Activities
As a Faculty, we organise high-quality education and research in an international environment around the fields of Industrial Technology and Applied Sciences. We are guided in this by a well-considered policy plan and strategy. In order to achieve our set goals, we divide responsibilities and powers over various bodies. Discover our mission and vision, and what our organisational structure exactly looks like.
Vision
Core tasks
The Faculty of Engineering contributes to a better society by providing top-quality research, education, and services. A high level of scientific knowledge, extensive experience, and a broad view of society make our alumni outstanding professionals in various industries.
Our Faculty has 3 core tasks:
- Education. Our Faculty offers education in various sub-domains of the fields of study of Industrial Technology and Applied Sciences. Our teaching is based on scientific research.
- Scientific research. Over the years, our Faculty has built a strong tradition of excellent fundamental, strategic basic and applied scientific research in a strongly international context.
- Innovation and valorisation of our research, whether or not in partnership with industry under various forms of collaboration, and subsequent social service under various forms, from science popularisation to policy support.
As part of Economy 5.0, the Sustainable Development Goals – known as SDGs - are central to our Faculty of Engineering. Sustainability is ingrained in the curricula and is the mainstay of both engineering education and research.
Research
The research carried out by a large number of subject and research groups informs the research-driven educational programmes. Circular construction and renovation, electrification of mobility, tapping into sustainable energy sources and developing sustainable materials, managing groundwater, making appliances and the internet more energy-efficient and more efficient… These are all examples of cutting-edge research.
For our research and innovation activities, the IR faculty also reaches out to other faculties. Together we achieve the SDGs: we are an international reference in selected fields. STEM initiatives such as Groeituin 5.0 also reinforce the idea of sustainability and our 'urban engaged' character.
We also want to make a positive contribution to society with our scientific research and associated innovations. Many of our successful research projects often lead to successful spin-offs. Discover here which spin-offs have been created at our Faculty.
Discover more on VUB Techtransfer
The world needs you
Thanks to partnerships with numerous institutions, our students come into frequent and intensive contact with the practice. In addition, there are many initiatives by students (associations) who engage for the health and well-being of all Brussels residents, including the most vulnerable. In this way, the Faculty and students give shape to the concept of urban engaged university in a sustainable way.
Internationalisation
For the vast majority of master's programmes of the Faculty of IR, we cooperate with other universities: we have the 5 BRUFACE master's programmes in cooperation with the ULB (the Brussels core of our offer), the master's in Photonics and the Master's in Biomedical Engineering in cooperation with the UGent, and the Interuniversitary Programme in Water Resources Engineering (IUPWARE) in cooperation with the KULeuven.
The key to the success of these (English-language) programmes lies in attracting international students, who give these programmes the necessary critical mass, in addition to their own students and those of the partner institutions. In this way, the programmes make a substantial contribution to a number of VUB's key focus areas: internationalisation, anchoring in Brussels and cooperation with the ULB (via BRUFACE), and the recruitment of excellent students eligible for subsidies.
Organisational structure
Within our faculty, there are a number of bodies and departments charged with taking care of different tasks and responsibilities. Below you’ll find an overview of our organisational structure.
Faculty Board
The Faculty Board is the management body within the faculty responsible for the general direction taken by the faculty. Led by the dean, who is supported by a management team, the Faculty Board is also responsible for implementing overall university policy in individual educational programmes and for managing the quality control thereof. Students and academic personnel are also represented on the Faculty Board.
Faculty Council
The Faculty Council is the highest governing body within the faculty, and is responsible for determining faculty policy on matters relating to education, research and services. The Faculty Council convenes at least four times per year, and consists of professors, assistants, administrative and technical personnel and students. The council provides advice to the university’s governing body on matters such as educational regulations and training programmes, and is charged with taking decisions with regard to the employment of lecturers, the composition of the examination board, etc.
Faculty Office
The Faculty Office is responsible for the day-to-day management of the faculty and consists of at least the dean, vice-dean and the academic secretary.
Training Councils
The Faculty of Engineering also has a number of Training Councils, where the educational recommendations for the Faculty take shape. Students and work-field representatives have an important voice here.
Dean's office
You can consult with the dean’s office regarding administrative matters, exemptions, examination regulations, problems related to your choice of study subjects, etc.
Departments and research groups
The Faculty consists of 12 departments, each responsible for the educational and research activities within their specialisation. The departments consist of academic staff (professors, assistants, and researchers), a departmental council that determines their performance and departmental chairmen who assume coordination. A department has several research groups, which are sometimes interdisciplinary and cross-departmental or cross-faculty.
Faculty associations
Our Faculty has 2 student associations and 1 alumni association.
Our student associations
Our alumni associations
A question for one of our faculty representatives? Contact us.
In addition, anyone who has graduated from VUB can always join the Former Students' Union.