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.
Domain/sector
- Education
Is part of:
Related partners
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
Leverage your R Skills: Data Wrangling & Plotting with Tidyverse
course - Ghent - UGent
Exploiting Sources of Variation in your Data: the ANOVA Approach
course - Ghent - UGent
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.
Experts
Femke De Graeve
Postdoctoral researcher at the faculty of bioscience engineering (UGent)
Petra De Sutter
Rector of Ghent University – former Member of Parliament – former Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium
Rik Van de Walle
Full professor at Ghent University, former rector and University Director at imec. Founder of IDLab; specialized in data- and AI-driven innovation, international partnerships, and impact-focused digital transformation.
Lieven Annemans
Professor of Health Economics Ghent University, expert in HTA and value-based healthcare.
Margo Dewispelaere
centrale onderwijsondersteuner en onderwijsinnovatiemedewerker aan de Faculteit Geneeskunde en Gezondheidswetenschappen (UGent)
Maxime Van Haeverbeke
Postdoctoral researcher at faculty of bioscience engineering (UGent)
Ruben Janssens
Julie Goetghebuer
AI Financieel
