The Brussels Institute for Advanced Studies (BrIAS), co-founded by the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), is an incubator for ideas and research focusing on themes related to sustainable development that need to be tackled urgently because they have a great potential impact on society.
Located at Usquare in the heart of Brussels, it aims to attract the best scientists, artists and designers from a wide range of disciplines and countries, without any philosophical or political restrictions, to give them the opportunity to work in an atmosphere of total freedom, collaboration, healthy competition and cross-fertilisation. Periodically, one or more interdisciplinary themes are defined on the basis of projects submitted. These are broad enough to encourage international candidates from a wide range of disciplines to submit proposals, thereby maximising potential interaction and mutual enrichment, both amongst themselves and with their colleagues at the two universities.
The institute offers a grant and accommodation to BrIAS fellows, who usually number between 15 and 20, for periods of up to 10 months.
BrIAS is not just another Institute for Advanced Studies. The values of ULB and VUB as founding universities lead it to focus on certain specific concerns, such as subjects with a potentially significant impact on society, residencies for researchers who have had to flee their country, or collaborations with countries where society is facing crucial challenges in terms of sustainability.