displays a beggar's wallet and joined hands on the orange-white-blue (the colours of the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

)

escutcheon Escutcheon may refer to: * Escutcheon (heraldry), a shield or shield-shaped emblem, displaying a coat of arms * Escutcheon (furniture), a metal plate that surrounds a keyhole or lock cylinder on a door * (in medicine) the distribution of pubic ha ...

in the

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' are often used in ...

, referring to the struggle of the Protestant Geuzen and the

against the oppressive Spanish rule and the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

in the sixteenth century. Another basic principle of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel – also incorporated in the university's statutes – is that the institution must be managed according to the model of democracy. Practically, this means that all members of the academic community — faculty staff, researchers, personnel, and students – are represented in all governing bodies. In this way, the university ensures that everyone has a voice in its decision-making processes and participates in its management. This principle must also guarantee the independence of the university and the academic freedom.

Campus and facilities

''Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus''
Most of the faculties are located on the Etterbeek campus (which is actually located on the territory of the neighbouring borough of

). It is the livelier of the two campuses and consists almost entirely of concrete structures, most built in the 1970s. Some are decaying rapidly but at least one, the Rectoraat designed by Renaat Braem, is heritage-listed. Activities take place in numerous auditoriums and labs. In addition, there is a modern sports centre, a football pitch encircled by a running track, and a swimming pool. For eating out, there is a restaurant with subsidies for students and staff, and the bars/cafes 't Complex, Opinio, and KultuurKaffee. The was a full-fledged concert venue during the evening/night, offering the university a cultural scene and organising free concerts and events. It was demolished to make space for the new XY construction project in 2015. Renaat Braem Rectoraat VUB

''Brussels Health Campus''
The campus in Jette is also a fully-fledged campus. The University Hospital () is in the vicinity. All courses and research in the life sciences (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, the biomedical and paramedical sciences) are located here. ''Brussels Technology Campus''
The campus Kaai in Anderlecht was established in 2013 and shared with the Erasmushogeschool Brussel. It houses the Industrial Engineering section of the Faculty of Engineering. Among extensive industrial laboratory facilities, the Brussels fablab has grown to the centre of activity on the campus in recent years. ''Brussels Photonics Campus'' in Gooik.

Faculties

*Languages and Humanities *Social Sciences and Solvay Business School *Engineering *Medicine and Pharmacy *Psychology and Educational Sciences *Sciences and Biomedical Sciences *Law and Criminology *Physical Education and Physiotherapy

Institutional cooperation

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel cooperates with several institutions of higher education. They are: * Brussels Chamber of Commerce * Erasmushogeschool Brussel (together with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel they make up the Brussels University Association) * UCLouvain Higher Institute for Re-adaptation Sciences * Top Industrial Managers for Europe * UCOS, the University Development Cooperation Centre *

UNICA Unica may refer to: * Unica (material), a vulcanised lump paper material * ''Unica'' (La India album), 2010 * ''Unica'' (Ornella Vanoni album), 2021 * Unica (river), a karst river of Slovenia * Unica Corporation, a manufacturer of enterprise mark ...

, the Institutional Network of the UNIversities from the CApitals of Europe * Université libre de Bruxelles *

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

(Brussels School of International Studies) * Vesalius College, an anglophone institution sharing the VUB campus * XIOS Hogeschool Limburg and Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg * Royal Military Academy * Worldwide, on the international level the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has concluded institutional collaboration agreements with 38 universities all over the world, and student exchange agreements with 160 universities.

Academic Profiles

The university is included in major world university rankings such as

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarel ...

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for th ...

and

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology

The Heart Rhythm Management Centre started its activities at the University Hospital UZ Brussel during spring 2007. The clinical activities soon rocketed to the #1 position in Belgium, and has been paralleled by important scientific production. Emerging fields of activity are multidisciplinary (clinical) and translational (research) programs in collaboration with the departments of Genetics, Pediatrics, Neonatology, Geriatrics, Neurology, as well as a fundamental research program in Physiology. This Postgraduate course in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing – is offered within the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy – after a specialization in Cardiology, and is supported by the Institute for Postgraduate Training of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (iPAVUB). The core faculty for the Postgraduate program includes Prof. Dr. Pedro Brugada, who directs the EP fellowship training and the Cardiovascular Department, Prof. Dr. Carlo de Asmundis, Director of the Heart rhythm Management Centre, Prof. Dr. Gian Battista Chierchia, Director of Atrial Fibrillation Program, Prof. Dr. Marc La Meir and Prof. Dr. Francis Wellens, Director of Cardiac Surgery Service. Additional faculty who participate in the program includes: Prof. Dr. Bonduelle Mary-Louise and Prof. Dr. Ramon Brugada, who trains fellows in cardiac genetics, Prof. Dr. Joel Smets, University of Nijmegen, Nederland, who trains fellows in electrocardiography and basic electrophysiology.

Student life

The BSG is the umbrella organisation for all other student organizations and acts as the defender of the moral interests of the students. Together with their French-speaking counterparts ACE at the ULB, they organise the annual St V memorial. These are some of the student organizations at the VUB: *Studiekring vrij onderzoek: a collective of students from various faculties, promoting free inquiry through the organisation of debates, lectures and more *Letteren-en Wijsbegeertekring (LWK): for students studying at the Arts and Philosophy faculty *Perskring (Pers): for students studying Communication Sciences *Geneeskundige Kring (GK) and Farmaceutische Kring (FK): for students studying at the Medicine and Pharmacy faculty *Polytechnische Kring (PK) for students studying at the Engineering faculty *Psycho-Ped'Agogische Kring (PPK): for students studying at the Psychology and Educational Sciences faculty *Kring der Politieke Economische en Sociale Wetenschappen (KEPS) and Solvay ($); for students studying at the Economics and Political faculty *: for students studying at the faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences *Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (Mesacosa or MC): for students studying at the Physical Education and Physiotherapy faculty *Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap (VRG): for students studying at the Law and Criminology faculty *Vrije Universiteit Brussel Model United Nations (VUBMUN): for all students of the VUB. Members of these organizations ''(except VUBMUN)'' wear a '' klak'' (Dutch) or ''penne'' (French). Furthermore, the VUB has student organizations for students with a specific regional background. They are: Antverpia ( Antwerp), Westland ( Westhoek), WUK ( West Flanders), KBS (

and

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hai ...

), Campina ( Campine), Kinneke Baba (

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

), Limburgia ( Limburg), VSKM (

) and Hesbania ( Haspengouw). VUB students also make up for the largest part of the secretive student club Boves Luci based in Jette. There are also several organizations for specific majors within a faculty, such as Infogroep (computer science), Biotecho (bio-engineering), bru:tecture (previously Pantheon) (architecture) and Promeco, Inisol and Business Club (economics). Last but not least there are organizations centered around a common interest, such as the Society of Weird And Mad People (SWAMP, for all kinds of games), BierKultuur (based on the rich beer culture in Belgium) and ZWK (on emancipation of women), Liberaal Vlaams Studentenverbond (LVSV, students interested in classic liberalism).

Notable alumni

Scientists and academics

Antoon Van den Braembussche Antoon A.A. Van den Braembussche (born 9 July 1946 in Eeklo) is a Flemish Philosopher of Culture, Emeritus Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and a poet. He started as a poet, became a professor in the philosophy of history, and later s ...

(1946-). * Patrick Baert (1961–) * Willy Gepts (1922–1991) * Leo Apostel (1925–1995) * Clement Hiel (1952–) * Christine Van Den Wyngaert (1952–), former Judge of the International Criminal Court. * Jean Bourgain (1954–2018) * Ingrid Daubechies (1954–), Belgian physicist and mathematician and Professor at Duke University. * Peter Rousseeuw (1956-), Belgian statistician and professor at

KU Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

. *

Sophie de Schaepdrijver Sophie, Baroness De Schaepdrijver (b. Kortrijk, 11 September 1961) is a Belgian historian. Education She graduated in history at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium) and obtained a PhD with a dissertation on ''Elites for the Capita ...

(1961–) * Pattie Maes (1961-), Professor of Media Technology at Media Lab MIT * Sathyabhama Das Biju (1963-), Indian amphibian biologist and wildlife conservationist. *

Frank Pattyn Frank Jean-Marie Léon Pattyn is a Belgian glaciologist and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles. He is best known for developing ice-sheet models and leading model intercomparisons. Early life and education Frank Pattyn was born i ...

(1966-), Belgian glaciologist and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles. * Bob Coecke (1968-), Belgian theoretical physicist and logician and professor of Quantum Foundations, Logics and Structures at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. *

Raymond Hamers Raymond Hamers (7 September 1932 – 22 August 2021) was a professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels, Belgium. He discovered a special type of antibodies called single-domain antibodies or nanobodies. See also * Flanders Institute ...

, Discoverer of 'single-chain antibodies' or nanobodies. *

Steven Laureys Steven Laureys (born 24 December 1968 in Leuven) is a Belgian neurologist. He is principally known as a clinician and researcher in the field of neurology of consciousness. Career Prof. Laureys graduated as a Medical Doctor from the Vrije Univer ...

* Wim Leemans * Helena Van Swygenhoven *

* Guido Geerts * Johan Schoukens * Ram Lakhan Ray (1968-) * Kieran Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario Canada.

Artists

André Delvaux André Albert Auguste Delvaux (; 21 March 1926 – 4 October 2002) was a Belgian film director. He co-founded the film school INSAS in 1962 and is regarded as the founder of the Belgian national cinema. Adapting works by writers such as Joh ...

(1926–2002), Belgian film director. * Jef Geeraerts (1930–), Belgian writer. *

Claude Coppens Claude Coppens (born 23 December 1936, Schaerbeek, commune of Brussels) is a Belgian pianist and composer. Coppens studied at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels with Marcel Maas and in Paris with Marguerite Long. He is a Laureate of the Margue ...

(1936-), Belgian pianist and composer. * Erik Pevernagie (1939), Belgian painter and writer. * Marcel Vanthilt (1957-), Belgian singer and television presenter. *

Fabienne Demal Fabienne Demal (born 15 February 1968), better known by her stage name Axelle Red, is a Belgian singer-songwriter. She has released 11 albums, including '' Sans plus attendre'', '' À Tâtons'', '' Toujours Moi'' and '' Jardin Secret''; she is b ...

( Axelle Red) (1968–), Belgian singer and songwriter. *

Stéphane Ginsburgh Stéphane Ginsburgh (born 27 November 1969) is a Belgian pianist of Austrian origin. He is a piano professor at the Geneva University of Music. Biography Ginsburgh was born in Brussels. After graduating from the Royal Music Conservatories of M ...

(1969-), Belgian pianist.

Businesspeople

* Pieter De Leenheer *

Tony Mary Tony Mary (born 1950) is a Belgian businessman. Education He received a master's degree in economics at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 1973. Career He started his career at IBM, where he became Country General Manager for IBM Belgium and Lux ...

(1950–) *Felix Van de Maele

Politicians

* Marco Formentini (1930-2021), Italian Politician & former mayor of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

. * Willy Claes (1938–), former Minister of Foreign Affair and former Secretary General of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. * Louis Tobback (1938–), former mayor of

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. Th ...

and former Minister of the Interior - Belgium. * Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck (1944-) * Norbert De Batselier (1947–), * Marc Verwilghen (1952-), former Minister of Justice - Belgium. * Karel De Gucht (1954–), former Minister of Foreign Affair - Belgium. * Christian Leysen (1954–) *

Patrick Dewael Patrick Yvonne Hugo Dewael, (; born 13 October 1955) is a liberal Belgian politician. A member of the Flemish Liberals and Democrats (''Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten'', VLD), he served as Minister-President of Flanders from 1999 to 2003. He is ...

(1955–), former Minister of the interior - Belgium. * Frank Vanhecke (1959–) *

Bert Anciaux Bert Jozef Herman Vic Anciaux (born 11 September 1959) is a Belgian politician and Vooruit faction leader in the Belgian Senate. He was one of the founders of Spirit (later known as the Flemish Progressives, then the Social Liberal Party, o ...

(1959–) * Gunther Sleeuwagen (1958–) * Jan Jambon (1960–) *

Maggie De Block Maggie Celine Louise De Block (, born 28 April 1962) is a Belgian politician of the who has been chairing her party's group in the Chamber of Representatives since 2020. De Block served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health in the govern ...

(1962–), former Minister of Health - Belgium. * Hans Bonte (1962-) * Florika Fink-Hooijer (1962-) * Zoran Milanović (1966–),

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the President of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the ...

. *

Bruno Tobback Bruno Tobback (born 22 August 1969) was the president of the Flemish socialist party Different Socialist Party (SP.A) from 2011 to 2015. He was Minister of Environment and Pensions in the Belgian federal government from 2004 until 2007. He i ...

(1969-) * Wouter Beke (1974-) * Alexander De Croo (1975–),

Prime Minister of Belgium german: Premierminister von Belgien , insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg , insigniasize = 100px , insigniacaption = Coat of arms , insigniaalt = , flag = Government ...

Tinne Van der Straeten Tinne Van der Straeten (born 1 April 1978) is a Belgian politician who has been serving as Minister of Energy in the De Croo Government since October 2020. She is a member of the Groen party. She previously served in the Chamber of Representati ...

(1978-), Minister of Energy - Belgium. *

Zuhal Demir Zuhal Demir (born 2 March 1980 in Genk) is a Belgian lawyer and politician affiliated to the N-VA. Demir was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in 2010. She is currently the Flemish minister for Justice and Enforcemen ...

(1980-) *

Nadia Sminate Nadia Sminate (born 29 December 1981 in Bonheiden) is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to the N-VA. She was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives in 2010. Early life She was born to a Belgian (Flemish) mother and a ...

(1981-) * Sammy Mahdi (1988-)

Athletes

Sébastien Godefroid Sébastien (Sebbe) Godefroid (born 19 March 1971) is a Belgian sailor. He won a silver medal in sailing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He also competed at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics, but has not won another medal. He place ...

(1971–), Olympic sailor. * Emma Meesseman, Belgian professional basketball player. * Dirk Van Tichelt, Olympic judoka. * Jürgen Roelandts, Belgian professional road bicycle racer. *

Kathleen Smet Kathleen Smet (born 19 January 1970, in Beveren) is an athlete from Belgium who competes in triathlon, becoming European champion in 2000 and 2002. She competes in Olympic and Long Distance Triathlons. Smet competed at the first Olympic triathlo ...

, Olympic triathlon.

Journalists

* Yves Desmet * Jean Mentens *

Danira Boukhriss Danira Boukhriss Terkessidis (Vilvoorde, 12 August 1990) is a Flemish television presenter and newscaster. Boukhriss studied modern languages and literature (Dutch, English and Spanish) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and has been working fo ...

, Flemish television presenter and newscaster. * Tim Trachet, Belgian writer, publicist and journalist.

Honorary doctorates

Notable recipients of honorary doctorates (doctor ''honoris causa'') at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel include: *

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and the ...

* Jacques Cousteau *

Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As such, ...

* Julia Gillard *

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is ...

* Dario Fo, Sonia Gandhi * Natan Ramet *

Richard Stallman Richard Matthew Stallman (; born March 16, 1953), also known by his initials, rms, is an American free software movement activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in such a manner that its users have the freedom to u ...

* Johann Olav Koss * Herman van Veen *

Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An at ...

* Kim Clijsters * Rom Harré *

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...

Notes and references

External links

Official website
of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel *
Official website
of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Find an officially recognised programme of this institution in the Higher Education Register

V.Ir.Br. – VUB Engineering Alumni Association

{{Coord, 50.82242, N, 4.39573, E, source:placeopedia, display=title Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Research institutes in Belgium Education in Brussels Educational institutions established in 1970 Business schools in Belgium Engineering universities and colleges in Belgium English as a global language Information schools 1970 establishments in Belgium