Vrije Universiteit Brussel

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is a public research university based in Brussels, Belgium. Founded in 1970 as an independent offshoot of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), it is grounded in the principles of free inquiry, academic freedom and social responsibility.

Through its Faculty of Law and Criminology, VUB is active in areas including human rights, international law and legal theory, with a particular focus on the relationship between law, technology and society. It hosts leading research groups such as the Fundamental Rights Research Centre (FRC) and the Law, Science, Technology and Society (LSTS) research group, and offers the well-regarded Public International Law Centre (PILC) programme.

VUB researchers regularly contribute to European Union policy, human rights advocacy and public debate on issues such as democracy, migration and social justice.