The principle of free enquiry remains at the university's core today; the motto "scientia vincere tenebras" (science will triumph over darkness) advocates independent, critical thinking, driven by evidence, not by dogma, politics, prejudice or greed.

As in other Belgian universities at the time, the language was French. Dutch began creeping in during the late 19th century, and from the 1930s on the Dutch presence grew stronger. In 1969, the university split into the Dutch-speaking VUB and the French- speaking ULB. This process was comparable to the division between the Catholic University of Leuven and its francophone counterpart in Louvain-la-Neuve at the same period - although the transition was smoother in Brussels.

The two universities' main campuses are located very close to each other in the south of Brussels, with the VUB's university hospital UZ (Universitair Ziekenhuis) in the northern borough of Jette. The ULB and VUB are completely distinct entities, but they are now revisiting their shared past through academic partnerships, in particular the Brussels University Alliance. The sister institutions have even set up a common multilingual master's programme in engineering (in Dutch, French and English).

Tailor-made architecture
The VUB's campus is located close to Etterbeek train station - which is not in Etterbeek but in Elsene district. Its architecture reflects its young history, as there is no old stone in sight. The main administrative building, or "M" building, was designed by architect Renaat Braem; it was inaugurated in 1970 and remains the Flemish architect's last project. Today, the famously egg-shaped building has acquired an irresistible retro flavour and a wealth of details to discover.

The building design was chosen to match the vision of the newly-created VUB. Braem went for a symbolic form that he believed reflected the basic nature of scientific truth: an ellipsis, a dynamic shape that follows the roundness of human motion. He used round shapes throughout the building: the walls are sloped, the entrance door is crowned with a curved overhang, and the entrance hall leads to a spiral staircase. These shapes symbolise freedom of thought, as opposed to linear thinking.

On each floor, Braem painted murals that prolonged his architectural ideas. "It was not financially feasible to hire those painters whom I would have seen as most suited to the work, such as Matta, for example, or the Mexicans," Braem said. "I regret to say that I do not know of anyone in Flanders. So it was up to the architect to do it himself in the end." He adorned each of the five floors with bright colours and symbolic shapes, representing energy, plants and animals and human beings. The building entrance is also decorated with his bas-reliefs.

The M building was meant to be a landmark for the VUB near the campus entrance. So instead of erecting its façade parallel to the street, where passers-by on General Jacqueslaan would just see a thin structure as they approached it to drive past, Braem placed its long axis perpendicular to the busy street, giving drivers a full view of the building as they travel in either direction.

Small and cosy
With eight faculties, the VUB offers 27 Bachelor study programmes and is home to just over 10,000 students. In comparison to other Flemish universities, these are rather small numbers, which certainly makes for a personalised, cosy campus life. The university employs 2,850 people, plus 3,200 staff members at the university hospital in Jette.

More than 1,600 VUB students are from outside Belgium; the university boasts 103 different nationalities on its campuses, with the largest groups coming from the Netherlands, China and Germany. Alongside its three vice-rectors, the VUB has recently appointed the astrophysicist Jean-Pierre de Greve to steer the university's international ambitions over the coming years.

Pioneering research
The VUB's research teams are offen small but highly specialised, for instance into the development of bio-fuels. True to its inquisitive spirit, the university has been exploring research avenues in some sensitive areas that others may have approached more gingerly at first. In particular, VUB researchers have developed expertise in medical and ethical issues around the beginning and the end of human life.

Its university hospital's centre for reproductive medicine is very well respected for its work on fertility and hormonal treatment, in-vitro fecundation, artificial insemination and tissue banking. Professor Wim Distelmans, meanwhile, is a prominent figure in palliative care and end-of-life research. His work was instrumental for the drafting and implementation of the 2002 Belgian law on euthanasia.

On a different note, VUB engineers are leaving their mark on the robotics scene: Probo, the "intelligent huggable robot", created a sensation in the international media last year. This research robot is used to study how human beings, in particular children, can interact and communicate with machines. Once perfected, it will be used to comfort children who are staying in hospitals.

The fuzzy, green creature has a long nose, a huggable body, a screen in its belly and a cute, animated face with a range of facial expressions to communicate emotions. More out of sight are a range of sensors, cameras and microphones. Probo is accessible to other researchers who want to investigate how robots can assist therapy, the social and psychological aspects of man/machine interactions or technical aspects of speech and vision.

Big Man on Campus
The VUB's rector, Paul de Knop, is a sports sociologist, a rather unusual profile in high-level academic circles. In particular, de Knop is a keen cyclist and recently pedalled 1,000 kilometres to raise money for cancer research. Sportspeople are particularly welcome at the VUB, which caters for athletes who want to combine their training with higher education.

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