B-PHOT Shows Flanders and Brussels the Bright World of Photonics During its 2026 Open Days

For 30 days, the Flanders Technology and Innovation (FTI) Festival offers families, students and professionals a closer look at technology and innovation in Flanders. As part of the festival, VUB B-PHOT opened its doors to show enthusiastic visitors the remarkable capabilities and promising future of photonics.

On Friday 16 and Saturday 17 October 2026, over 150 visitors, from students and families to professionals and curious minds, made their way to the Photonics Innovation Center in Pajottegem. Together with the neighbouring VUB STEAM academie, VUB B-PHOT showed how self-driving cars, fibre-optic internet and disease detection would be unthinkable without photonics, the technology of light.

All guided tours on Saturday were fully booked well in advance, and a waiting list was needed to give as many people as possible the chance to take part. News of the open days spread above all by word of mouth, with many neighbours from the Pajottenland seizing the opportunity to finally discover what happens inside the campus on their doorstep. Others travelled from further afield, and found the journey well worth it.

Each visit began in a welcoming tent on the grounds of the STEAM academie, where guests were greeted with coffee and tea before heading inside. In an introductory presentation, Prof. Hugo Thienpont introduced VUB B-PHOT: who the research group is, what it does and how its research in photonics contributes to the technologies of tomorrow.

Visitors then followed B-PHOT researchers through the machine rooms of the Photonics Innovation Center. There, they saw up close how high-tech components such as lasers, sensors, chips and lenses are designed and prototyped. Along the way, the researchers explained how this technology finds its way into everyday life, from the camera in your smartphone and optical sensors that check food for contaminants, to techniques that detect damage in aircraft before it becomes visible. Photonics also plays a key role in healthcare, the fight against cancer and diabetes, space exploration, manufacturing and energy.

This year, STEM was woven throughout the entire experience. After the labs, visitors continued to the VUB STEAM academie, where hands-on experiments and demonstrations brought science to life in a playful way. It was also an opportunity to learn more about the academie’s plans to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and makers.

Each tour ended back in the tent, where visitors raised a glass of bubbles or fruit juice and continued their conversations with the researchers.

In the days after the open days, the team received a wave of enthusiastic feedback. Visitors praised the warm welcome, the clear presentation and above all the passion of the researchers. “Wow, a passionate tour. Top, top, top. Open to every question,” one visitor wrote. Others described groundbreaking research by inspired scientists, and a visit that opened their eyes to the unexpected potential of photonics.

For many, the open days were also a chance to finally discover what happens behind the walls of the campus. “Very glad I got to know the neighbours and now know what they stand for,” said one local visitor. Another wrote to the team to say they had never imagined that so many fascinating people were working behind the building’s façade, and expressed their support for strengthening the Pajottenland and the Zenne Valley as a place to build a better future. It is a goal VUB B-PHOT is proud to contribute to from its campus in Oetingen.

The STEAM academie also won hearts, with visitors calling the initiative fantastic and congratulating the team on its efforts to win young people over to science and technology.

The FTI Festival doesn’t end here. From 20 October to 7 November 2026, VUB B-PHOT is also present at the FTI Expo in Mechelen, where visitors can discover how photonics is helping to tackle real-world challenges. Two B-PHOT videos are on display at the Expo:

• Photonics for agri-food applications
• Photonics for water sensing

A perfect opportunity to explore the technology of light once more, or to discover it for the first time.