Research Centers
Stefanie Beghein | research group Tech | +32 474 76 17 58
Margot Chauliac | research group Education | +32 476 36 11 42
Bart Henssen | research group Business | +32 470 90 17 57
Wim Peersman | research group Social | +32 472 47 62 15
Inge Tency (ad interim) / Stefanie Beghein (ad interim) | research group Health | +32 474 98 84 27 / +32 474 76 17 58
UCE - User Centered Experiences. UCE stands for the development of practice-oriented, sustainable Electronics & ICT applications, with a strong focus on the end user and their experience (user experience). UCE is affiliated with the Electronics-ICT degree program.
👤 contact: Katja Verbeeck and Davy De Winne (UX Lab)
DUBiT - Sustainable Construction and Renovation. Within the DUBiT expertise center, students, lecturers, and researchers from the Technology cluster collaborate with entrepreneurs on technical building innovations. A construction technology lab has been set up at Campus Aalst to support practice-oriented building innovation, with a particular focus on concrete repair and the circularity of the building envelope. In addition, both company-specific training programs and cross-sectoral continuing education courses are developed and delivered.
👤 contact: Filip Van Langenhove
SALTO - Agro-Bio Research Group. Salto stands for "exploring alternatives together." Our research group has its own somewhat alternative character. Sustainability and ethical handling of resources are the common thread throughout our research. Our research is rooted in professional practice. As a research partner, we are always open to multidisciplinary collaboration.
👤 contact: Hilde Vervaecke
BIT-O - Biochemical Innovation Team. The Biochemical Innovation Team is part of Odisee's Technology Research Group and conducts research on chemical aspects of valorization of waste streams.
👤 contact: Annick Boeykens
Centre of Expertise for Language and Educational Practice. The Centre of Expertise for Language and Educational Practice brings together years of expertise and research into language in education. Together with teachers and school teams in pre-school, primary and secondary education, they investigate what works in daily practice, where there are challenges and where opportunities for growth lie. TOP offers inspiration, guidance and practical support for sustainable professional development and develops tools and methodologies that can be used immediately in the classroom. In this way, they work alongside education professionals to build strong, inclusive and language-rich education in which pupils and teachers can thrive.
👤 contact: Jona Hebbrecht and Helena Taelman
Research Centre for Critical Thinking - ExploRatio. ExploRatio is part of the teacher training program at Odisee and investigates how to stimulate critical thinking in young people. The research centre develops and studies teaching methodologies that use (philosophical) dialogue to challenge young people to reflect on sensitive topics, societal issues, and the foundations of their own knowledge and beliefs.
👤 contact: Laura Van den Broeck
The Center for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (CenSE) is an independent research group linked to the education area Business. CenSE researches sustainable entrepreneurship, primarily within family businesses and SMEs, and identifies new trends and challenges in the economy and society.
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Sustainable and digital transition. At CenSE, we recognize the transformative potential of the European Union's Twin Transitions - sustainability and digitalisation - and their crucial role in shaping a green, inclusive and innovative future. As a research center dedicated to applied scientific research on sustainable entrepreneurship, with a focus on family businesses and SMEs, we support the local private sector to lead this transformation.
👤 contact: April Bilbrey
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Social circular economy. CenSE contributes to the transition to a sustainable and inclusive society through research on the social circular economy, social impact and sustainability. This research center analyzes organisations that create both economic and social value, with a particular focus on the survival, collaboration and growth mechanisms of social and circular enterprises.
👤 contact: Karen Brabant and Philippe Eiselein
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Competencies for the future. In an ever faster evolving society, future-oriented competencies are essential, both on an organizational and personal level. Therefore, we are actively pursuing research projects on competencies for the future (sustainability competencies, digital and entrepreneurship competencies) and on innovation in the learning process.
👤 contact: Elien Crois
Research Centre Social Work. We provide quality practice-oriented research, contributing to service delivery and education. We place the realisation of fundamental rights central stage and commit ourselves to social justice, full citizenship, and human dignity. Our focus lies within the metropolitan context. Brussels is both our base of operations and our source of inspiration.
👤 contact: Kaat Van Acker
Centre for Family Studies. Our motto: strengthening the connection between individuals and society through the power of families.
👤 contact: Kathleen Emmery
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Parenting and family support. Parenting support and family support are central themes. The research is practice-oriented and conducted at the request of, and in close collaboration with, various organizations in the field. The Centre aims to identify the needs of parents and align the support services accordingly. It also helps these organizations expand their outreach.
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Family and partner relationships. Partner relationships and their dynamics are important research themes. A positive partner relationship contributes to a positive parenting experience. Contemporary partner relationships are diverse and subject to change. Our research focuses on this dynamic and on developments in society and in the field of partner relationship support. In addition, we pay attention to other family relationships, such as the bonds between siblings and between different generations.
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Families and migration. We advocate for interfaith dialogue, intercultural encounters, and appropriate support for all families, regardless of their background or composition. Diversity is often a central theme in our projects. We recognize the impact of worldview on family relationships as a source of motivation and strength, while also acknowledging the challenges of our diverse society. Both families and researchers come from diverse backgrounds, and awareness of our own position and understanding of others form the foundation of our research.
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Families and care. We see it as one of our core tasks to conduct research into the experiences of socially vulnerable families and to translate their needs into policy and practice. These may be families living in poverty, but also families facing specific and significant care needs. The position of older adults, their care, and support also falls within this line of research. We start from the strengths of families, no matter how vulnerable they may be. Strengthening their network is one of the key threads running through this research focus.
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Family policy. We conduct practice-oriented research from the perspective of families, with the aim of strengthening their functioning and well-being. We often work in dialogue with policymakers and organizations in the field. Based on our research, we frequently make concrete recommendations for policy or for the work of social professionals. At the same time, we critically examine whether policy and practice adequately consider the multifaceted phenomenon we call family.
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Strengthen education. In today’s knowledge economy, lifelong learning is a key concept. However, vulnerable groups often face difficulties accessing lifelong learning opportunities. Participation rates are particularly low among individuals in a socioeconomically disadvantaged position and/or with a migration background. In close collaboration with the Family Sciences degree program, we have developed several initiatives to enhance the participation and social inclusion of vulnerable students in education.
The Healthcare Research Center promotes health by conducting research into active neighborhoods, lifestyle interventions, and food safety. The Research Center supports quality care by offering practical assistance in perinatal, family, and elderly care, as well as by implementing healthcare innovations. Additionally, the research center focuses on the educational support of healthcare providers. This knowledge is built upon the results of research.
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Active neighborhoods and lifestyle interventions. Within this focus area, research is conducted on how active neighborhoods and lifestyle interventions can promote health. Health promotion through community-based care, healthy nutrition, sleep, sufficient physical activity, etc., proves to be a crucial approach in healthcare.
👤 point of contact : Julie Vanderlinden
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Nutrition. With our research, we aim to make a positive contribution to the food of the future.
Producing sufficient and healthy food in a sustainable way for a continuously growing global population is one of the greatest challenges of the future. That’s why, in co-creation with our various research partners, we focus our research projects on sustainable and healthy nutrition.👤 point of contact : Tim Torsy
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Perinatal and family care. Research within this focus area centers on parenthood — including the period from the desire to have children through the first 1,000 days after birth — and on families, both nuclear and extended, such as grandparents. We aim to improve support during the transition to parenthood and during challenging periods, such as neonatal intensive care or when a child has a chronic illness. In doing so, we develop various materials and tools, including digital support and the use of virtual reality in pediatrics.
👤 point of contact : Inge Tency
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Health for older people. We connect people in the search for solutions so that everyone can experience a quality life. Using the method of needs-based care, we strengthen the care relationship between older adults in residential settings and their (informal) caregivers.
👤 point of contact : Katrin Gillis
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Care Innovation (ZInn). ZInn conducts research on innovations in care and welfare.
Projects aim to gain insight into the levers for implementing innovations and to explore their impact on caregivers. From a multidisciplinary perspective, we build partnerships among diverse stakeholders — such as care providers, care recipients, care organizations, governments, and companies — driven by a shared enthusiasm for sustainable implementation.👤 point of contact : Robin Decoster
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Educational modules of the future. This includes projects with a strong emphasis on educational support for the end user, such as (future) healthcare providers. These projects investigate changes in competencies and contemporary challenges arising from ongoing developments. This is achieved by offering specific educational modules that are developed based on research findings.
👤 point of contact : Iris Van Steenwinkel