News | Openlab Brussels

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Copyright © Lionel Vanvelthem

ArchiSols Closing Event: Reflecting on Four Years of Collaborative Research on Brussels' Soils

Wednesday 28/10/2026

For nearly four years, the ArchiSols project brought together researchers, archivists, public administrations, soil pollution experts, community organisations and citizens around a shared objective: to better understand the history of Brussels' soils in order to improve their present and future management.

How do researchers view citizen science?

Tuesday 01/09/2026

Are you a researcher? Scivil, the Flemish Knowledge Centre for Citizen Science, would like to hear your views in a short survey taking around 15 minutes to complete. This survey aims to find out how researchers from any discipline, with or without experience, view citizen science and what barriers they might encounter.

The ScienceUs Podcast - Science for all of us

Tuesday 30/06/2026

Created by ScienceUs, a new podcast series, The ScienceUs Podcast, is bringing listeners into direct conversation with the researchers and practitioners shaping the future of climate change adaptation across Europe. Designed to make science more accessible and impactful, the podcast highlights initiatives that sit at the intersection of citizen science and climate action.

Brussels Centre for Urban Studies : Call for project proposals

Tuesday 05/05/2026

Are you part of a citizen association, urban planning department or firm, NGO, cultural institution or other public, civic or private organization? Facing urban challenges and seeking research-based expertise?

Copyright © Repair together

Repair together - Offres d'emploi

Thursday 30/04/2026

L’association Repair together recherche deux nouveaux ou nouvelles collègues pour renforcer son équipe à Bruxelles et en Wallonie. C'est le réseau des Repair Cafés Wallonie/Bruxelles. Elle mutualise les moyens nécessaires à la création, au développement et au maintien des « Repair Cafés » de Belgique, à Bruxelles et en Wallonie.

Trust in Citizen Science (TiCS) - survey

Thursday 23/04/2026

A research collaboration between LMU Munich, the Leibniz Institute for Psychology, TU Braunschweig, and the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is currently conducting a Europe-wide study examining the relationship between participation in citizen science and trust in science.

Applications Open for Online Digital Badges and Micro-Credentials in Community Engaged Research

Tuesday 07/07/2026

TOGETHERNESS, an Erasmus+ project hosted by the ULB OpenLab, is pleased to announce the opening of applications for a series of online digital badges and micro-credentials in Community Engaged Research (CER).

YODA Workshop - Youth for Open Digital Acquisitions: About the Training in 3D Heritage and Best Practices

Wednesday 13/05/2026

On 5 and 6 May 2026, the OpenLab hosted the second workshop of the European project YODA – Youth for Open Digital Acquisitions: About the Training in 3D Heritage and Best Practices. This two-day event followed a first workshop held in Switzerland in March, and precedes a final workshop in France as well as a concluding presentation at Maastricht University.

CIVIS Staff Week on Participatory Research, 2nd Edition — April 7–10, 2026, Brussels

Thursday 07/05/2026

From April 7 to 10, OpenLab.brussels welcomed 18 participants from 8 countries to the second edition of the Staff Week on Participatory Research organised by CIVIS.

CIVIS Connect: A podcast series dedicated to participatory research

Thursday 23/04/2026

What happens when knowledge production is no longer confined to researchers alone?CIVIS Connect is the new podcast series dedicated to participatory research, an approach that is profoundly transforming how universities collaborate with society.

Collaborating for Climate Action: Highlights from the ScienceUs Event

Thursday 26/03/2026

Openlab.brussels is pleased to have collaborated with ScienceUs in co‑organising days of exchange, reflection, and collective learning dedicated to the role of citizen science in climate change adaptation. Below, we share the text published by ScienceUs, which provides a detailed overview of these inspiring and thought‑provoking moments.

News in 2026

Call for Applications: Child Citizen Lab Research Seminar

Wednesday 11/03/2026

The application deadline has been extended for the international research seminar organized by VUB's Child Citizen Lab. You can submit your abstract until 22 March 2026 through this form. In recent years, research involving children has increased significantly across academic disciplines.

OpenLab.brussels opens decarbonisation call for projects

Tuesday 17/02/2026

OpenLab.brussels is launching its 2026 Decarbonisation Call for Projects and is seeking organisations that wish to address a concrete decarbonisation challenge. The initiative aims to support the development of practical, low‑carbon solutions through collaboration between multidisciplinary student teams from the Université libre de Bruxelles, academic experts, and co‑creation sessions.

National Mapathon 2026: Four days of collaborative mapping

Monday 16/03/2026

This year, from March 23 till March 26, the Belgian National Committee of Geography organizes the sixth edition of its National Mapathon event, in collaboration with Doctors Without Borders (MSF/AZG) and the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT). Several universities in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia open their doors for a large collective mapping event.

News in 2025

L’action communautaire en question : croisons nos regards et nos pratiques

Thursday 25/09/2025

Le 25 septembre 2025, différents acteurs et actrices du secteur social et de la santé se sont réuni·es à Usquare pour une journée de réflexion et d’échanges autour des démarches communautaires. Dans un contexte où les fondements du travail social sont mis à l’épreuve, cette rencontre a permis de décloisonner les pratiques, croiser les regards et nourrir des actions communes.

Recruitment – Research Assistant Position for the European ScienceUs Project

Tuesday 08/07/2025

**French language below** OpenLab.brussels, in collaboration with the École Polytechnique de Bruxelles, is hiring a part-time Research Assistant (0.6 FTE) as part of the European ScienceUs project. ScienceUs aims to support and upscale citizen science initiatives across Europe through training, mentoring, and policy-oriented research.

From Classroom to City: Student Research for Real-World Impact

Monday 19/05/2025

How can student-led research contribute to addressing real-world urban challenges?

ScienceUs Info Day

Wednesday 17/09/2025

From Awareness to Action: Join the ScienceUs Info Day!September 23 | 10:00 AM CET | OnlineHow can citizen science empower communities to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services?Our upcoming hashtag#ScienceUsInfoDay will highlight three innovative projects from the SEED phase of ScienceUs that are turning ideas into impact: Acqua Sorgente – Spring water monitoring with Alpine Clubs (CAI Club …

PSYCHOSOCIOLOGIE n°39: Recherche-action, participative, lieux de vie et enjeux relationnels

Friday 13/06/2025

**French language publication** Ce numéro reprend la question de l’accompagnement des acteurs dans leurs efforts pour avancer dans des situations inédites, dans leurs projets de transformations et pour résoudre les problèmes qu’ils rencontrent.

Universities, the next Framework programme for Research & Innovation and EU priorities: a balancing act

Tuesday 08/04/2025

On behalf of UnILiON, the Université libre de Bruxelles - ULB and Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB, are pleased to invite you to the next UnILiON Open Talk on Tuesday 8 April, between 13:30 to 14:30 at the VUB-ULB Usquare site, OpenLab room (Avenue de la Couronne 227, 1050 Brussels).

Collaborative Pedagogies on Real life Cases

Friday 29/08/2025

Turn Your Courses into Real-World Experiences! From December 2 to 4, 2025, we are hosting three days of workshop dedicated to Collaborative Pedagogies on Real life Cases! Organizational, logistical, ethical, and evaluation challenges—as well as how to publish on these courses—will be addressed through lively and practical exchanges.

Citizen Science Fair 2025: A Celebration of Citizen Science

Wednesday 11/06/2025

On June 18, we are celebrating citizen science with the Citizen Science Fair 2025, organised by Scivil, ECS and ECSA. The Citizen Science Fair is a prelude to the Cluster Event 'Advancing Public Engagement and Citizen Science in the ERA', that will take place on June 19.

Séminaire des Méthodologies : Le jeu de rôle scientifique

Friday 25/04/2025

**French language event**Dans la panoplie des serious games (Becker, 2021) le jeu de rôle est un outil puissant qui permet aux joueurs et joueuses d’expérimenter les réalités, les rôles, les points de vue de différentes parties prenantes d’un même enjeu.

EU Missions - Adaptations to Climate Change

Wednesday 26/03/2025

This online event will give participants the opportunity to explore innovating funding mechanism that can help bridge the gap in financing climate adaptation.

IRIS COFUND: 36 Postdoctoral Fellowships in Brussels Now Open

Friday 11/07/2025

We are excited to share a major opportunity for international postdoctoral researchers: the launch of the IRIS COFUND programme—Interdisciplinary Research In Society—a collaboration between ULB, VUB, and the European Commission under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA, Horizon Europe).

Cluster event: Advancing Public Engagement and Citizen Science in the ERA

Wednesday 11/06/2025

On 19 June, the event will celebrate citizen science and showcase the value of public engagement, highlighting best practices, guiding future policy, sharing knowledge and building collaboration. The 2025 EU Citizen Science Prize winners will also be announced!

Cosmopolis Lunch Seminar - Prof. Xuefei Ren - Rethinking Southern urbanism from the periphery

Friday 25/04/2025

We are pleased to invite you to a Cosmopolis Lunch Seminar, 23rd of May (Friday). Prof. Xuefei Ren (Department of Sociology, Michigan State University) will present her research on rethinking Southern urbanism from the periphery, offering reflections about reconceptualising the new urban political economy through the lens of geopolitics, climate change, and peripheral regions. Where: USquare, Av.

Rolling Call for Participatory Research

Monday 10/02/2025

The CIVIS Open Labs Rolling Call is an initiative led by the Open Labs of the CIVIS Alliance, aimed at strengthening connections between member universities and local communities to foster participatory, inclusive, and impactful collaboration.

News in 2024

PhD defense by Ms. Kahoual Stiti (AIA-BATir-Ecole Polytechnique de Bruxelles)

Monday 17/06/2024

On June 17, 2024, Ms. Khaoula Stiti presented the results of her thesis at her public defense, which took place in the OpenLab.Brussels Great Hall at USquare. The subject of her thesis was: “Heritage at the Nexus of Participation and Digital Platforms: Contextual Specificities in Tunis and Theoretical and Experimental frameworks”.