HUMANISE Core Facility

Mission and Vision

The Humanise Core Facility stimulates access to lab facilities and use of research equipment at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for empirical research on the human and artificial mind (e.g., human neurosciences and neural modelling) and body (e.g., human physiology and human-machine interaction). By sharing equipment and expertise, the Humanise Core Facility aims to stimulate research collaboration, fostering an environment of mutual benefit and excellence of research. 

This integration of human and artificial cognition and performance, in a unique collaboration of many faculties in the human, social, and natural sciences at the VUB, is a unique endeavor in Flanders. 

Key research infrastructure (equipment and labs) of the core facility is centralized at campus Etterbeek (Posner lab) and campus Jette (Sleep, pain and epigenitcs lab), which serve as the main hub for the behavioral and artificial sciences and faculties. Satellite facilities and infrastructure at additional VUB labs allow expansion and further interdisciplinary collaboration of the core facility. 

Sharing Labs, Equipment and Expertise

Humanise is continuously growing: 

• The Posner lab houses experimental rooms and equipment that will increase in the coming years.
• The Sleep, pain and epigenitcs (Esprit) lab is now under construction, and ready in 2027

Other state-of-the-art equipment on the human and artificial mind and body is located at other labs at the VUB studying similar research aims. Humanise aims to provide you easy access and guidance to these labs. A list of these associated labs can be found on the other labs page.

Humanise stimulates sharing and integration of expertise on methodology and use of this advanced equipment (e.g., via manuals and workshops), leading to integrated research using different approaches from different perspectives and disciplines, including (social) human, movement, and artificial intelligence sciences.

For more information, watch our Humanise video! 

You wish for more but do not find it here, please contact us. 

Reaching out: Research Expertise Centers 

To accelerate scientific and clinical innovation by bringing together the core facility’s strongest research domains in which our researchers excel and where breakthroughs are within reach. The expertise centers also advance tangible benefits for society, by focusing on research themes with high translational potential, that can improve diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and human well‑being.

• Research expertise centers on cerebellar-related disorder building on long-standing research on cerebellar sequential dysfunction: 

          - Autism and cerebellum (Frank Van Overwalle; Kris Baetens) 

          - Parkinson’s and cerebellum (Natacha Deroost; Mahyar Firouzi).

• Research expertise center on sleep, pain and epigenetics (ESPRIT) 

  (Olivier Mairesse; Jo Nijs; Elke De Bruyne) 

User Network 

Our users are academics, affiliated with Vrije Universiteit Brussel, other universities, or public academic research institutions, and are non-academics, affiliated with business or non-profit organization.

NEW: Fee Waiver - Users who do not have sufficient financial resources to pay the requested fees may request a fee waiver for a limited number of years, provided they add this fee to their budget proposal(s) in their next grant proposal(s). Doctoral students who have no or insufficient working finances, including financial support from their supervisor (CSC grantees, “mandaat” assistants without sufficient financial support, etc.) can also request a fee waiver for a limited number of years. Get in touch with us for your request.