Summer is the season for learning

At VIB Technologies, we’ve already had three this season: one on Computational Cytometry, one on Light Microscopy, and one on Spatial Omics. Different technologies, different audiences, different workflows, but all with the same goal: giving researchers the time, confidence, and expert support to dive deep into the methods they want to use.

What makes these formats valuable is the depth. Participants do not only learn which steps to follow; they learn why those steps matter, where things can go wrong, and how to think more critically about experimental design and data quality.

A summer school is a week where participants can slow down, ask detailed questions, work through real examples, and learn directly from the people who run these technologies every day.

“A summer school takes a lot of preparation, and it means a whole week away from our usual work,” says Eef Parthoens of the VIB BioImaging Core Ghent, one of the organisers of the Light Microscopy Summer School. “But it also gives you the chance to go much deeper than in a regular training. You have one group working together with us, and also with each other. That creates a very different and valuable learning dynamic.”

Computational Cytometry

During the Computational Cytometry Summer School, participants worked through the full analysis journey, from transformation and quality control to batch correction, clustering, statistics, and publication-ready figures, with expert support from the VIB Flow Core Ghent.

“We had an amazing week teaching computational cytometry to 40 participants from 17 countries,” says Yvan Saeys (VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research). “We guided participants through both the theory and the hands-on application to their own data.” The program also included an inspiring lecture by Wes Wilson on the potential of using large language models to label cytometry data.

"I am extremely grateful to have attended this summer school. It is truly admirable that you share such important contributions to modern cytometry analysis with the scientific community, and being able to hear about them firsthand is invaluable."
​– Participant

Light microscopy

The Light Microscopy Summer School, now in its 7th edition, brought the same spirit of deep learning to microscopy. Across five days, 25 participants joined 17 trainers for 18 lectures and 11 hands-on workshops, organized by your BioImaging experts in Leuven, Ghent, and Brussels.

As Erin Tranfield (VIB BioImaging Core Ghent) put it, “the week was full of shared excitement for microscopy, with an unforgettable conference dinner to match.”

"It is always motivating to be among people like you that have so much passion for science and are so open to share it."
​– Participant

Spatial Omics

More recently, the Spatial Omics Summer School continued with a deep dive into the spatial technologies and analytical approaches shaping spatial biology.

With trainers from the Spatial Catalyst team and the Metabolomics Core, participants explored how spatial workflows can help connect molecular data to tissue context, and what that means for experimental design, sample preparation, analysis, and interpretation.

"Excellent speakers, nice hands-on session and plenty of opportunities to network with other attendees and interact with experts as well."
​– Participant

Together, these schools show why intensive training has become such an important part of the VIB Technologies training offer. They complement shorter user trainings, seminars, and workshops by creating space for deeper learning, and by connecting researchers with core facility experts early, while advice can still shape the direction of a project.

A big thank you to all trainers, organisers, speakers, sponsors, and participants who made this summer school season possible. And to everyone who came with questions, data, samples, curiosity, and patience: that is what makes these weeks worth it.

Enjoy the summer!