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Ghent University

Ghent University is a world-class, open, pluralistic and socially engaged university. Our university is over 200 years old, offers more than 200 programmes and conducts research in many scientific disciplines.

Our credo is 'Dare to Think': we are a haven for courageous thinkers. 50,000 students and 15,500 employees constantly enter into dialogue with society. Ghent University encourages each of them to seek personal growth and rewards its students and staff for what they set in motion.

With one of the most progressive career models for academics in the world, Ghent University evaluates its scholars not only by the length of their publication list but also by the impact they pursue, what they achieve and how they collaborate. High-risk and interdisciplinary research are key. UGent’ers make science better and through that science, they also make the world better. Boldness, curiosity, experimentation, change of perspective, responsibility, daring to fail and the awareness of not knowing are more important than our (otherwise excellent...) position in the rankings.

From the bustling city of Ghent, Ghent University looks the whole world straight in the eye. Various disciplines such as biotechnology, aquaculture, microelectronics, history and veterinary medicine are internationally renowned. Our university is constantly expanding its horizons, by collaborating with the best universities in Belgium and abroad. We’re proud to say we are the first European university in South Korea, with Ghent University Global Campus.

Permanent courses

GenAI in higher education. September 2025

Webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish universities

GenAI: An Assistant in Feedback and Qualitative Data Analysis

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

GenAI in Practice: from Vibe Coding to Teaching Innovation

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

Rethinking higher education curricula and competences in the (gen)AI era

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

How GenAI can support and challenge students

Webinar - Online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

Rethinking Master's Theses in an Era of GenAI

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

GenAI and students: what teachers really think

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

Learning and assessing smarter with AI

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

Skills that endure as AI transforms the world

webinar - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

Past courses

twee vrouwelijke hoofden dat naar elkaar kijken, op een donkerblauwe achtergrond met daarvoor een binaire code

Explainable & Trustworthy AI

22 April 2026

In-depth course - online - VAIA & UGhent, UGain

The ABC of 5G: technical, Business, and regulation perspectives

11 September 2025

Course - Ghent - IDLab

Teaching using HPC-UGent

8 September 2026

Seminarie - Online - VSC, UGent

Introduction to HPC

18 September 2026

Training - Gent - VSC, UGent

AI inspiration sessions: how does higher education use (generative) AI?

25 September 2025 - 29 May 2026

webinars - online - VLIR, VAIA & Flemish Universities

Prompt Think Defend. Data and AI for PhD Students

15 January 2026 - 15 January 2026

learning trajectory - VAIA and Flemish universities

AI for science communication

9 December 2025

Workshop - Gent - ERLNMYR, UGent, VAIA

Academic Writing with AI

25 November 2025

Workshop - Gent - UGent, VAIA, AI School

Blog posts

AI training for PhD students. What is needed?

AI is changing the work of PhD students: from the impact on research methods to the writing processes. As a result, PhD students need AI training courses. Is the current offer sufficient? Which courses exist already, and which are missing? And can students find their way towards them?

An example of image recognition: detecting comics in the archive

History and artificial intelligence, polar opposites? That is merely an illusion, as PhD student Bas Vercruysse of UGent knows. To study the historical evolution of comics, he uses computer vision to automatically detect comic strips in old magazines. And that saves a lot of time.

Every tree has a fingerprint: combating illegal timber trade

The trade of illegal timber is growing worldwide: timber with unknown origins increasingly finds its way to the market through shady routes. To combat this, Thomas Mortier (UGent) and Victor Deklerck (World Forest ID, Plantentuin Meise) developed an AI model that can trace the origin of timber via a unique ‘chemical fingerprint’. Their research was recently published in the prestigious journal ‘Nature Plants’.

How to use AI in retail? Find speed and impact

Meaningful use of AI is undeniably one of the cornerstones of a future-proof retailer. But what exactly does that mean? Because AI is often discussed from a technical angle, it is not always clear how the technology can make a meaningful difference for retail.

A competitive edge in the job market, thanks to language technology

VAIA spoke to Professor Véronique Hoste and Doctor Cynthia Van Hee about the history of language technology, the importance of this discipline for employees and employers, and approachable ways to upskill.

Jefrey Lijffijt Lijffijt

Jefrey Lijffijt

Ghent University

Oranje robot ster Verbruggen

Christophe Verbruggen

Ghent University

Groene robot Everaert

Janna Everaert

Ghent University, Uitgeverij Plantyn

Eva Lievens Lievens

Eva Lievens

Ghent University

Willem waegeman Waegeman

Willem Waegeman

Ghent University

Robbe Wulgaert Wulgaert

Robbe Wulgaert

Sint-Lievenscollege, Ghent University, CNO UAntwerpen

Sam Leroux Leroux

Sam Leroux

Ghent University