Researchers from Namur Achieve Great Success in the F.R.S.-FNRS’s 2026 “Grants and Research Awards” and “Télévie” Calls
On June 23, 2026, the F.R.S.-FNRS published the list of recipients of various doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships and Télévie projects (cancer-focused research). Among them, numerous researchers from UNamur received funding.
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Global experts in electroluminescence and optoelectronics gather at UNamur
Recognized as a leading research conference in the field of organic electroluminescence and light-emitting devices, the ICEL conferences have generally been held every two years since their inception in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1997, by Professor Tetsuo Tsutsui. A look back at ICEL2026, the 15th conference of its kind, held at UNamur.
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Evening Studies in Economics and Management
Evening programs in economics and management allow you to attend classes in the evening as well as on Saturdays.They are targeted at people already in the workforce who want to go back to school to earn a university degree and thus give new perspectives to their professional careers.In addition, a specialization master's degree focusing on management and the sustainable economy offers the opportunity to learn about these crucial issues in our society in transition.
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Economics Studies
Inflation, artificial intelligence, cell phone rates, environmental taxes, poverty, inequality, fiscal adjustment, the economies of emerging countries…These topics are part of the news reported daily by the media. You have a general idea of what they mean, but you’d like to learn more. You want to understand this fundamental aspect of how our businesses and society function—and, more importantly, take action, offer advice, or even make decisions to help build a more prosperous society.
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FoodWal 2026 Symposium
Program Overview
This event will take place over two exciting days, featuring a diverse program designed to offer a dynamic and interactive experience for all participants. The entire symposium will be conducted in English.On Wednesday, December 9, and Thursday, December 10, two days of scientific and technical sessions will be dedicated to the topics of alternative proteins, the microbiome, and functional ingredients.On Wednesday, December 9, there will be a public lecture (in English) presented by Dr. Patrice Cani on the topic “Nourishing Your Gut: Nutrition, Microbiota, and Health.”For experienced researchers and group leaders, we are organizing a third day on December 11 dedicated to international collaboration, including laboratory visits and a workshop focused on establishing structured collaborative projects. Separate registration is requiredOverview of the ThemesThis symposium is structured around the three projects in the FoodWal portfolio, while pushing their boundaries and framing them within a “One Health” approach.The session titled “Building Sustainable Value Chains for Alternative Proteins: from protein sources to the development of healthy food products” will provide an opportunity to present scientific and technological advances in the creation and characterization of alternative protein sources and products, as well as socioeconomic perspectives on the development, maintenance, and growth of sustainable value chains for alternative proteins.The session titled “Research on the Microbiome and Microbiotics: Innovation in Nutrition for Better Health” will present scientific advances in the characterization, understanding, and modulation of the microbiome, as well as cutting-edge technologies aimed at developing innovative microbiotics.Finally, the session titled “Functional Ingredients and Bioactive Compounds: Food Science and Biotechnology for Health” will focus on scientific advances in the identification, characterization, and understanding of the mechanisms of action of functional ingredients, as well as cutting-edge technologies designed to develop and produce innovative functional ingredients.
More information on the FoodWal website
Je m'inscris
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Sara Belghiti Honored by the AMS Review – The Sheth Foundation DoCCa 2026, an international recognition of excellence in doctoral research!
Sara Belghiti, a doctoral student at the University of Namur (NaDI-CeRCLe Institute) and a teaching and research assistant at the IÉSEG School of Management (France), has just been recognized by the AMS Review – Sheth Foundation Doctoral Competition for Conceptual Articles (DoCCA) 2026, one of the world’s most prestigious doctoral competitions in theoretical and conceptual marketing and management.
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A new study reveals how “free riders” can ultimately promote cooperation
In human societies as well as in ecosystems, opportunistic behaviour does not always prevail. The scientific article, fruit of the collaboration between research teams in India, Slovenia and Belgium, has just been published in the prestigious PNAS journal.
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2026–2027 Academic Year
September 14, 2026
What's on the schedule for everyone9:00 a.m. | Welcome at Pedro Arrupe, Rue de Bruxelles 67, 5000 Namur9:30 a.m. | Ceremony at Pedro Arrupe 11:00 a.m. | Back-to-school celebration at Saint-Loup Church—to be confirmed, rue du Collège, 5000 Namur—followed by a welcome for students by the student clubs.
Block 1 - All Programs
On September 14, starting at 1:30 p.m., on the ground floor of the Faculty building (in front of the Adam Smith Auditorium).
Students who have earned 30 or more credits – Information and Communication
On September 14, starting at 1:00 p.m. on the first floor (Lecture Hall E12) of the Faculty.
Students who have earned 30 or more credits – Political Science
On September 14, starting at 2:00 p.m. on the 3rd floor (E34) of the Faculty building.
Students who have earned 30 or more credits – Economics and Management and Management Engineering
On September 14, starting at 3:15 p.m. on the first floor (Lecture Hall E12) of the Faculty.
Block 3 in Economics and Management and Management Engineering
On September 14, starting at 1:45 p.m., on the ground floor of the Faculty building (in front of the Adam Smith Auditorium).
Block 1 - Master's in Management Science and Management Engineering
On September 14, starting at 1:45 p.m., on the ground floor of the Faculty building (in front of the Adam Smith Auditorium).
Master's in Management Science (60 & 120) with Course Units (Bridge Program)
On September 14, starting at 1:00 p.m. on the first floor (Lecture Hall E13) of the Faculty.
Master's Degree in Economics
On September 14, starting at 9:30 a.m. at the Louvain-La-Neuve campus.
Master's Degree in International and Development Economics
On September 3, starting at 12:00 p.m., “Orientation Days” will be held in Seminar Room E33 (3rd floor) of the Faculty. Monday, September 14, “Welcome Session” at 11:00 a.m. in Seminar Room E33 (3rd floor) of the Faculty.
Time-Shifted Programs
On September 12, starting at 9:00 a.m. on the 1st floor (Lecture Hall E13) of the Faculty.
And before school starts?
Give yourself the best possible chance—enroll in preparatory courses!Preparatory courses allow you to get a taste of university-level education by reviewing the subjects essential to your future program of study.Designed exclusively for students graduating in 2026, these preparatory courses—scheduled between mid-August and early September—are tailored to each university program.Learn more about the schedules for the different sessions and register for the preparatory courses...
To make the most of your first semester at the university, be sure to attend the orientation days!The orientation days will take place on September 10 and 11, 2026.On the agenda: a tour of the campus and the city, a student housing fair (KàPs), themed workshops (student rights, digital tools, budgeting, student engagement, sports, and more), a barbecue, and a super-enthusiastic team ready to help you discover life on campus!Thursday, September 10: 7:30 a.m. – Student check-in; 8:30 a.m.–12:40 p.m. - Workshops for students; 12:40 p.m. – Lunch – Barbecue available by registration (€3.60 per sausage sandwich / falafel sandwich) and a bar run by the AGE; 2:00–6:00 p.m. - Project-based student housing fair; 8:30 p.m.–1:00 a.m. – Bunker reserved for first-year studentsFriday, the 11th: 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. - Workshops for students; 12:30 p.m. - Lunch; 2:00 p.m. - Depending on the faculty: organized by the faculty or open to all.Reserved for new students - Information will be sent after registration at UNamur.
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Manage Your Studies
All important information, links, and FAQs.
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2nd Symposium on Protein Disorder, Interactions, and Dynamics (PDID)
The PDID symposium is finally back in 2026!
Organized every two years by the Belgian Biophysical Society (BBS) and the Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Biomolécules (CPB), the PDID symposium is an intimate and friendly event for exchanging new ideas and meeting leading experts in the field in the quintessentially Belgian city of Namur, the capital of Wallonia, located at the confluence of the Meuse and Sambre rivers.We welcome participants from any scientific background who are particularly interested in delving into the world of biomolecular dynamics and exploring their unique behaviors, including structural transitions, interaction networks, protein-ligand interactions, self-assembly, amyloid fibrillation, condensation, phase separation, and phase transitions. Through the lens of biophysics, biochemistry, bioinformatics, and molecular biology, the program aims to cover both experimental and computational approaches for characterizing such intricate and elusive systems in health-related, biotechnological, and biomaterial contexts.
Detailed program and registration here
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INSIGHT OUT: The Series That Makes UNamur's Research Accessible to the General Public
Le Confluent des Savoirs (CDS), UNamur’s public outreach and research dissemination service, has launched INSIGHT OUT, a series of popular science videos aimed at introducing the general public—as well as schoolchildren—to university research that is often considered too specialized to be accessible outside the academic world.
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Public Defense of a Doctoral Dissertation in Chemical Sciences - Gilles Henon
JuryProf. Steve LANNERS (UNamur), ChairProf. Johan WOUTERS (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Pierre FRANCOTTE (ULiège)Dr. Marie HAUFROID (UCB)Prof. Lionel POCHET (UNamur)AbstractCurrently, Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains the second deadliest infectious agent in the world, responsible for 1.6 million deaths in 2021. The burden and cost of current treatment (6 months and 4,000 euros), coupled with the alarming emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains, underscore the absolute urgency of developing new therapeutic molecules. This study focuses on the Mycobacterium tuberculosis phosphoserine phosphatase (MtSerB2), an enzyme essential for serine biosynthesis and vital to the pathogen’s survival. Furthermore, this protein plays a key role in host invasion (through its interactions with the NF-κB factor and the cellular cytoskeleton), making MtSerB2 a prime therapeutic target for the development of new, potent anti-tuberculosis drugs.One of the innovative strategies explored in this thesis is based on destabilizing the protein’s structure (disruption of protein structure). The goal is to design a molecule capable of disrupting the enzyme’s conformation, thereby causing it to lose its catalytic activity. This new class of molecules is expected to exhibit significantly higher selectivity for MtSerB2 compared to its human homolog, human phosphoserine phosphatase (hPSP).To this end, the Mycobacterium avium phosphoserine phosphatase (MaSerB) was initially used as a model system, justified by its 83% sequence identity with MtSerB2 and its propensity to crystallize rapidly. Initially, a virtual screening of drugs already available on the market was conducted to identify potential inhibitors of MaSerB. Enzymatic assays based on malachite green detectionwere then performed to evaluate the inhibitory activity of the various candidates. The results demonstrated increased selectivity of these compounds for dimeric proteins (MtSerB2 and MaSerB) compared to the human enzyme hPSP.Notably, subsequent enzymatic assays conducted directly on MtSerB2 revealed response profiles that differed from those observed with the MaSerB model. To elucidate the molecular basis of these differences, the structure of the protein in its ligand-bound state is currently being investigated. To this end, protein-inhibitor complexes have been crystallized and will be analyzed by X-ray diffraction.
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Public Defense of a Doctoral Dissertation in Physical Sciences - Lucas Schoenauen
JuryProf. Carine MICHIELS (UNamur), ChairProf. Anne-Catherine HEUSKIN (UNamur), SecretaryProf. Stéphane LUCAS (UNamur)Dr. Rudi LABARBE (IBA)Prof. Joao SECO (German Cancer Research Center)Prof. Simon GALAS (University of Montpellier)AbstractRadiotherapy is one of the most widely used treatments for cancer and plays a central role in modern oncology. While technological advances have greatly improved the precision of radiation delivery, damage to healthy tissues surrounding the tumor remains a major limitation. In recent years, an innovative approach known as FLASH radiotherapy has attracted considerable attention. Unlike conventional radiotherapy, FLASH delivers the therapeutic radiation dose within a fraction of a second using ultra-high dose rates. A growing body of evidence suggests that this approach may reduce radiation-induced side effects in healthy tissues while maintaining the ability to control tumours. However, the biological mechanisms responsible for this protective effect remain poorly understood.This thesis addressed two key challenges in FLASH research. The first was the development and characterization of an experimental platform capable of generating ultra-high dose rate irradiations using the ALTAÏS accelerator at the University of Namur. This work involved designing irradiation systems, validating beam dosimetry, and establishing robust experimental protocols to ensure accurate and reproducible exposure conditions. The second objective was to introduce a new biological model for FLASH investigations: the microscopic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). This organism offers several advantages, including a short life cycle, ease of handling, low cost, and the conservation of many fundamental biological processes shared with higher organisms. These characteristics make it an attractive complementary model for studying radiation responses and exploring the mechanisms underlying the FLASH effect.This thesis demonstrated the suitability of C. elegans as a model for investigating biological responses to ultra-high dose rate irradiation. Studies of developmental and neurobiological endpoints across multiple irradiation conditions highlighted its potential for mechanistic FLASH research. Together, these findings provide valuable tools to advance our understanding of the FLASH effect. More broadly, they contribute to the development of safer radiotherapy strategies aimed at reducing treatment-related toxicity and improving patient quality of life.
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