Summer is often associated with relaxation and holidays, but it also offers an excellent opportunity to engage with science in a more informal setting. That’s the idea behind the ‘Universiteit van Vlaanderen’ Summer Edition. At Bar Brial in Mortsel, TV presenter Jacotte Brokken and co-host Helene Vanlathem invite a wide range of professors to share their expertise with a live audience.

Each session focuses on a single topic, presented in a short and accessible talk of around 15 minutes. The subjects are diverse and relevant, covering everything from artificial intelligence, climate change, and cancer treatments to autism, human behavior, and even the tactics behind pickpocketing. All talks are recorded on location and later shared online, making the content freely available to a broad public.

The Summer Edition aims to make academic research approachable and engaging, outside the walls of lecture halls and university auditoriums. By bringing science into a relaxed summer bar atmosphere, the initiative reaches a wider audience — encouraging curiosity, critical thinking, and public interest in research that affects us all.