The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS) was founded in 2018 by the VUB Rector Caroline Pauwels and the ULB Rector Yvon Englert. Professor Serge Jaumain and Professor Frank Deconinck were tasked with implementing the first Belgian Institute for Advanced Studies as co-directors from each university. The main role of BrIAS is to stimulate new interdisciplinary R&D ideas and to foster cooperation between the ULB and the VUB while contributing to the scientific prestige of our universities and the Brussels Region.
The mission of the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies is:
To contribute to the advancement of science in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary spirit by attracting the very best researchers at international level;
To progress towards a sustainable world;
To strengthen both the mutual and worldwide collaborations of the founding universities of BrIAS, thanks to the hospitality offered to researchers and postdocs, thereby generating a community of researchers and alumni, part of the global network of IASs;
To stimulate the interaction between science and creative fields such as arts and design, essential for a harmonious and sustainable future of the socio-economic and cultural environment of the Brussels region and influence zone;
To contribute to the prestige of the Brussels Region and its constituents.
The vision of the Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies is to create an environment which is an incubator of ideas, with no philosophical or political restrictions, where some of the very best researchers, coming from diverse fields, are given the opportunity of pursuing their research in an atmosphere of total freedom, collaboration, mutual emulation and cross-fertilisation.
This vision supports the longstanding traditions and aspirations of both the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) of breaking down the walls of ignorance and dogmatism through science, without taboos or prejudice.
Every two years, BrIAS organises a new themed programme. The themes are chosen by members of the BrIAS steering committee. The themes are directed by two programme directors, one from each university, who manage a team of professors and post-docs that invite fellows, senior academics who have made relevant contributions to their specific field, to spend some months at BrIAS.
The team is also tasked with organising weekly seminars, typically on a Thursday at lunchtime, as well as workshops, forums and conferences related to their theme. Open calls for fellows are normally organised via our university networks Eutopia and Civis.
The intensive programme, when the majority of fellows are present, normally takes place from January until May. Outside of the programme season the team continues to organise occasional seminars and other events, while we also collaborate with other university groups and departments to organise events outside of the BrIAS theme. For further information about the programme activities click here, and for other events here.
Team
Prof. Em. Frank Deconinck
Co-Director
Frank.Deconinck@vub.be
Prof. Serge Jaumain
Co-Director
Serge.Jaumain@ulb.be
Dr. Anja Garone
Administrative Manager
Anja.Garone@vub.be Anja.Garone@ulb.be
Valeria Cristancho Caycedo
Administrative Assistant
Valeria.Cristancho.Caycedo@vub.be
Dr. Andrés Cotorruelo
Communications
Andres.Cotorruelo.Jimenez@vub.be
Steering committee
Prof. Marius Gilbert
Vice Rector for Research and Innovation ULB
Marius.Gilbert@ulb.be
Prof. Pieter Ballon
Vice Rector for Research VUB
Pieter.Ballon@vub.be
Dr. Daniele Carati
Director Department of Research ULB
Daniele.Carati@ulb.be
Dr. Mieke Gijsemans
Director Department of Research VUB
Mieke.Gijsemans@vub.be
The first theme chosen for BrIAS was titled “The past, present and future of food, climate and sustainability”. 60 talks, 36 Workshops, 8 Forums and 2 Writeshops were organised with fellows (28 in 2022 and 33 in 2023) arriving from very diverse disciplines: archaeobotany, plant physiology, politics, genetics, economy, climatology, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and history. Click through to learn more about our first programme.
The second theme was titled “Robots and AI as an enabler or disabler of the UN SDGs”. 22 Fellows along with 2 resident artists were invited in the first year, and 21 Fellows along with one resident artist were invited in the second year (in collaboration with our partner, OHME). Read more about this programme below.
2024 was a pivotal year for us as we were finally allowed to move into our home in the renovated Barracks of the Gendarmerie in Ixelles, now called the “Usquare” campus, just walking distance from both universities. 2025 was the first year that we could welcome fellows to stay with us in our own accommodation, and all of our events were organised and took place in our own Seminar Hall. More information about our accommodation and facilities.
Our third theme titled “Democratic Governance: Challenges and Innovations” kicked off in June 2025 with a joint forum organised by the previous and current programme directors. To find out more about the programme theme and the organising team click here.
With BrIAS located in the Usquare campus, this makes our institute unique from other IASes by being part of a local thriving community brimming with local and social initiatives, such as NGOs, associations, independent artists and artisans. Furthermore, the Usquare renovation is part of a larger regional initiative for renovating old sites and building using existing or locally sourced and sustainable materials, while preserving the original structure of the historical buildings as much as possible.
Our incoming Fellows therefore experience not only the academic and institutional connections in Brussels, but are in direct contact with the local community in and around the Usquare. More information about our neighbouring departments and collaborators here.