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Born on the internet, memes are an integral part of digital culture. These images, often humorous, combine text and visuals to convey a message. At UNamur, Lieven Vandelanotte, professor of English language and linguistics and general linguistics at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters, has taken an interest in them from a linguistic point of view. In his new book, co-written with Barbara Dancygier of the University of British Columbia, he deciphers how these creations play with words, images, and grammar. 

In recent years, public debate has been regularly disrupted by various attempts to distort "information." While this phenomenon is as old as information itself, digital technology, the powerful interactivity offered by online platforms, and recent developments in generative artificial intelligence have given it a whole new dimension. Manipulated online information spreads virally, reaching internet users around the world in a matter of minutes. It poses serious risks to society and threatens democracy and the rule of law. To see this, one need only recall events such as the US and French presidential elections, the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the terrorist attack at the Nova festival in 2023, and the war in Gaza.  Faced with this phenomenon, actors from all sectors have been mobilizing for several years. This conference offers a legal perspective on the manipulation of online information in relation to freedom of expression and the right to information from the point of view of European law. It focuses, on the one hand, on the response of the European Union legislator to combat online disinformation and, on the other hand, on mechanisms for protecting "quality" information.Free admission.

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 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. 

Program: 5:00 p.m.: Welcome & presentation of the film5:15 p.m.: Screening of the film I, Daniel Blake6:45 p.m.: Discussion: "Offline, out of the game? Let's fight the digital divide"7:15 p.m.: EndFollowing the screening, three experts from the Namur Digital Institute (NADI), Simon Dechamps (MINDIT Research Center), Alix Gobert (CRIDS Research Center), and Floriane Goose (CeRCLe Research Center) will discuss the following questions: What is the digital divide? How does it conflict with the digitization of government agencies? How can we take users into account? Is digital inclusion a solution?  Register

Terminator to talk about AI? Wall-E to talk about technological dependence? The Truman Show to discuss social media? In a new book, two professors from UNamur, Anthony Simonofski (digital transformation—EMCP Faculty—NaDI Institute) and Benoît Vanderose (software engineering—Faculty of Computer Science—NaDI Institute), take readers on a journey at the crossroads of digital technology and cinematic imagination. 

Can we still speak of democracy when algorithms influence our electoral choices or participate in the drafting of laws? This topic is explored by Aline Nardi, researcher at the Faculty of Law and member of the Namur Digital Institute (NADI).

The Namur Digital Institute (NaDI) is launching a series of original events: "Les Séances du Numérique". Films followed by debates with experts to understand digital challenges and stimulate collective thinking. A project spearheaded by Anthony Simonofski, Anne-Sophie Collard, Benoît Vanderose and Fanny Barnabé.

The program 2:00 pm | Keynote lecture on the use of AI in research - Hugues BERSINI, Professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles: "Can science be just data driven?" 3:00 pm | Presentations by UNamur researchers3:00 pm | Catherine Guirkinger: Use of AI in an economic history project3:15 pm | Nicolas Roy (PI: Alexandre Mayer): AI at the service of innovation in photonics and optics: revealing the secrets of scrolls through the classification of animal species15:25 | Nemanja Antonic (PI: Elio Tuci): An in silico representation of C. elegans collective behaviour<15h35 | Nicolas Franco : The benefits and dangers of "predicting the future" with covid-like machine learning models 15h45 | Michel Ajzen : Managerial and human implications of AI in organizations <15h55 | Robin Ghyselinck (PI : Bruno Dumas) : Deep Learning for endoscopy: towards next generation computer-aided diagnosis4:05 pm | Auguste Debroise (PI : Guilhem Cassan) : LLMs to measure the importance of stereotypes within gender representations in Hollywood films16h15 | Gabriel Dias De Carvalho : Learning practices in physics using generative AI16h25 | Sébastien Dujardin (PI : Catherine Linard) : Where Geography meets AI: A case study on mapping online flood conversations16h35 | Jeremy Dodeigne : LLMs in SHS: revolutionary tools in a Wild West Territory? Reflections on costs, transparency and open science16h45 | Antoinette Rouvroy : Governing AI in Democracy17h00 | Keynote lecture on ethics and guidelines to consider when using AI in research projects and writing research articles - Bettina BERENDT, Professor at KU Leuven18h00 | Benoît Frenay and Michaël Lobet : Creation of an IA scientific committee at UNamur18:10 | DrinkA certificate of attendance, worth 0.5 cross-disciplinary doctoral training credits, will be issued on request. Contact: secretariat.adre@unamur.beThis event is free of charge, but registration is required. I want to register

In September 1961, a few professors and fifteen students inaugurated the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences at the University of Namur. Later renamed the Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales et de gestion, or FSESG, in over 60 years of existence, it has trained thousands of students who have become experts and decision-makers in key fields: economics, management, communication and political science. In September 2024, it changed its name to EMCP or Faculté Économie Management Communication sciencesPo. A change of name, symbol of a visionary mutation.

The workshop will feature:A keynote presentation on public value and AI implementation at VRT.Sessions on discoverability, user agency, and explainability.Discussions on regulation, including perspectives on the AI Act and transparency in media.An interactive session showingcasing AI-driven prototypes.The event will also highlight our project's latest findings. Join us for a day of thought-provoking discussions, knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities!Would you like to attend? Places are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so register as soon as possible. Registration will close on April 11, 2025. More information here

The two authors will each read an excerpt from their book, then explain their choice to explore the themes of foot travel, nature and memory in their works. This reading will be followed by a discussion during which the audience and our students will be able to ask questions.This event aims to establish links between our research in "embodied cognition", cognitive narratology and travel literature, and our teaching activity. It will enable us to offer our students a bilingual activity while promoting the teaching and study of literature at UNamur and within the NaLTT Institute. We hope to invite interested researchers and their students via our respective networks. With this theme, we will also fit in with UNamur's ecological and pedagogical objectives.