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The F.R.S.-FNRS has just published the results of its various 2025 calls for proposals. These include the "Credits & Projects" and "WelCHANGE" calls, as well as the "FRIA" (Fund for Research Training in Industry and Agriculture) and "FRESH" (Fund for Research in the Humanities) calls, which aim to support doctoral theses. What are the results for UNamur? Twenty-eight projects have been selected, demonstrating the quality and richness of research at UNamur. 

For its inaugural conference, the SPiN (Science & Philosophy in Namur) center will be joined by Claire Rommelaere, a lawyer and researcher at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Namur, and Aude Bandini, a philosopher of science at the University of Montreal, to take a critical look at the theme of "distrust of science." The urgency of addressing this issue is clear in our era, where, despite an overall stable level of trust in science, the parameters of public debate are frequently blurred by misinformation.Having had the opportunity to observe philosophers of science in their natural habitat for nearly fifteen years, Claire Rommelaere will share her thoughts on whether or not we should trust those who think about science.For her part, Aude Bandini will address a major problem that we all face at a time when the mass of available knowledge is such that it is impossible to acquire it on our own. Indeed, the socially distributed nature of knowledge generally leaves us no choice but to rely on the authority of experts, even on very important issues (such as health). However, when we rely on others in this way and follow recommendations that, due to our ignorance, we have no means of evaluating, we place ourselves in a relationship of "epistemic dependence" that conflicts with our aspirations for intellectual autonomy and forces us to ask ourselves a question whose answer may prove unbearable: is intellectual autonomy nothing more than a myth?Conference hosted by journalist Maïté Warland.Program:5:30-6:30 p.m. | Drinks at Quai 22 (Rue du Séminaire 22, 5000 Namur)6:30 p.m. | Claire RommelaereDistrust of philosophers of science7:00 p.m. | Aude Bandini Intellectualautonomy in the face of scientific authority: a headache for social epistemologyRegistration deadline: April 16.Free of charge. Register

A plant does not seem to have much in common with animals. Yet naturalists of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries attempted to study plants as if they were animals: they set out, for example, to find an equivalent to the circulatory or respiratory systems. Why did they feel the need to resort to analogical reasoning? What results did they obtain? And more generally, what is the value of this type of reasoning?On the agendaTuesday, May 5, 202612:15 PM – Welcome and light lunch1:30 PM – Introductory remarksThibault De Meyer (University of Namur): Why Analogy?2:15 PM – Session 1: Theory and Practice - Cristiana Oghina-Pavie (University of Angers): The analogy of pragmatic knowledge: actions and transactions in 19th-century horticulture and Quentin Hiernaux (FNRS / Free University of Brussels): The plant-animal analogy employed by A.-P. de Candolle’s physiology in addressing the issue of the sensitivity of living beings3:45 PM – Coffee break4:15 PM – Plenary Session 1 - Thierry Hoquet (University of Paris Nanterre): Is the plant/animal analogy valid?5:45 PM – End of the first day7:00 PM – Conference dinnerWednesday, May 6, 20269:00 AM – Welcome9:15 AM – Session 2: Relationships and Boundaries of the Living - Dario Galvão (University of Namur): Analogy and the Faculties of the Living: Animal Reason and Plant Sensibility in the Enlightenment and Ugo Batini (University of Poitiers): Understanding Humanity Through Plants: Analogy and the Metaphysics of the Living in Schopenhauer10:45 AM – Coffee break11:15 AM – Plenary Lecture 2 – Pascal Duris (University of Bordeaux): Plants as Humans. Analogy in Linnaeus and the Linneans12:45 PM – Lunch break2:00 PM – Toward New Disciplines - Vera Staetmanns (Ruhr University Bochum): Do Plants Think? Analogy in the Plant Psychology of Raoul Heinrich Francé (1874–1943) and Matthieu Amat (University of Rouen Normandy): Analogy and Homology: Transfers from the Life Sciences to the Cultural Sciences in the 19th Century3:30 PM – Coffee break4:00 PM – Plenary Session 3 - Aliènor Bertrand (CNRS / ENS de Lyon): “Les œufs du vent” and Their Descendants5:30 PM – Closing of the conference5:45 PM – End of the dayContact: Dario Galvao - dario.galvao@unamur.be

Ethics is practiced in hospitals. But ethics is also practiced in care and support facilities for the elderly and people with disabilities, as well as in pharmaceutical companies, research centers, and universities.We “practice ethics” in groups whose scope may be local, regional, national, continental, or international. We “practice ethics” by organizing conferences, conventions, meetings, roundtables, workshops, symposia, think tanks, and so on.But what exactly “do we do” in these settings? Is there really anything in common among all these groups, these settings, these collectives? It is not desirable to strive for a single model that would ignore the specific characteristics of the environments in which this activity takes place.But it is interesting and undoubtedly necessary to seek to better understand and define what each group does in this regard. What's on 9:00 a.m. Introduction9:30 a.m. Sharing of experiencesDarius Makindu - Kinshasa School of Public Health (DRC)Yannick Courtin, Jérôme Bouvy, Laurence Gillard - GHdC TeamHerimampita Rarivomanantsoa - University of Antananarivo (Madagascar)Nicky Sacré, Véronique Weber - La Maison Sainte-Joséphine (MR-MRS) in Theux and Résidence Bon-Air (MR-MRS) in Petit-RechainAlain Loute - UCLouvain, ELMAC research group on “places of connection” in mental health11:00 AM Break11:30 a.m. Discussion of the presentations12:30 PM Lunch1:15 PM Theatrical interlude: Compagnie Nicomaque2:00 PM Sharing of experiencesMarius Kedoté - Regional Institute of Public Health, BeninBruno Krug, Étienne Gourdin, Marie-Laure Cornet - Team from the UCL Namur Godinne University HospitalPatrick Robert, Tonino D’Arcangelo - La Galice (non-profit organization)Sami Richa - Saint Joseph University of Beirut, LebanonChristian Byk - UNESCO, Paris3:30 PM Break4:00 PM Discussion of the presentations5:00 PM Conclusions of the day5:30 PM End of the day In practice To ensure we can provide you with the best possible experience, we kindly ask for a contribution of €30, to be paid into UNamur’s BNP Paribas Fortis account at Rue de Bruxelles 61, 5000 Namur (IBAN BE10 2500 0740 2704; Swift/BIC: GEBABEBB), with the following reference: “Last name, first name of the registered person CPO 4-16670-00 ETHICS Workshop Sept 26.”Contact personsLaurent RAVEZ - coordinator: laurent.ravez@unamur.beVéronique OROSE - Secretariat: veronique.orose@unamur.beRegistration is required. Sign me up Organizing Committee Catherine Bert (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society; Director of the Health Division at the Léonard de Vinci University College)Charlotte Costenoble (UNamur, Assistant, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society, Faculty of Sciences)Vincent Darche (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society; Surgeon, CHRSM Meuse Campus)Albert Fox (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)Geneviève Guillaume (UNamur, Researcher, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)Bruno Krug (UCLouvain, Clinical Professor, Chief of Clinic, Nuclear Medicine, CHU UCL Namur, Godinne Site)Sébastien Loix (UNamur, Research Associate, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society; Intensive Care Physician, HELORA Jolimont)Alain Loute (UCLouvain, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Institute for Health and Society Research, Higher Institute of Philosophy)Darius Makindu (UNIKIN, Professor, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Kinshasa, DRC)César Meuris (ULB, Associate Professor; Robert Schuman University College, Director of the Ressort Center)Véronique Orose (UNamur, Secretary, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society, ESPHIN Institute, Faculty of Sciences)Laurent Ravez (UNamur, Full Professor, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)Sami Richa (Saint Joseph University, Professor, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Beirut, Lebanon)Claire Rommelaere (UNamur, Researcher, Center for Bioethics, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Sciences, Philosophy, and Society)

Our keynote speakers for 2026 are Professor Roosmarijn Vandenbroucke (Ghent University) and Professor Nelly Litvak (Eindhoven University of Technology). More information on the "Women in Science" website

The IPCC warns of the growing impact of global warming on water, with more frequent droughts and floods threatening global supplies. By 2050, 42% of river basins will be severely affected, and flood damage could quadruple in the event of 4°C warming. Although they bear little responsibility, the most vulnerable populations suffer the worst consequences. In Wallonia, recent climatic disasters and water pollution illustrate the stakes. To raise public awareness, an event is being organized in Charleroi with debates and screenings.Program17:00 | Introductory session Head of UNESCO Belgium Mr Aurélien Dumont, Secretariat of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme, World Water Situation17:40 | Screening of the film "H2O, water, life and us: the Emergency"18:30 | Break18:45 | Lectures and debate Prof. Dr. Marnik Vanclooster (U.K.). Marnik Vanclooster (UCLouvain), "Situation en Wallonnie" Prof. Alfred Bernard (UCLouvain), "Normes et toxicologie" Debate Moderated by Prof. Karim ZouaouiBouin (UCLouvain). Karim ZouaouiBoudjeltia (ULB), with the participation of Aurélien Dumont, Marnik Vanclooster, Alfred Bernard.20:30 | Cocktail dinnerGRATULAR : Registration required: f.amer@wbi.beThe members of the "exact and natural sciences" Sub-CommissionBernard Feltz (UCLouvain, Chairman), Bertrand Hespel (UNamur), Marie-Geneviève Pinsart (ULB, CIGB), René Rezsohazy (UCLouvain), Frédéric Rychter (Secrétaire général), Olivier Sartenaer (UNamur), Didier Serteyn (ULiège), Anne Staquet (UMons), Marnik Vanclooster (UCLouvain), Karim Zouaoui Boudjeltia (ULB)

Flamure Ibrahimi is a Ph.D. student in service and marketing management at the NaDI-CeRCLe Research Center at the University of Namur (Belgium) within the EMCP Faculty, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wafa Hammedi (University of Namur) and Prof. Dr. Linda Alkire (Texas State University). She has just been awarded the prestigious ServCollab Scholarship 2026, an international distinction that recognizes and supports doctoral students whose work falls within the field of Transformative Service Research (TSR)—doctoral projects with high impact on society and humanity.

What happens when AI knows a great deal about you? This fifth session of the “What If AI?” series explores the profiling and data collection mechanisms that enable artificial intelligence systems to predict behaviors, preferences, and decisions.Drawing on well-known examples such as the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the speakers will highlight the issues of surveillance, manipulation, and personalization. This session aims to encourage critical reflection on our tolerance for profiling and to provide tools for better protecting our privacy in an increasingly data-driven world.

Is artificial intelligence reliable? Can it make up information without us realizing it? This second session in the “What If AI?” series sheds light on the phenomenon of AI “hallucinations”—errors that can sometimes seem credible and may have significant consequences, particularly in professional settings.Drawing on real-world examples, such as reports containing false references, the speakers will explain why these errors occur, what their technical causes are, and how to detect them. An interactive activity will invite the audience to distinguish between true and false information in AI-generated responses, while exploring the limitations of solutions such as prompt engineering.The goal: to develop a critical perspective on AI responses and gain a better understanding of its limitations.

AI is often perceived as neutral and objective. But is that really the case? This third session of the “What If AI?” series examines the biases and discrimination that can be embedded in artificial intelligence systems, drawing on striking examples such as biased recruitment and judicial algorithms.Through demonstrations and interactive experiments, the session aims to debunk the myth of technological neutrality and explore ways to design more equitable and inclusive systems.

What if you confided your doubts, emotions, or sensitive information to artificial intelligence? This first session of the “What If AI?” series explores the uses of AI in personal and sometimes intimate contexts, where tools like chatbots become trusted confidants. Drawing on real-world examples—including the use of ChatGPT for psychological support or to handle confidential data—the speakers will analyze the technical inner workings of these systems as well as the legal issues related to privacy protection.The audience will be invited to discover, step by step, what lies behind an AI-generated response: which actors are involved, how data flows, and what risks this entails. Through a fun, interactive activity, everyone will be able to better understand the implications of their interactions with these tools and reflect on the boundaries that should be set.

Artificial intelligence creates, imitates, and transforms content on a large scale. But who owns these creations? And what happens to the works used to train these models? This fourth session of the “What If AI?” series addresses the intellectual property issues related to generative AI.Drawing on recent cases involving the use of copyrighted works to train models, the speakers will explain the tensions between technological innovation and respect for copyright. This session will provide insights into the current challenges facing intellectual property law in the face of these technologies and the implications for creators.