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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240411
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240412
DTSTAMP:20251227T160915Z
CREATED:20251227T155654Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T160915Z
UID:2817-1712793600-1712879999@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nEduardo Camacho\, BrIAS Fellow (University of Seville\, Spain) \nModel Predictive Control of Solar Energy Plants \n  \nArjen Van de Walle (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) \nExploring the interlinkage between robotics\, digitalisation\nand sustainability \n  \nNaveen Tiwari\, Junior BrIAS Fellow (University of Santiago de Compostela\, Spain) \nSelf-healing materials for Soft electronics \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-2/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240418
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240419
DTSTAMP:20251227T160447Z
CREATED:20251227T160447Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T160447Z
UID:2823-1713398400-1713484799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nAndrés Cotorruelo\, Junior BrIAS Fellow (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium) \nSets for Constrained Control \n  \nBernardo Innocenti (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium) \nEvidence in Innovation in the field of Orthopaedics – How an engineer can help a surgeon to apply and t the new tools \n  \nAlix Partridge\, Junior BrIAS Fellow (National Robotarium\, UK) \nSustainability in Soft Robotics
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-4/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240425
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240426
DTSTAMP:20251227T160825Z
CREATED:20251227T160825Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T160825Z
UID:2827-1714003200-1714089599@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nStefan Gerth\, BrIAS Fellow (Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits\, Germany) \nAutomation in X-ray based plant phenotyping – From \nPlant to data \n  \nFabrizio Dabbene\, BrIAS Fellow (CNR – IEIIT\, Italy) \nTworthy and reliable AI – Scalable classifiers and \nconformal predictions \n  \nAJung Moon\, BrIAS Fellow (McGill University\, Canada) \nSustainable ‘Relationship’ with Interactive Robots \n  \nKrzysztof Olejarczyk\, BrIAS Fellow (Casimir Pulaski University of Radom\, Poland) \nCycloidal Drive – Design\, experimental research\, \napplications
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-5/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240426
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240427
DTSTAMP:20251227T143437Z
CREATED:20251227T143437Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T143437Z
UID:2795-1714089600-1714175999@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Forum: Human-Robot Collaboration
DESCRIPTION:General Chair : Prof. An Jacobs (VUB)\, \nProgram Chair: Dr. Shirley Elprama (VUB) \nProgram Committee members: prof. dr. An Jacobs\, dr. Shirley Elprama\, prof. dr. Bernardo Innocenti\, Kristóf Takács \nDescription\n“How do we collaborate in a sustainable way with robotics in the future?” is the core topic of the field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). As part of the Brias topic on sustainable robotics\, we are organizing a forum consisting of two workshops on two subfields: the domain of HRI in surgery and HRI in EU manufacturing companies. As part of this forum\, we will discuss the sustainability challenges of future Human-Robot interactions in these domains in-depth\, and we will co-create solutions with the attendees in a multidisciplinary setting. With the output of both workshops\, we want to synthesize a comparison of the debates in both subfields and will communicate these results to all participants and to the broader community. \n\nProgram\nHuman robot collaboration in surgery and healthcare\n08:30 – 09:00 – Arrival and coffee \n09:00 – 09:15 – Introduction (prof. dr. An Jacobs – imec-SMIT\, VUB and prof. dr. Bernardo Incenti ULB)  \n09:15 – 09:30 – The importance of sustainability goals in the surgical domain (Kristóf Takács & prof. dr. Tamas Heidegger – Óbuda University) \n09:30 – 09:40  – Q&A \n09:40 – 09:55 – Robotic knee surgery (prof. dr. Bernardo Innocenti – ULB & KU Leuven) \n09:55 – 10:05 – Q&A \n10:05 – 10:20  – Insights from workshop on sustainability goals (dr. An Jacobs – imec\, SMIT – VUB) \n10:20 – 10:40 – Short break \n10:40 – 10:55 –   Sustainability goals at Idevax – Rob-id (Koen Beyers – Idevax) \n11:10 – 11:25  –  Sustainability goals at ORSI Academy (dr. Nicola Frego – ORSI Academy) \n11:25 – 12:30 – Panel discussion led by dr. Carl Mörch with previous speakers \n12:30 – 13:30 –  Lunch break & arrival participants afternoon session \n  \nHuman robot collaboration in EU manufacturing companies\n13:30 – 13:40 –  Introduction (prof. dr. An Jacobs – imec\, SMIT – VUB) \n13:40 – 13:55 –  The importance of sustainability goals in the production domain (dr. Marta Lorenzini – Italian Institute of Technology)  \n13:55 – 14:05 – Q&A \n14:05 – 14:20 –  HRI in production context  (dr. Shirley A. Elprama – imec-SMIT\, VUB & FARI) \n14:20 – 14:30  – Q&A \n14:30 – 15:00 – Short break \n15:00 – 15:15 – Sustainable Robotics in Production Environments: Navigating Challenges and Achieving Innovations (Sharath Chandra – PROFACTOR) \n15:15 – 15:25 – Q&A \n15:25 – 15:45  – Universal Design as Sustainable Design of Service Robots (prof. dr. AJung moon – McGill University) \n15:45 – 15:55 – Q&A \n15:55 – 16:30 – Group discussion: brainstorm with the audience about SDG’s in relation to human robot collaboration in production (prof. dr. An Jacobs – imec\, SMIT – VUB) \n16:30 – Closing remarks (dr. Shirley A. Elprama – imec\, SMIT – VUB & FARI) \n16:30 – 17:30 – Reception \n\nFor in-person attendance\, as well as online attendance of the webinar\, registration is necessary. This Forum will also be live-streamed on our Youtube channel @BrIAStalks
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-forum-human-robot-collaboration/
LOCATION:FARI Institute\, Cantersteen 16\, Brussels\, 1000\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20240502
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20240504
DTSTAMP:20251227T165644Z
CREATED:20251227T142307Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T165644Z
UID:2791-1714608000-1714780799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Forum: War\, Peace & Robotics
DESCRIPTION:General Chairs : Emanuele Garone (ULB)\, Mauro Birattari (ULB) Program Chair: Geert De Cubber (RMA)\nLogistics Chair: Anja Garone (VUB)\nMembers of the Program Committee : A. Vande Wouver (UMons)\, A. Cotorruelo (ULB)\, J. Thumfart (VUB). \nDescription\nThe first day will focus on “Peace” and in particular how robotics can help to “clear up” remnants of war and ensure a safe restart of life at peace. The first half day will be focusing on the theme “A safer sea” and will mostly deal with marine demining\, with a special attention to the innovation surrounding the Belgian Mine Counter Measures program. The second part of the day will deal with land demining. \nThe second day will focus on “War”\, and in particular on the Historical\, Ethical\, Legal\, and Geopolitical aspects of Robotics at War. The goal of this second day is to inform the public about the current policies as well as the various different perspectives and positions on the matter\, so as to stimulate an informed debate. Polemics for the sake of polemics and uninformed/acritical political statements should stay out of this day. \nSpeakers\nWelcome and Initial Remarks\n\nEmanuele Garone\, BrIAS Program Director (Université Libre\nde Bruxelles\, Belgium)\nSerge Jaumain\, BrIAS Co-Director (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium)\nFrank Deconinck\, BrIAS Co-Director (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium)\nYves Dupont (Rector of the Royal Military Academy\, Belgium)\n\nThe Belgian Navy’s Vision on Naval Mine Countermeasures: innovative and revolutionary\n\nNicolas Van Damme (Belgian Navy)\n\nToward the mine countermeasures of tomorrow\n\nElmar Recker (Belgian Ministry of Defence)\n\nData Fusion and Computer vision challenges in Mine Countermeasures\n\nHiep Luong (Universiteit Gent\, Belgium)\n\nMaritime Robotic Demining: the rMCM toolbox and its future\n\nJeroen Debonnet (Exail Robotics\, Belgium)\n\nData Management in the context of MCM operation\n\nEmma Claeys (Dot.Ocean\, Belgium)\n\nMission Planning for multi-robot cooperative teams – Challenges and solutions for MCM operations\n\nEmanuele Garone\, BrIAS Programme Director (Université Libre\nde Bruxelles\, Belgium)\n\nRobotics Networks for Maritime Surveillance: challenges and opportunities\n\nGabriele Ferri (NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation\, Italy)\n\nThe European Defence Fund – Multi-annual planning: opportunities for underwater warfare and mine counter measures\n\nInge Ceuppens (European Defence Fund\, Belgium)\n\nRobotic Demining: case studies and objectives\n\nLuigi Fasano (European Defence Agency\, Belgium)\nJuan Jesús Diaz Hernández (European Defence Agency\, Belgium)\n\nExperiences from Military Demining Research Projects\n\nEmile Le Flecher (Royal Military Academy\, Belgium)\n\nHumanitarian Demining Innovation Landscape: A needs-based approach\n\nPedro Basto (Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining\, Switzerland)\n\nRemote-controlled multi-purpose platforms in the field of explosive threat mitigation\n\nDominic Graser (Global Clearing Solutions GCS\, Switzerland)\n\nRobotic Demining\, research experiences and challenges\n\nKoen Struyven (Space Application Services\, Belgium)\n\nThe use of robotics within the Belgian EOD group\n\nDavy Aendekerk (DOVO – EOD Unit of the Belgian Army)\n\nCurrent Situation and how current wars are affecting the programs on Autonomous Weapon Systems\n\nMirko Campochiari (ParabellumStori\, Italy)\n\nRobotic warfare: an evolution in military affairs\n\nAndrea Gilli (University of St Andrews\, UK)\n\nConcept of the land component concerning robotics & autonomous systems\n\nKoen Ceulemans (Belgian Army)\n\nThe ethics review of the proposals and the ethics requirements during the implementation\n\nInge Ceuppens (European Defence Fund\, Belgium)\n\nHow we dealt with Ethical issues in EU Projects\n\nGeert De Cubber (Royal Military Academy\, Belgium)\n\nOn the discourse on Autonomous Weapon Systems and Robots at War\n\nGregory Reichberg (Peace Research Institute Oslo\, Norway)\n\nAutonomous systems for legal and ethical control – The next best solution if an universal prohibition of LAWS fails?\n\nJohannes Thumfart (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium)\n\nAutonomous Weapons Systems and Responsibility Gaps\n\nBorja Montes Toscano (NATO ACO Office of Legal Affairs\, Belgium)\n\nThe legal discussion on Autonomous Weapon Systems: a \nsearch of the humans in IHL?\n\nAnna Greipl (Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights\, Switzerland)\n\nThe clash of today’s tech culture and designer values\n\nAJung Moon\, BrIAS Fellow (McGill University\, Canada)\n\nAutomatomachia: science fiction and the future of war\n\nPierdomenico Memeo (Independent writer\, Italy)
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-forum-war-peace-robotics/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241126
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241127
DTSTAMP:20251227T161242Z
CREATED:20251227T161242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T161242Z
UID:2830-1732579200-1732665599@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speaker\nAndrea Roli\, BrIAS Fellow (Università di Bologna\, Italy) \nA cybernetic perspective of adaptive robots
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-6/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20241205
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20241206
DTSTAMP:20251227T161516Z
CREATED:20251227T161516Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T161516Z
UID:2833-1733356800-1733443199@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speaker\nHiroki Ishizuka (Osaka University\, Japan) \nToward the Realization of Sensing Mimicking Skin-Nerve \nModels
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-7/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250122
DTSTAMP:20251227T162211Z
CREATED:20251227T144251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T162211Z
UID:2797-1737417600-1737503999@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS 2025 Opening Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:The opening ceremony for the BrIAS 2025 programme on Sustainable Robotics\, AI and Automation. \nSpeakers\nWelcome\n\nMarius Gilbert\, Vice-rector of research and valorization (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium)\nPieter Ballon\, Vice-rector of research (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium)\nFrank Deconinck\, BrIAS co-director (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium)\nSerge Jaumain\, BrIAS co-director (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium)\n\nIntroduction to the 2025 BrIAS theme on Sustainable\nRobotics\, AI and Automation\n\nAnn Nowé\, BrIAS Programme Director (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium)\nEmanuele Garone\, BrIAS Programme director (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium)\n\nRecital\nRecital by the talented musicians Simon Vaskou and Julien Olive.
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-2025-opening-ceremony/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250123
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250124
DTSTAMP:20251227T162402Z
CREATED:20251227T162402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T162402Z
UID:2838-1737590400-1737676799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nAntonella Ferrara\, BrIAS Fellow (Università degli Studi di Pavia\, Italy) \nTraffic control for freeway networks and sustainability\nrelated objectives \n  \nRodolphe Sepulchre (KULeuven\, Belgium) \nRegulation without calibration
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-8/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250130
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250131
DTSTAMP:20251227T162554Z
CREATED:20251227T162554Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T162554Z
UID:2841-1738195200-1738281599@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nYilin Mo\, BrIAS Fellow (Tsinghua University\, China) \nData-Driven Learning of a Verifiable Controller Inspired by \nMPC \n  \nYailen Martínez Jiménez\, Junior BrIAS Fellow (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium) \nApplication of Reinforcement Learning in different \nscheduling scenarios
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-9/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250206
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250208
DTSTAMP:20251227T153350Z
CREATED:20251227T153251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T153350Z
UID:2799-1738800000-1738972799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS conference on Smart Agriculture (Agri2025)
DESCRIPTION:The BrIAS Agri2025 aims to become a recurrent annual event for a multidisciplinary scientific community to present and discuss the most recent studies on smart agriculture. \nDescription\nSmart agriculture is rapidly transforming the way farming is practiced\, revolutionizing traditional agricultural systems through the integration of advanced technologies and data driven solutions. This shift is not only enhancing productivity but also helping address challenges like resource scarcity\, climate change\, and the need for sustainable farming practices. The role of smart agriculture is pivotal in both the current and future agricultural systems\, as it promises to improve efficiency\, sustainability\, and resilience. The BrIAS AGRI2025 conference will be dedicated at highlighting the current and future trends in Smart Agriculture\, and bridging this to the 5 FAO strategic objective or sustainability goals (reduce hunger\, sustainable agriculture\, reduce rural poverty\, inclusive agricultural systems\, increase resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses).\nIn today’s agricultural systems\, smart agriculture encompasses a variety of technological innovations that are increasingly being adopted by farmers. Precision agriculture\, one of the key components\, uses GPS\, IoT sensors\, drones\, and satellite imagery to monitor and manage crops more efficiently. For instance\, soil moisture sensors can provide real-time data about soil conditions\, enabling farmers to apply water\, fertilizers\, and pesticides only where they are needed. This results in optimal use of resources\, which can lead to higher yields while reducing costs and minimizing environmental impact.\nClimate change is another pressing issue\, and smart agriculture holds promise for adapting to shifting environmental conditions. Through the use of climate modelling\, farmers can receive real-time weather forecasts and adjust their practices to minimize losses due to extreme weather events like droughts\, floods\, and heatwaves. Moreover\, the development of drought-resistant and climate-resilient crops through genetic engineering\, combined with data-driven agricultural practices\, will allow farmers to maintain productivity even\nin adverse conditions. \nPROGRAM DAY 1\n8:30 – 9:00: Registration\n09.00 – 09.30: Opening ceremony and welcome\n\nProf. Emanuele Garone\, Université Libre de Bruxelles\nProf. David Cannella\, Université Libre de Bruxelles\nProf. Frank Deconinck\, Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies\nDr. Raschad Al-Khafaji\, Director FAO Brussels Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium\n\n09.30 – 10.10: Plenary lecture 1 (Room 1)\nModerator: Emanuele Garone\nPT1 Insects need smart promotion … or eradication.\nProf. Frédéric Francis\, Gembloux-Agro Bio Tech. \nParallel Session 1 – Advances in pests and diseases research (Room 1)\nModerators: Luca Rossini and Silvia Turco \n  \n\n10:20 – 10:40: T1 Extracting insect information from entomological museum collections to identify potential insect\npests and beneficials using deep learning methods.\nG. Noël\n10:40 – 11:00: T2 Development of Bruchus rufimanus Boheman 1833 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) at different temperatures with special emphasis on rearing and modelling approach. A. Segers\n\nParallel Session 2 – Advances in modelling in plant protection (Room 2)\nModerators: Irene Salotti and Yafit Cohen \n  \n\n10:20 – 10:40: T3 A win-win combination in plant disease prediction: field data to update model estimations\,\nestimations to drive field data collection.\nO. Benhamouche\n10:40 – 11:00: T4 Adaptation of a physiologically based model for predicting the phenology of Philaenus\nspumarius: first validation in Italian olive groves.\nZ. Sweidan\n\n\n11.00 – 11.30: Coffee break\n\nParallel Session 1 – Advances in pests and diseases research (Room 1)\nModerators: Luca Rossini and Silvia Turco \n  \n\n11:30 – 11:50: T5 Innovations and challenges in black soldier fly farming: Infrastructure\, automation\, and waste\nvalorization.\nH. Luttenschlager\n11:50 – 12:10: T6 A novel strain of Akanthomyces muscarius as a promising biological control agent\nagainst Toumeyella parvicornis.\nN. Di Sora\n12:10 – 12:30: T7 Improving management of emerging and re-emerging pests and diseases of Prunus persica (L.)\nBatsch.\nS. Turco\n12:30 – 12:50: T8 Characterizing spatiotemporal dynamics of biotic stresses to optimize sampling strategies in\nagricultural systems.\nR. Gafni\n\n\n  \nParallel Session 2 – Advances in modelling in plant protection (Room 2)\nModerators: Irene Salotti and Yafit Cohen \n  \n\n11:30 – 11:50: T9 A mechanistic\, five-step approach for prediction modelling: Alternaria-tomato pathosystem as\ncase study.\nI. Salotti\n11:50 – 12:10: T10 AI-Driven pest control: Sustainable agroecosystems through remote monitoring and predictive\nmodeling.\nR. Ascolese\n12:10 – 12:30: T11 Urban-agricultural interface: Impact of urban habitats on Mediterranean fruit fly dynamics in\ncitrus orchards.\nY. Cohen\n12:30 – 12:50: T12 Pest control SDSS – From academy to industry.\nA. Cohen\n\n12.50 – 14.00 Lunch break and poster session\nSession 3: Advances in plant health sensing (Room 1)\nModerators: Francesco Lamonaca and Valerio Cristofori \n  \n\n14:00 – 14:20: T13 GeoAI\, metrology and remote sensing for smart agriculture: Mapping land transformation and\nclimatic impacts to optimize crop resilience and water management in a Mediterranean region.\nA. Vitale\n14:20 – 14:40: T14 Integrating spatio-temporal vegetation indices with machine learning for dynamic maize field\nperformance monitoring: Development of a real-time crop monitoring framework.\nG. Ravid\n14:40 – 15:00: T15 Spectral-based weed detection across diverse environmental conditions.\nA. Prashar\n\n15.00 – 15.30: Coffee break\nSession 4: Advances in plant health sensing (Room 1)\nModerators: Francesco Lamonaca and Valerio Cristofori \n  \n\n15:30 – 15:50: T16 Moving towards regenerative agriculture: Advancements in remote sensing tools to measure\nsoils health regeneration.\nM. Silvestri\n15:50 – 16:10: T17 How to capture within-field heterogeneity across multi-year crop rotation: High-resolution\ninsights from sentinel-2. T. Kenda\n16:10 – 16:30: T18 A low-cost and AI-integrated imaging device for plant-parasitic nematodes quantification and\nclassification.\nG. Bi\n\n16:30 – 16:50: T19 Early detection of nutrient deficiencies: The hazelnut case-study\nV. Cristofori \n16.50 – 17.40: Plenary lecture 2 (Room 1)\nModerator David Cannella\nPT2 Plant defense priming.\nProf. Uwe Conrath\, RWTH Aachen University. \n19.00: Social dinner at Fondation Universitaire (11 Rue d’Edgemont\, 1000 Brussels)\nPROGRAM DAY 2\n8:30 – 9:00: Registration\n09.20 – 10.10: Plenary lecture 3 (Room 1)\nModerator David Cannella\nPT3 Agroecological models explained.\nDr. Niels Holst\, Aarhus University. \nParallel Session 5 – Robotics in precision farming (Room 1)\nModerators: Andrea Gasparri and Fabrizio Dabbene \n  \n\n10:20 – 10:40: T20 A control architecture for semi-autonomous robots in agriculture settings.\nJ. Marino\n10:40 – 11:00: T21 A robotic arm design for autonomous kiwi harvesting.\nN. Omodei\n\nParallel Session 6 – Technologies for sensing and phenotyping (Room 2)\nModerators: Luca Bascetta and Christian Hermans \n  \n\n10:20 – 10:40: T22 Automated X-ray plant phenotyping from seedlings to the field.\nG. Lehretz\n10:40 – 11:00: T23 Uncovering the role of Serendipita williamsii volatiles in establishing its own plant beneficial\nendophytic colonization: A parallel study of the headspace composition and mode of action.\nJ. Van Vooren\n\n11.00 – 11.30: Coffee break\nParallel Session 5 – Robotics in precision farming (Room 1)\nModerators: Andrea Gasparri and Fabrizio Dabbene \n  \n\n11:30 – 11:50: T24 A distributed framework for task allocation and safe coordination in networked multi-robot\nsystems for precision agriculture.\nA. Gasparri\n11:50 – 12:10: T25 Motion planning for an autonomous agricultural robot in unstructured terrain.\nF. Dabbene\n12:10 – 12:30: T26 Motion planning for agricultural tasks with robotic manipulators.\nG. Liu\n12:30 – 12:50: T27 Self-supervised local NBV planning for 3D plant reconstruction by a robot.\nJ. Ci\n\nParallel Session 6 – Technologies for sensing and phenotyping (Room 2)\nModerators: Luca Bascetta and Christian Hermans \n  \n\n11:30 – 11:50: T28 Using a digital twin of a tracked mobile robot for the design and validation of estimation and\ncontrol algorithms.\nL. Bascetta\n11:50 – 12:10: T29 RootForce 4.0: a review of the classical image processing pipeline for root system architecture\nof cereals.\nL. A. Torres-Cisneros\n12:10 – 12:30: T30 Constellr HiVE – A satellite constellation for monitoring diurnal temperature cycles and\nenabling smart agriculture.\nC. Lerot\n12:30 – 12:50: T31 Cellulose-derived oligosaccharides obtained by LPMO oxidation biostimulate tomato weight\,\ninflorescence\, and immunity through ethylene and ROS-free signalling\nD. Cannella\n\n12.50 – 14.00: Lunch break and poster session\nSession 7: Smart irrigation and soil biodiversity (Room 1)\nModerators: Luis Orihuela and José Maria Manzano \n  \n\n14:00 – 14:20: T32 Application and assessment of model-based leak localization methods in an irrigation network.\nL. Orihuela\n14:20 – 14:40: T33 Harnessing predictive data analytics of soil microbiota for enhanced bio-sustainability in\nagriculture.\nR. Pace\n14:40 – 15:00: T34 Design and deployment of a cloud platform for data-driven leak detection in agricultural\nirrigation systems.\nJ. M. Manzano\n\n15.00 – 15.30: Coffee break\nSession 8: Biostimulants and soil biodiversity (Room 1)\nModerators: David Cannella and Silvia Turco \n  \n\n15:30 – 15:50: T35 Leveraging rhizosphere microbial diversity and drought-tolerant bacterial isolates to enhance\nsoybean resilience in South Africa.\nA. S. Ayangbenro\n15:50 – 16:10: T36 Tailoring plant roots for enhanced nitrogen capture in soil.\nC. Hermans\n16:10 – 16:30: T37 Harnessing biostimulants for sustainable agriculture: A case study or Nurspray® in tomato\ncultivation.\nC. Leclef\n\n16.30 – 17.20: Plenary lecture 4 (Room 1)\nModerator: Emanuele Garone\nPT4 AgRobotics for smart agriculture.\nProf. Yael Edan\, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. \n17.20 – 17.30: Closing remarks (Room 1)\n17.30 – Get together with Italian-Belgian aperitive
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-conference-on-smart-agriculture-agri2025/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250213
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250214
DTSTAMP:20251227T170742Z
CREATED:20251227T170733Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T170742Z
UID:2850-1739404800-1739491199@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nAndrea Roli\, BrIAS Fellow (Università di Bologna\, Italy) \nDynamical criticality: from cells to robots \n  \nLuca Magri\, BrIAS Fellow (Imperial College London\, UK) \nScientific machine learning for chaotic forecasting and real-time digital twinning
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-10/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250220
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250221
DTSTAMP:20251227T170930Z
CREATED:20251227T170930Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T170930Z
UID:2853-1740009600-1740095999@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nGuillaume Slizewicz (BrIAS-OHME Resident Artist\, Belgium) \nArtistic creation in the age of generative machines: an introduction to the creative exploration of AI\, automation and its impacts \n  \nMiguel Méndez (von Karman Institute\, Belgium) \nIntegrating Scientific Machine Learning in Fluid Dynamics Engineering
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-11/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250227
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250228
DTSTAMP:20251227T171433Z
CREATED:20251227T171433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T171433Z
UID:2855-1740614400-1740700799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nAlessandra Parisio\, BrIAS Fellow (University of Manchester\, UK) \nOptimisation-based control of flexible resources in multi\nenergy networks \n  \nPanagiotis Symeonidis\, BrIAS Fellow (University of the Aegean\, Greece) \nChatGPT and AI for Medicine \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-12/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250306
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250307
DTSTAMP:20251227T171736Z
CREATED:20251227T171736Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T171736Z
UID:2857-1741219200-1741305599@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nMarco Nicotra\, BrIAS Fellow (University of Colorado Boulder\, USA) \nSystematic Design of Control Barrier Functions using Dynamic Safety Margins \n  \nElias Fernández Domingos\, Junior BrIAS Fellow (Vrije Universiteit Brussel\, Belgium) \nDelegation to AI in a collective Risk Dilemma
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-13/
LOCATION:Brussels
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250314
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250315
DTSTAMP:20251227T154137Z
CREATED:20251227T154101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T154137Z
UID:2809-1741910400-1741996799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Forum: Law and AI in Finance and Beyond
DESCRIPTION:Description\nAI and Law intersect across diverse disciplines\, offering innovative solutions to complex legal challenges. From automating legal research to analyzing case laws\, AI enhances efficiency and precision in legal practices. This convergence also raises critical questions about ethics\, accountability\, and the need for robust regulatory frameworks. \nProgramme\n14:00 – 14:05 Welcome\n14:05 – 14:40 Opening Keynote: Law\, Ethics\, and AI: Shaping Responsible Technology – Prof. Sam Verboven\n14:40 – 15:20 Law and AI in the banking industry – Bertrand Bréhier (Head of Banking Regulation\, Financial Security and Competition Law – Société Générale Group)\n15:20 -16:00 Coffee break\n16:00 – 16:40 What AI Does to Law and What Law Should Do to AI – Prof. Gregory Lewkowicz\n16:40 – 17:20 Discussion \nSpeakers:\nSam Verboven is a Professor at the Data Analytics Lab Vrije Universiteit Brussel. His research is focused on developing analytical tools and algorithms that take into account the operational context\, domain expertise\, and business requirements of the application at hand. Specifically\, he has been working on causal machine learning and multi-task learning in finance\, HR\, marketing\, and healthcare.\nhttps://data.research.vub.be/sam-verboven  \n  \nGregory Lewkowicz is a professor at the University of Brussels and director of the Global Law Program of the Perelman Center. He holds the Alexandre Koyré Chair of Excellence in Economic Law and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. He is a visiting professor of global and transnational law at the Goethe Universität in Frankfurt and at HEC-Paris. He also teaches the interactions between law and technology at the Science Po Paris Law School as part of the Master in Economic Law and at Paris II Panthéon Assas as part of the diploma in digital transformation of law & legaltech. He is the scientific secretary of the collection “Penser le droit” (Larcier Editions)\, director of the Society of Global and Transnational Law (Geneva) and member of the digital pole of the Club des juristes (Paris).\nhttps://www.fari.brussels/researcher/gregory-lewkowicz \n  \nBertrand Bréhier is a Head of Banking Regulation\, Financial Security and Competition Law – Société Générale Group.
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-forum-law-and-ai-in-finance-and-beyond/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250404
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250405
DTSTAMP:20251227T170232Z
CREATED:20251227T170135Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251227T170232Z
UID:2813-1743724800-1743811199@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Forum: Smart Cities
DESCRIPTION:Speakers\nVictoria De Meue (Innoviris\, Belgium) \nClimate-Neutral and Smart Cities EU Mission: The case of the Brussels-Capital Region \n  \nMaider Llaguno-Munitxa (UCLouvain\, Belgium) \nData Practices to assess urban environmental exposures \n  \nGiovanni Esposito (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium) \nSmart City Development as public entrepeneurship \n  \nGianluca Bontempi (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, Belgium) \nDigital Twins of urban mobility: Challenges and perspectives \n  \nHugues Bersini (Université Libre de Bruxelles\, FARI Chair\, Belgium) \nSmart Cities\, Algocracy and FARI \n  \nAlessandro Gambale (CEO at Buildwind\,Belgium) \nSmart Cities\, Clean Air: Artificial Intelligence and Computational Fluid Dynamics for Urban Air Quality assessment and Predictio
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-forum-smart-cities/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250428
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250429
DTSTAMP:20251217T141404Z
CREATED:20251217T141147Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T141404Z
UID:2662-1745798400-1745884799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Forum: Europe's Vision on Responsible AI: Research\, Practice\, Policy
DESCRIPTION:The Brussels Responsible AI Network (BRAIN) Forum is a one-day event that invites researchers\, practitioners\, and policymakers from Belgium and beyond to discuss the latest advances in AI and its societal implications. It is part of the BrIAS series of public forums. \nBRAIN brings together the three Belgian AI research programmes: \n\nthe AI for the Common Good Institute (FARI) in Brussels;\nthe Trusted AI Labs (TRAIL) of the Walloon and Brussels regions;\nand the Flanders AI Research programme (FAIR).\n\nSessions\nThe BRAIN Forum is structured around four sessions: \n\nThe research session provides an expert-driven overview of emerging trends in responsible AI.\nThe practice session explores practical perspectives on implementing responsible AI.\nThe policy session addresses Europe’s global position on responsible AI.\nThe networking session aims to foster collaboration among Belgian AI labs and provides a platform for participants to present their expertise and project ideas.\n\nProgram\n\n\n\n08:00\n\nDoors Open\n\n\n08:30\n09:00\nWelcome and Introduction\n\n\n09:00\n10:40\nSession 1 – Research\n\n\n10:40\n11:00\nCoffee Break\n\n\n11:00\n13:00\nSession 2 – Practice\n\n\n13:00\n14:00\nLunch\n\n\n14:00\n15:30\nSession 3 – Policy\n\n\n15:30\n16:00\nCoffee Break\n\n\n16:00\n17:30\nSession 4 – Networking\n\n\n17:30\n\nReception\n\n\n\n\nSession 1 – Research – Advancing Responsible AI: Developments at the Research Level\n\nThis session provides an expert-driven overview of emerging research trends in responsible AI. \n\n\n\n\n09:00\n09:25\nJerzy Stefanowski (Poznan University of Technology\, Poland)\n“The Role of Counterfactual Explanations: New Methods and Open Challenges”\n\n\n09:25\n09:50\nKostas Stefanidis (Tampere University\, Finland)\n“Responsible Recommender Systems”\n\n\n09:50\n10:15\nEirini Ntoutsi (Bundeswehr University Munich\, Germany)\n“From Single Focus to Intersectional Perspective: Tackling Multi-dimensional Discrimination in AI”\n\n\n10:15\n10:40\nWillem Zuidema (University of Amsterdam\, the Netherlands)\n“The Explanation Conundrum: Why XAI Methods Don’t Work Well Enough Yet for AI That Really Matters”\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 2 – Practice – Implementing Responsible AI: Approaches from Research Programs\, Academia\, and Industry\n\n\nThis session includes practical perspectives on responsible AI from the three Belgian AI research programs (FARI\, FAIR\, and TRAIL)\, academia\, and industry. \n\n\n\n11:00\n11:15\nTom Lenaerts (ULB\, Belgium)\n“If FARI Is the Answer\, What Was the Question?”\n\n\n11:15\n11:30\nPierre Geurts (ULiège\, Belgium)\n“The Perspective of TRAIL (Trusted AI Labs) on Responsible AI”\n\n\n11:30\n11:45\nSabine Demey (Flanders AI Research program and imec\, Belgium)\n“The Perspective of FAIR (Flanders AI Research program) on Responsible AI”\n\n\n11:45\n12:15\nAmbrish Rawat (IBM Research\, Ireland)\n“Securing Generative AI”\n\n\n12:15\n12:45\nPanagiotis Germanakos (SAP SE\, Germany)\n“Trust in AI: The Human-Computer Interaction Perspective”\n\n\n\n  \n\n\nSession 3 – Policy – Shaping Responsible AI: Europe’s Global Position on Responsible AI\n\n\nThis session includes presentations and a panel on the EU’s policy and strategic approach to responsible AI\, featuring insights from the European AI Office. \n\n\n\n14:00\n15:00\nOpening Statements\n\n\n\n\nMilena Machała (European AI Office)\n“The EU AI Strategy”\n\n\n\n\nYves Moreau (KU Leuven\, Belgium)\n“Dual-Use Research in the Horizon Program: Feeding an AI Arms Race?”\n\n\n\n\nSabine Demey (Flanders AI Research program and imec\, Belgium)\n“Responsible AI Is Crucial for Value Creation With AI at Scale”\n\n\n\n\nGrégory Lewkowicz (ULB\, Belgium)\n“Will the European Digital Omnibus Run Over Responsible AI?”\n\n\n\n\nBenoît Frénay (UNamur\, Belgium)\n“Implementing the AI Act: Mission Impossible?”\n\n\n\n\nPieter Libin (VUB\, Belgium)\n“Why We Need a CERN\, Not a Manhattan Project”\n\n\n15:00\n15:30\nPanel Discussion\n\n\n\n\nModerated by Rob Heyman (VUB\, Belgium)\n\n\n\n\n  \n\nSession 4 – Networking – Connecting for Responsible AI: Showcasing Project Ideas and Research Expertise\n\n\nThis session fosters networking among members of Belgium’s three AI research programmes and explores opportunities for collaboration. \n16:00 17:30 : Flash Presentations \n\nAxel Abels (ULB\, Belgium)\n01. “Wisdom From Diversity: Bias Mitigation Through Hybrid Human-LLM Crowds”\nAlessandra Calvi (VUB\, Belgium)\n02. “Enhancing AI Fairness Through Impact Assessment”\nBenoît Frénay (UNamur\, Belgium)\n03. “When Sign Language Meets AI: Interplay Between Societal Needs and Fundamental Research”\nAntonios Kontaxakis (ULB\, Belgium)\n04. “Optimization for Sustainable Development of AI Applications”\nYves Moreau (KU Leuven\, Belgium)\n05. “Towards an Ethical Culture in Technology: Educating STEM Students and Researchers”\nIkhtiyor Nematov (ULB\, Belgium)\n06. “Data Attribution: From Conventional ML to LLM”\nSeddouk Rachid\n07. “When Artificial Intelligence and Collective Intelligence Converge”\nApurva Shah (ULB & VUB\, Belgium)\n08. “Artificial Delegates Resolve Fairness Issues in Perpetual Voting With Partial Turnout”\nManel Slokom (CWI\, the Netherlands)\n09. “Personalized Post-Processing: How Input Data Shift Recommendation Diversity?”\nThomas Vandamme (ULB\, Belgium)\n10. “Algorithmic Confusion”\nJoost Vennekens (VUB\, Belgium)\n11. “Neurosymbolic AI for Social Cognition”\n\n  \n\n\nThe BRAIN Forum is co-organised by the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS)\, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)\, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)\, AI for the Common Good Institute (FARI)\, and Université de Namur (UNamur)\, with funding from the Brussels Institute of Advanced Studies (BrIAS)\, the Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S.–FNRS)\, and the European Union.
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-forum-europes-vision-on-responsible-ai-research-practice-policy/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250508
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250509
DTSTAMP:20251217T131810Z
CREATED:20251217T130608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T131810Z
UID:2657-1746662400-1746748799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar
DESCRIPTION:Seminar 1: BrIAS Fellow Prof. Paolo Falcone\nCautious-by-design motion planning. The role of prediction\n\nSafety of passengers and surrounding road users is the most important challenge in the design and deployment of autonomous driving technologies. In fact\, the highest Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL-D) will likely be required for autonomous driving functionalities. While fulfilling such safety requirements involves special design efforts at all levels of the autonomous driving stack\, in this talk we will focus on the control design of a safe motion planner in urban environments. \n\n\n\nWe will start by illustrating a model-based control design approach to vehicle motion planning problem\, in the presence of human road users (pedestrians\, cyclists\, human-driven vehicles). We will show that\, under mild assumptions\, vehicle behavior can be made cautious in the presence of road users and guaranteed to be persistently safe. Experimental results obtained with a passenger vehicle negotiating an intersection with a simulated pedestrian\, will be shown. An important ingredient of the proposed motion planning framework is a prediction model of the surrounding traffic. In the second part of the seminar\, we will illustrate our ongoing research on humans’ intent prediction in traffic environments. We will show how the evolution of a traffic scene can be predicted using very simple models and motion data (position\, velocity) of road users observed in similar traffic scenes.   \n\n\n\nSeminar 2 : BrIAS Fellow Prof. Hideyuki Sawada\n\n\n\nRobotics and machine learning techniques for understanding\, controlling and predicting physical phenomena\n\n\n\nMachine learning techniques are widely applied to the variety of fields to provide human-like intelligence for flexibly understanding\, controlling and predicting daily issues. In this lecture\, the history of the development of AIs is firstly introduced from the viewpoint of computational capacity and human ability\, then the basic idea for machine learning will be presented\, together with the robotic technologies. Several applications that have been conducted in our research team will be introduced as examples of the effective use of machine learning and the robotics technologies.
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250519
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250520
DTSTAMP:20251217T131852Z
CREATED:20251217T130243Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T131852Z
UID:2652-1747612800-1747699199@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Public Forum: Protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructures
DESCRIPTION:The objective of this forum is to raise awareness and foster dialogue among academia\, industry\, operators\, policymakers\, and the public-at-large on the theme of the protection of Critical Underwater Infrastructures (CUIs). The conference will begin with an introduction to CUIs and discussing their vulnerability to covered sabotages\, terroristic actions\, and hybrid warfare. The geopolitical importance of these infrastructure will be highlighted and an historical overview on the most notorious and impactful incidents will be provided. After this introductory part\, experts and operators will explain how this problem is currently approached by governments and by the industry\, what are the tools available today\, and what are the typical prevention and intervention operations carried out. A critical analysis of successes\, pitfalls and lessons learnt from nowadays technologies\, operations\, and policies will be carried out. The forum will then move toward the future. Ongoing research directions and a vision on the future will be presented by researchers (from academia and the industry) and funding agencies. The forum will end discussing what politics and policy making can do to: i) encourage new research actions; and ii) promote the development of a comprehensive framework based on the share of responsibility between civil and military bodies\, as well as public and private entities. \nProgramme\n\n\n\n\n    09:00 – 09:30\n\n\nWelcome and Initial Remarks                                                                                     Prof. Emanuele Garone\, ULBProf. Marius Gilbert\, Vice-Rector for Research\, ULB\n\n\n\n\n09:30 – 11:50\n\n\nSession I: The Problem and the Present (chair: Prof. Emanuele Garone)\n\n\n\n\n09:30 – 09:50\n\n\nCritical Maritime Infrastructures – A Geopolitical issue for the EU and beyondDr. Allison Weston – Senior Coordinator for Maritime Security and Deputy Director in the Security and Defence Policy Directorate\, European External Action Service\, European Commission. \n\n\n\n\n09:50 – 10:10\n\n\nAn analysis of the problem and an historical overview of incidents involving CUIsDr. Tobias Libetrau\, University of Copenhagen.\n\n\n\n\n10:10 – 10:30\n\n\nOperative Experience on CUI protection – The Belgian experience\, some operational experience\, and identified challengesRepresentatitve of the Belgian Navy\n\n\n\n\n10:30 – 10:50\n\n\nCoffee break\n\n\n\n\n10:50 – 11:10\n\n\nThe Italian perspective of underwater dimension for the resilience of critical infrastructureAdm. Francesco Milazzo\, OF6 –  Italian Navy – Commander of the Italian Submarine Fleet\n\n\n\n\n11:10 – 11:30\n\n\nCUIs\, Threats\, and solutions. A vision from the Private Sector John Wrottesley\, Executive Director of the European Subsea Cable Association\n\n\n\n\n11:30 – 11:50\n\n\nProtection of CUIs in a changing worldAdm. Marcello Grivelli\, OF6 – Italian Delegation at NATO \n\n\n\n\n11:50 -12:30\n\n\nPANEL SESSION I – CUI Today : Success\, Pitfalls and Lesson Learnt (Moderator : E. Garone)Participants: Dr. Allison Weston\, Dr. Thobias Lievetrau\, Adm. Francesco Milazzo\, Belgian Navy speaker\, John Wrottsley\, Adm. Marcello Grivelli.\n\n\n\n\n12:30 – 13:20\n\n\nLunch\n\n\n\n\n13:20 – 15:10\n\n\nSession II – Research and CUI (Chair Geert DeCubber\, Royal Military Academy)\n\n\n\n\n13:20 – 13:30\n\n\nDefense oriented Research\, Development and Innovation : a strategy that applies on CUIAdm. Baudoin Coppieters de Gibson – OF6 – Director General of the Royal Higher Institute for Defense.\n\n\n\n\n13:30 – 13:50\n\n\nResearch on Protection of CUIs: The potential of using fibre optic distributed acoustic sensing for CUI protection. Prof. Martin Landro\, Norwegian University of Science and Technology.\n\n\n\n\n13:50 – 14:10\n\n\nRobotics and Protection of CUI: on overview on current research trends. Prof. E. Garone\, ULB\n\n\n\n\n14:10 – 14:30\n\n\nRobotics and Protection of CUI: Industrial Research Tanguy Durand\, Naval Group.\n\n\n\n\n14:30 – 14:50\n\n\nHow the European Commission sees R&D on CUI’s protection. Renauld Hock\, European Defence Fund.\n\n\n\n\n14:50 – 15:10\n\n\nBelgium future in CUI’s protection – Mission Driven Defence Innovation Ecosystem for Critical Underwater Infrastructures.Piet Opstaele – CEO Blue Cluster\n\n\n\n\n15:10 – 15:40\n\n\nPanel session II – Going in the right direction? (Chair M. Grivelli)Participants:  Piet Opstaele\, Prof. Martin Landro\, Renauld Hock\, Tanguy Durand\n\n\n\n\n15:40 – 16:00\n\n\nCoffee Break\n\n\n\n\n16:00 – 17:00\n\n\nSession III – Policies for CUI protection \n\n\n\n\n16:00 – 16:20\n\n\nWhich policies for CUI protection? Speaker TBC\n\n\n\n\n16:20 – 16:40\n\n\nCurrent and Future Threats\, what should the EU do ? Sophie Witte\, Munich Security Conference\n\n\n\n\n16:40 – 17:00\n\n\nPanel Session III – Which Policies and which Political Actions?\n\n\n\n\n17:00 – 17:50\n\n\nPanel Session III – Which Policies and which Political Actions?\n\n\n\n\n17:50 – 18:00\n\n\nClosing remarks and FarewellProf. Jan Dankaert\, Rector VUBProf. Emanuele Garone\n\n\n\n\n18:00\n\n\nAperitif\n\n\n\n\n18:30\n\n\nPiano Concert: Simon Vaskou\n\n\n\n\n19:15\n\n\nDinner
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-public-forum-protection-of-critical-underwater-infrastructures/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250522
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250524
DTSTAMP:20251217T131914Z
CREATED:20251217T124518Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T131914Z
UID:2648-1747872000-1748044799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Conference on Battery Management and Future Technologies
DESCRIPTION:The BrIAS Batteries2025 aims at becoming a recurrent international event for a multidisciplinary scientific community to present and discuss the most recent advancement and future avenues concerning the Dynamic Modelling and Control of Battery Systems (including Battery Management Systems and Energy Management Systems with storage).
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-conference-on-battery-management-and-future-technologies/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250528
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250529
DTSTAMP:20251217T132002Z
CREATED:20251217T122600Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T132002Z
UID:2639-1748390400-1748476799@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Seminar & Closing Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:BrIAS Sustainable Robotics\, AI and Automation Closing Ceremony \n\nSeminar 1: BrIAS Fellow Prof. Ilya Kolmanovsky\nExploiting Supervisory Schemes and the Interplay Between Computations and Closed-Loop Properties in Model Predictive Control\n\nAbstract: Model Predictive Control (MPC) leads to algorithmically defined nonlinear feedback laws for systems with pointwise-in-time state and control constraints. These feedback laws are defined by solutions to appropriately posed optimal control/trajectory optimization problems that are (typically) solved online. There is a growing interest in the use of MPC for practical applications\, including as an enabling technology for control and trajectory generation in autonomous vehicles\, including in aerospace\, automotive and robotics domains. To enable MPC implementation\, the solutions to MPC optimization problems must be computed reliably and within the available time. After describing several motivating applications in aerospace and automotive domains\, the talk will reflect on recent research by the presenter and his students/collaborators into strategies for computing solutions in optimization problems arising in receding horizon and shrinking horizon MPC formulations. These strategies include methods for solving MPC problems inexactly\, and the use of add-on supervisory schemes for MPC which reduce the computational time and enlarge the constrained closed-loop region of attraction. In particular\, a Computational Governor (CG) will be described which maintains feasibility and bounds the suboptimality of the MPC warm-start by altering the reference command provided to the inexactly solved MPC problem. As it also turns out\, the analysis of time distributed implementation of MPC based on fixed number of optimization algorithm iterations per time step and warm-starting benefits from the application of control-theoretic tools such as the small gain theorem; intriguingly\, similar tools can be exploited in “control-aware” multi-disciplinary design optimization. \n\n\n\nSeminar 2: BrIAS Fellow Prof. Bruno Sinopoli\n\n\n\nLinear Methods for Dimensionality Reduction: is there life beyond PCA?\n\n\n\nAbstract: Feature extraction and selection at the presence of nonlinear dependencies among the data is a fundamental challenge in unsupervised learning. We propose using a Gram-Schmidt (GS) type orthogonalization process over function spaces to detect and map out such dependencies. Specifically\, by applying the GS process over some family of functions\, we construct a series of covariance matrices that can either be used to identify new large-variance directions\, or to remove those dependencies from known directions. In the former case\, we provide information-theoretic guarantees in terms of entropy reduction. In the latter\, we provide precise conditions by which the chosen function family eliminates existing redundancy in the data. Each approach provides both a feature extraction and a feature selection algorithm. Our feature extraction methods are linear\, and can be seen as natural generalization of principal component analysis (PCA). We provide experimental results for synthetic and real-world benchmark datasets which show superior performance over state-of-the-art (linear) feature extraction and selection algorithms. Surprisingly\, our linear feature extraction algorithms are comparable and often outperform several important nonlinear feature extraction methods such as autoencoders\, kernel PCA\, and UMAP. Furthermore\, one of our feature selection algorithms strictly generalizes a recent Fourier-based feature selection mechanism (Heidari et al.\, IEEE Transactions on Information Theory\, 2022)\, yet at significantly reduced complexity. \n\n\n\n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-seminar-closing-ceremony/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250605
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250606
DTSTAMP:20251217T132030Z
CREATED:20251217T122134Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T132030Z
UID:2636-1749081600-1749167999@brias.be
SUMMARY:BrIAS Public Forum: Democratic Governance: Challenges & Innovations
DESCRIPTION:This is a one-day public forum organised as a collaboration between the two BrIAS programmes: Sustainable Robotics and Democratic Governance. Through this forum we aim to foster conversations and promote close collaborations among key stakeholders who are closely connected to the theme of democratic governance\, with the goal to collectively think of democratic challenges in practice. We focus on five key areas: 1.    Polarization\, populism\, and violence 2.    Democratic short-termism and sustainability 3.    Technology\, misinformation\, and AI 4.    Inequality and inclusion 5.    Democratic Innovations Beyond these areas\, we pay specific attention to the role of cities and art in democratic resilience. To this end\, we bring academics\, members of civil society organizations and public administrations together to: •    Discuss the main challenges to democratic governance •    Raise the big questions that need to be addressed •    Strengthen the link between academic and stakeholders’ knowledge \n\n\n\nThe Forum combines talk duos on key dimensions of democratic governance\, as well as smaller creative workshops. \n\nProgramme\n\n\n\n\n09:00 – 09:30\n\n\nWelcome\n\n\n\n\n09:30 – 09:45\n\n\nIntroductionMarius Gilbert\, Vice-Rector for Research & Diffusion\, and Scientific Culture & MediationFrank Deconinck\, BrIAS DirectorEmanuele Garone and Ann Nowe\, 2023 – 2025 Program DirectorsSilvia Erzeel and Emilie van Haute\, 2025 – 2027 Program Directors\n\n\n\n\n09:45 – 10:45\n\n\nLaunch talk duos (academia / society)Polarisation\, populism and violenceEva Jaspers (Utrecht University)Maarten Van Alstein (Vlaams Vredesinstituut)Short-termism and sustainabilityEmmanuel Slautsky (ULB)Karim Sheik Hassan (CERAC)Technology\, disinformation and AIPaolo Turrini (Warwick University)Juliane von Reppert-Bismarck (Lie detectors)\n\n\n\n\n10:45 – 11:00\n\n\nCoffee/Tea break\n\n\n\n\n11:00 – 12:30\n\n\nWorkshopsIdentification of democratic challenges and big questions to address related to the threethemes (polarisation\, populism\, and violence; short-termism and sustainability;technology\, disinformation\, and AI)\n\n\n\n\n12:30 – 13:30\n\n\nLunch\n\n\n\n\n13:30 – 14:15\n\n\nLaunch talk duos (academia / society)Inequalities and inclusionKenza Amara-Hammou (UCLouvain)Angela van de Wiel (SAAMO Brussel/Bruxelles vzw)Democratic innovationsVincent Jacquet (Unamur)Jonathan Moskovic (DemNext/OECD)\n\n\n\n\n14:15 – 15:45\n\n\nWorkshopsIdentification of democratic challenges and big questions to address related to the twothemes (Inequalities and inclusion; Democratic innovations)\n\n\n\n\n15:45 – 16:00\n\n\nCoffee/Tea Break\n\n\n\n\n16:00 – 17:00\n\n\nNetwork building and forward thinking exercise: what’s next?\n\n\n\n\n17:00 – 17:30\n\n\nConclusion\n\n\n\n\n17:30\n\n\nDrink
URL:https://brias.be/event/brias-public-forum-democratic-governance-challenges-innovations/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20250915T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20250915T150000
DTSTAMP:20250915T105334Z
CREATED:20250915T093457Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250915T105334Z
UID:1745-1757937600-1757948400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Investigating the Dynamics of Destructive Polarisation in Public Communication
DESCRIPTION:BrIAS invites you to the first lunchtime seminar of the new Programme theme “Democratic Challenges” with Prof. Axel Bruns: \nInvestigating the Dynamics of Destructive Polarisation in Public Communication\nAbstract:\nThe focus of concerns about societal fragmentation in public communication is shifting. Instead of the retreat into echo chambers and filter bubbles that had been assumed in previous research\, and which has not been confirmed by empirical evidence\, greater emphasis is now being placed on polarisation along issue\, ideological\, and identity lines. \nMild forms of polarisation can be productive\, but at elevated levels it variously leads individuals to dismiss alternative viewpoints\, to attack political opponents verbally and even physically\, and to embrace and disseminate (dis)information because of its ideological stance rather than its truthfulness. \nSocial media play a particular role as a public space where such dynamics manifest\, and activities there are themselves fed by material from mainstream as well as fringe media. \nThis presentation introduces destructive polarisation as a particularly pernicious form of polarisation that is distinguished by a number of distinct symptomatic features\, and outlines practice mapping as a novel approach to analysing such polarised debates. \nPresenter bio:\nAxel Bruns is an Australian Laureate Fellow and Professor in the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane\, Australia\, and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. \nHis books include Are Filter Bubbles Real? (2019) and Gatewatching and News Curation: Journalism\, Social Media\, and the Public Sphere (2018)\, and the edited collections Digitizing Democracy (2019)\, the Routledge Companion to Social Media and Politics (2016)\, and Twitter and Society (2014). \nHis current research focusses on public communication in digital and social media environments\, with particular attention to the dynamics of polarisation\, partisanship\, and problematic information\, and their implications for our understanding of the contemporary public sphere. His work draws especially on innovative methods for analysing big social data. \nHe served as President of the Association of Internet Researchers in 2017–19. His research blog is at http://snurb.info/\, and he posts on Mastodon at @snurb@aoir.social and on Bluesky at @snurb.info.
URL:https://brias.be/event/investigating-the-dynamics-of-destructive-polarisation-in-public-communication/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20251001T110000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20251002T160000
DTSTAMP:20250929T064259Z
CREATED:20250915T103645Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250929T064259Z
UID:1751-1759316400-1759420800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Citizens\, Political Organisations and Digital Technologies: Disconnection or/and Reconnection?
DESCRIPTION:The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies and the RELINK2 COST Action organize a collaborative two-day workshop on Citizens\, Political Organisations and Digital Technologies: Disconnection or/and Reconnection?\n\n\nCitizens\, Political Organisations and Digital Technologies:\nDisconnection or/and Reconnection?\n\n\n1-2 October 2025\nCOST Action Relink2 & Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies\nUsquare – 210 Boulevard Général Jacques\, 1050 Ixelles\nAccess via here\n\n\n01/10/2025 – Networking & Stakeholder Roundtables\nAgenda\n\n\n11:00 – 11:30 Arrival and registration\n11:30 – 11:45 Welcome and project presentations\n      Caroline Close (BrIAS)\n      Michal Jacunski (Action Chair Relink2 CA23114)\n11:45 – 12:30 Networking activity (co-designed with Policy Lab)\n      All roundtable participants and panel presenters are kindly invited to attend\n12:30 – 13:30 Lunch\n13:30 – 15:00 Roundtable 1 – Facilitating digital internal participation and deliberation within political actors\n      Chair: Ramón Villaplana (University of Murcia)\n      Participants:\n      Ciarán Cuffe (Co-chair\, European Green Party)\n      Pierre-Yves Leveaux (Communication Adviser\, Party of European Socialists Group)\n      Alessia Gonfroid (Network Officer\, European Network of Political Foundations)\n    \n15:00 – 15:30 Coffee break\n15:30 – 17:00 Roundtable 2 – Sharing best practices on the use of digital tools to engage hard-to-reach groups\n      Chair: Caroline Close\n      Participants:\n      Paulo Rosa (Policy analyst\, European Commission’s Joint Research Centre)\n      Hendrik Nahr (Head of European Affairs\, Make.org)\n      Nadia Tjahja (Coordinator\, Youth Dialogue on Internet Governance)\n      Giulia Sandri (R&D Manager\, European Citizen Action Service)\n    \n17:00 – 18:00 Drink\n\n\n\n02/10/2025 – Academic Workshop\nAgenda\n\n\n8:30 – 9:00 Arrival and registration\n9:00 – 9:10 Welcome\n      Caroline Close (BrIAS)\n      Jasmin Fitzpatrick (Action Vice-Chair Relink2 CA23114)\n9:15 – 10:45 Parallel sessions\n\nPanel session 1: E-government and digital inclusion\nChair: Giulia Sandri (Université libre de Bruxelles)\n     Discussant: Dmytro Khutkyy (University of Tartu) \n\nMansi\, Egla; Bonomi\, Andrea – (Re)Connecting Citizens through Digital Public Services: Examining the Role of E-Government in Political Trust and Democratic Engagement\nKapsa\, Izabella – Reconnecting or Excluding? Online Voting in Participatory Budgeting in Polish Cities\nGueorguieva\, Pétia – Digital local policies and digital needs to improving citizens participation\n\nPanel session 2: Digital technologies and democratic risks\nChair: Gabriela Borz (University of Strathclyde)\n     Discussants: Felix Von Nostitz (ESPOL)\, Dmytro Khutkyy (University of Tartu) \n\nAquida\, Salma – Reactive Democracy and the Illusion of Digital Reconnection in Southeast Asia\nJanušauskienė\, Diana – Digital Exclusion: A Critical Analysis of Underlying Causes\nPandey\, Shipi – Disconnecting Democracy: AI\, Digital Infrastructures\, and the Simulated Inclusion of Marginalised Citizens in India\nCeballos\, Pablo – AI Regulation and Democratic Risks: A Critical Analysis of Human Rights in El Salvador\n\n10:45 – 11:15 Break \nPanel session 3: Political actors and digital tactics\nChair: Emilien Paulis (University of Luxemburg)\n     Discussant: Lucas Kins (Université libre de Bruxelles) \n\nPereira\, André – Digital Youth Engagement and Party Strategies in Portugal’s 2024-2025 Elections\nBarrat\, Jordi – How public institutions supervise political parties when online voting is used for internal decision-making\nDechung\, Zhang – From Tweets to Tactics: Unravelling State-backed Propaganda on Twitter\nSchoeman\, Smilla – How personal data is used by political parties and private companies for election campaigning in South Africa\n\nPanel session 4: Digital Citizenry and Democratic Governance\nChair: Oscar Barberà (University of Valencia)\n     Discussant: Thomas Legein (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) \n\nMompó\, Adrià; Lupato\, Fabio G. – Political parties and their membership: a new role for a declining group in a new environment?\nBoja\, Morena – Digital Technologies and Democratic Governance in the Western Balkans: Threats\, Opportunities\, and Outcomes\nKouiyache\, Omar – Theorizing Reconnection: New Frameworks for Understanding Digital Citizenship\nMartins\, Pedro – Refugee Collective Intelligence in the Digital Age: Interactive Methods and the Role of Policymaker Engagement\n\n12:45 – 14:00 Lunch \n14:00 – 15:00 Plenary discussion\n     Synthesis of insights and identification of research priorities and synergies\n     Chair: Jasmin Fitzpatrick (Action Vice-Chair Relink2 CA23114) \n15:15 – 15:30 Closing remarks and next steps\n     Caroline Close (BrIAS)\n     Jasmin Fitzpatrick (Action Vice-Chair Relink2 CA23114)
URL:https://brias.be/event/citizens-political-organisations-and-digital-technologies-disconnection-or-and-reconnection/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260108T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260108T150000
DTSTAMP:20260204T095807Z
CREATED:20251209T080835Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T095807Z
UID:2517-1767873600-1767884400@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Ruben Van Severen
DESCRIPTION:How Citizens View Alternatives to Representative Democracy\nAbstract\nThis talk gives a broad overview of the research conducted within my PhD on how citizens view alternatives to representative democracy at a time of pervasive dissatisfaction with representative institutions. Such alternatives include models that increase the role of experts\, models that strengthen citizen involvement through participatory practices\, and\, in some cases\, models that imply a move away from democracy through support for autocratic leaders. The talk progresses from general to more specific contexts. It begins by examining how stable support for (representative) democracy is in times of crisis and whether such crises increase openness to alternative\, non-democratic systems. It then turns to how citizens evaluate additions to representative democracy\, such as participation tools like referendums and panels\, and whether preferences shift when these tools are applied to ideologically polarized issues. The final part considers how these attitudes play out in practice in a concrete local setting in Belgium\, with particular attention to the perspective of cynical citizens. Throughout the talk\, special attention is given to both psychological explanations and contextual influences. I conclude by distilling three overarching lessons of the PhD and discussing what they reveal about citizens’ preferred ways of complementing representative democracy in the future.   \n  \nBio\nDr. Ruben Van Severen is a political psychologist and postdoctoral researcher affiliated with both the Department of Social Psychology and the Department of Public Governance and Management at Ghent University. His research focuses on citizens’ preferences for alternative decision-making models beyond representative democracy. He investigates what these preferences entail\, how they shift in response to societal times of crisis\, and which psychological factors shape them\, including political cynicism and ideological beliefs.  \nDue to the interdisciplinary nature of his work\, Ruben’s research has been published in journals such as the Policy Studies\, Political Research Exchange\, and Social Psychology\, European Journal of Political Research\, Government Information Quarterly. He is also part of a large-scale project in Flanders on local democratic innovations (https://participatievedemocratie.be/en/).  \n  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-ruben-van-severen/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260115T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260115T150000
DTSTAMP:20260204T095816Z
CREATED:20251209T081239Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T095816Z
UID:2520-1768478400-1768489200@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Anton Jager
DESCRIPTION:Hyperpolitics\nHyperpolitics\, or Political Engagement in the New Century \n Abstract\nWhat do the January 6th invasion of the Capitol and the anti-racist demonstrations of mid-2020 have in common? Both birthed some of the largest protest movements in American history\, but also diminished rapidly after their initial\, pre-revolutionary peak. This lecture reads the recent political sequence through the concept of ‘hyperpolitics’. In contrast to previous types of post-politics or mass politics\, ‘hyperpolitics’ stands for a distinctly novel mode of political commitment characteristic of the 2010s\, in which a formerly apolitical public sphere finds itself intensely repoliticized\, imposing itself on other domains such as the private\, cultural\, or economic. The return in question yet also runs across parameters that are more low-cost\, low-entry\, and low-duration than previous twentieth-century types\, in stark contrast Max Weber’s typology of politics as the ‘slow boring of hard boards.’  \n Bio\nAnton Jäger is a lecturer at University College\, Oxford and a columnist for The New York Times.  
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-hyperpolitics-by-anton-jager/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260122T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260122T203000
DTSTAMP:20260115T083624Z
CREATED:20251204T163153Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260115T083624Z
UID:2503-1769083200-1769113800@brias.be
SUMMARY:2026 Season Opening Ceremony
DESCRIPTION:The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies is thrilled to invite you to the opening ceremony of the 2026 BrIAS season on Democratic Governance. The evening will feature a pre-ceremony book launch\, welcome speeches and a keynote talk\, a concert\, and finally\, a reception.\nClick here to register now\n\nProgramme\nAgenda\n\n\n12:00 – 14:00 Pre-Ceremony Book Launch\nDemocratic Commitment: Why Citizens Tolerate Democratic Backsliding\, Prof. Natasha Wunsch (University of Fribourg)\, Oxford University Press\nDiscussant: Prof. Luca Tomini (ULB)\n\nCeremony\n\n16:00 – 16:30 Welcome speeches by BrIAS directors and university authorities\nProf. Em. Frank Deconinck\, BrIAS Co-Director\nProf. Serge Jaumain\, BrIAS Co-Director\nProf. Marius Gilbert\, Vice-Rector for Research and Valorisation and Vice-Rector for Culture and Scientific Mediation\, ULB\nProf. Pieter Ballon\, Vice-Rector for Research\, VUB\n16:30 – 16:45 Introduction to the 2026 BrIAS Theme\nProf. Silvia Erzeel\, BrIAS Programme Co-Director\nProf. Jasper Van Assche\, BrIAS Programme WP Leader\nCamilla Colombo\, OHME Co-Director\n16:45 – 17:00 Singing interlude\nSabine Kabongo\n17:00 – 17:45 Opening speech\nSam van der Staak\, Director of the Regional Europe Programme\, IDEA International\n18:00 Concert\nPerformance by Simon Vaskou (piano) BEETHOVEN Sonate n°23\, op 57 « Appassionata »\n18:30 Reception
URL:https://brias.be/event/2026-season-opening-ceremony/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260129T120000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260129T150000
DTSTAMP:20260204T095643Z
CREATED:20251209T081457Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T095643Z
UID:2522-1769688000-1769698800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Thursday Seminars by Leonardo Puleo
DESCRIPTION:Party-Based Illiberalism in Europe: Why Is Illiberalism Gaining Ground in European Party Systems?\nAbstract\nIlliberalism has entered its hype phase\, increasingly invoked to describe diverse challenges to democracy. Yet the debate remains fragmented between those who treat it as an ideology—often as elusive as liberalism itself—and those who restrict it to the practices of governing actors. Moreover\, existing research focuses on a recurring set of “usual suspects\,” primarily far-right parties\, thereby overlooking potential diffusion among mainstream actors.  \nThe project Party-Based Illiberalism (IllibEU) advances a parsimonious definition of party-based illiberalism as a combination of negative stances toward (i) minorities\, (ii) civic and freedom rights\, and (iii) the horizontal accountability of power—three core pillars of liberal democracy. Contemporary illiberalism may have distinct foci: the most visible manifestations clearly stem from the far right\, yet others may be linked to different ideological orientations—for example\, neoliberal legacies that compress civic and freedom rights. Consequently\, IllibEU treats the ideological correlates of illiberalism as an eminently empirical question to be traced across time and space.  \nThe project combines two analytical levels. First\, a large-N design (12 countries) will map political parties’ illiberal supply by integrating manifesto data and expert-survey indicators (V-Party\, CHES). This broad comparative exploration will test expectations regarding structural socio-economic factors as well as political triggers of contemporary illiberalism (e.g.\, competition with the far right\, polarization\, homogenization of political supply). It will also provide a cartography of contemporary illiberalism\, enabling tests of spatial diffusion dynamics across Europe. In addition\, the large-N analysis will disentangle country-specific peaks in the salience of illiberalism\, offering crucial guidance for structuring a more fine-grained analysis.  \nThe second component of the project consists of an in-depth exploration in four countries. It will examine the implementation of illiberal practices—and instances of resistance and opposition—in IT\, DK\, FR\, and PL through the analysis of governmental decrees and parliamentary debates. The country-level focus will also enable an investigation of the diffusion of illiberal ideas not only within party systems but also across civil society\, assessing the pervasiveness of illiberal think tanks\, CSOs\, and NGOs and their connections with institutional actors.  \nBio\nLeonardo Puleo is a postdoctoral researcher at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). His research examines party competition and voting behavior\, with a particular focus on contemporary challenges to liberal democracy. His new project\, IllibEU: Party-Based Illiberalism in Europe\, funded by the FNRS\, explores the emergence and diffusion of illiberal ideas and practices across European party systems. His work has appeared in several peer-reviewed journals\, including West European Politics\, Political Studies\, Party Politics\, and Democratization.  \n 
URL:https://brias.be/event/thursday-seminars-by-leonardo-puleo/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260202T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Brussels:20260202T190000
DTSTAMP:20260216T120513Z
CREATED:20251204T091101Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260216T120513Z
UID:2487-1770051600-1770058800@brias.be
SUMMARY:Public Lecture – Big Ideas for Democracy: Amanda Machin
DESCRIPTION:  \nRegister here\nDemocracy and the More-Than-Human Carnivalesque\nAbstract\nFrom corporate zombies to mermaids to dead bees\, political protests have frequently featured comic\, ironic\, grotesque\, absurd and profane moments of the carnivalesque. Carnivalesque activities are said to open heterotopic spaces in which dominant values are subverted\, conventions are transgressed\, and civil disobedience is catalysed. The carnivalesque is interesting for scholars of democracy not only because it entails the production of the common and the enactment of critical citizenship\, but also because it involves the active cultivation of difference. To participate in the carnivalesque is not only to witness otherness but to become other. By dressing up as fantasy figures\, absurd halflings or extinct species\, activists ostensibly perform the more-than-human. In this lecture I consider the appearance of the carnivalesque in protests and its democratic capacity and implications. Do carnivalesque protests challenge political boundaries and promote hybrid identities? Or\, since carnivals are restricted to certain times and places\, do they on the contrary remind us of the rules\, and reinforce the existing order? I point to the dangers of both dismissing and romanticizing the carnivalesque. \nBio\nAmanda Machin is Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Agder in Kristiansand\, Norway. She is interested in the dynamics\, theories\, discourses\, imaginaries\, protests\, identifications\, performances and bodies of ecological and radical democratic transformation and has researched these topics in various positions at universities in UK and Germany before she moved to Norway in 2022. She has published five books including Bodies of Democracy: Modes of Embodied Politics (Transcript 2022) and Negotiating Climate Change: Radical Democracy and the Illusion of Consensus (Zed Books\, 2013). With Marcel Wissenburg she has recently completed editing the collection Environmental Political Theory in the Anthropocene for Edward Elgar. Amanda is also an editor for the journal Environmental Politics and the co-ordinator of a project on the governance of twin transition (RECODE MLG\, funded by Horizon Europe). She also participates in projects on populism in the Nordics (POL-AID\, funded by the Norwegian Research Council) and the project Democracy and Controversy in the green transition (funded by the MWW Foundation).
URL:https://brias.be/event/public-lecture-big-ideas-for-democracy-amanda-machin/
LOCATION:BrIAS\, Boulevard Général Jacques 210\, Ixelles\, Brussels\, 1050\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:Programme Events
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR