FARB was a talks and networking group for people in and out of academia interested in exchanging new research being done by foreign academics in Belgium. The group was originally envisioned as an research community for non-affiliated, visiting, and otherwise unmoored academics living and working in Belgium, but expanded to include a much wider membership base. Visitors and contributors included staff and students at Ghent University, University of Antwerp, K.U.Leuven, Université Libre de Bruxelles, and Liège, Fulbright scholars and visiting professors, postgraduates from universities worldwide, and staff from the European political institutions and international organisations.

Beyond simply providing a venue for new research, the group also served as a collaborative space for fine-tuning and test-running new ideas and research methods. During the academic year, we organised a programme of talks where members present an aspect of their research or work in progress to the group for creative feedback and discussion. FARB also provided answers to practical problems related to conducting research in Belgium and compiled helpful information about academic resources, funding, and publishing. 

However, as of end of October 2011, FARB has been closed down due to a lack of critical mass in membership. If you want more information, or want to get in touch with foreign academics in Belgium, please contact us.