Reweaving the Brussels Canal District
MEDS Workshop 2026
15th edition
140 design students + young professionals
10 projects
Brussels || Belgium
01.08. – 16.08.2026
What is a MEDS Workshop?
MEDS “Meetings of Design Students” Workshop is an international summer workshop that is held each year in a different country.
Bringing together emerging designers (students and young professionals) from around the world.
MEDS explores diverse themes, contexts, and challenges that encourage creative exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration.
MEDS Workshop will help any designer expand their expertise.
It is a chance to get in touch with diverse approaches to design, different building techniques, traditions and skills.
MEDS Workshop is both practical and educational.
It focuses not only on conceptual designs, but actually compels participants to execute these designs during the 2-week span of the workshop.
You can apply to MEDS either as a tutor, participant, or helper.
What is a MEDS Workshop?
MEDS “Meetings of Design Students” Workshop is an international summer workshop that is held each year in a different country.
Bringing together emerging designers (students and young professionals) from around the world.
MEDS explores diverse themes, contexts, and challenges that encourage creative exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration.
MEDS Workshop will help any designer expand their expertise.
It is a chance to get in touch with diverse approaches to design, different building techniques, traditions and skills.
MEDS Workshop is both practical and educational.
It focuses not only on conceptual designs, but actually compels participants to execute these designs during the 2-week span of the workshop.
You can apply to MEDS either as a tutor, participant or helper.
ABOUT BRUSSELS
Today, Brussels thrives as a cultural and political center, known for its dynamic arts scene, world-class museums, and lively festivals, as well as its role as the de facto capital of the European Union.
Its multicultural population, bilingual character, and international institutions shape a cosmopolitan identity rooted in centuries of trade, diplomacy, and exchange, where local traditions blend seamlessly with global influences.
ABOUT KUREGEM
Kuregem, shaped by its industrial roots and evolving present, is a neighborhood defined by transformation. Its textures emerge from the meeting of factories and homes, migration and memory, resilience and reinvention, forming a layered urban landscape in constant change.
Kuregem is a place where progress and innovation have long been tied to production: from cotton factories and slaughterhouses to workshops and warehouses. Its industrial legacy endures in brick halls, iron structures, and worn surfaces that tell stories of labor and migration.
Today, these gritty textures offer space for reflection, renewal, and new possibilities, allowing past infrastructures to be reimagined and transformed into drivers of community life and future development.
Reweaving the Brussels Canal District
This year’s theme, “Reweaving the Brussels Canal District”, revolves around four core narratives that will allow the exploration of a truly fascinating area of the capital of Belgium:
LANDSCAPE OF TRANSFORMATIONS
URBAN FABRIC
NODE OF FLOWS
ENCOUNTERS AND LAYERED VOICES
Reweaving the Brussels Canal District
LANDSCAPE OF TRANSFORMATIONS
URBAN FABRIC
NODE OF FLOWS
ENCOUNTERS AND LAYERED VOICES
PARTICIPANT CALL IS
OPEN NOW!
Curious about the MEDS experience?
Join us as a participant at MEDS Workshop Belgium for 16 exciting days! Work on one of 10 unique projects alongside 140 talented individuals from around the globe.
How does it work?
Best first step is downloading the Participant Pack. It provides all the information about …
- what it means to be a participant at MEDS,
- the workshop schedule and the accommodation,
- the participation fee and what is included in it,
- your travel options to Brussels,
- … and much more!
- You can apply by filling in the Google application form below.
- If you need a Schengen visa to enter Belgium, you will be asked to answer a few additional questions.
- MEDS selects only participants who are a good fit for the summer workshop.
- To get to know you and your creative abilities better, we have prepared a creative assignment.
- The assignment must be uploaded as part of the Google Application Form.
- You can find all details about the assignment in the Participant Pack.
- After the application deadline, we will review the applications together with our MEDS National Contacts and select the best candidates.
- Acceptance emails (or waiting list notifications) for the first wave of applications will be sent out between March 8th – 18th, 2026.
- Acceptance emails (or waiting list notifications) for the second wave of applications will be sent out between April 30th – May 5th, 2026.
- All applications coming in later than April 26th, 2026, i.e., during the deadline extension until May 13th, will be assessed on a rolling basis. Acceptance emails will be sent progressively as long as workshop spots are open (or become free again due to cancellations). Further waiting list notifications will be issued after May 15th.
The remaining free seats will be available in the second wave of applications from 6th of April until26th of April 2026, 11.59 pm GMT+1
(2nd deadline).
UPDATE April 27th, 2026: The deadline for the second wave of applications was extended until 13th of May 2026, 11.59 pm GMT+1. Apply now!
The motto is: First come, first serve! When all seats are gone, they are gone.
Please note:
Based on our learnings from previous years, we especially recommend everyone who will need a valid Schengen visa to enter Belgium to apply for the workshop as early as possible and not wait until the end of the deadlines. This is to ensure that there will be sufficient time for the visa process!
Please keep an eye on this webpage and our social media channels for updates in the weeks and months ahead.
After submitting your application through the Google Form, we advise you to whitelist the email address below to prevent important messages from MEDS from going to your spam folder.
In case of any questions, please get in touch with us via email:
medsbelgium@medsworkshop.com
PARTICIPANT CALL IS
OPEN NOW!
Curious about the MEDS experience?
Join us as a participant at MEDS Workshop Belgium for 16 exciting days! Work on one of 10 unique projects alongside 140 talented individuals from around the globe.
How does it work?
Best first step is downloading the Participant Pack. It provides all the information about …
- what it means to be a participant at MEDS,
- the workshop schedule and the accommodation,
- the participation fee and what is included in it,
- your travel options to Brussels,
- … and much more!
- You can apply by filling in the Google application form below.
- If you need a Schengen visa to enter Belgium, you will be asked to answer a few additional questions.
- MEDS selects only participants who are a good fit for the summer workshop.
- To get to know you and your creative abilities better, we have prepared a creative assignment.
- The assignment must be uploaded as part of the Google Application Form.
- You can find all details about the assignment in the Participant Pack.
- After the application deadline, we will review the applications together with our MEDS National Contacts and select the best candidates.
- Acceptance emails (or waiting list notifications) for the first wave of applications will be sent out between March 8th – 18th, 2026.
- Acceptance emails (or waiting list notifications) for the second wave of applications will be sent out between April 30th – May 5th, 2026.
- All applications coming in later than April 26th, 2026, i.e., during the deadline extension until May 13th, will be assessed on a rolling basis. Acceptance emails will be sent progressively as long as workshop spots are open (or become free again due to cancellations). Further waiting list notifications will be issued after May 15th.
The remaining free seats will be available in the second wave of applications from 6th of April until26th of April 2026, 11.59 pm GMT+1
(2nd deadline).
UPDATE April 27th, 2026: The deadline for the second wave of applications was extended until 13th of May 2026, 11.59 pm GMT+1. Apply now!
The motto is: First come, first serve! When all seats are gone, they are gone.
Please note:
Based on our learnings from previous years, we especially recommend everyone who will need a valid Schengen visa to enter Belgium to apply for the workshop as early as possible and not wait until the end of the deadlines. This is to ensure that there will be sufficient time for the visa process!
Please keep an eye on this webpage and our social media channels for updates in the weeks and months ahead.
After submitting your application through the Google Form, we advise you to whitelist the email address below to prevent important messages from MEDS from going to your spam folder.
In case of any questions, please get in touch with us via email:
medsbelgium@medsworkshop.com
HELPER CALL IS
OPEN NOW!
New to MEDS? Or an experienced member who likes to reconnect with MEDS network?
Join us as a helper at MEDS Workshop Belgium – for a timespan of your choice! Help make a unique event happen and enjoy all the fruits of attending the full program during your stay. All that at an unbeatable, discounted fee.
How does it work?
What are the main differences between a helper and a participant at MEDS?
Apart from some differences in the role itself, we think a large portion is about the flexibility and the costs:
- While helpers can attend the full workshop (and even the tutor camp), they can also join for a shorter period. This is not not possible for participants as they must stay from start to finish to contribute to their project. If you only have time for half the workshop, a week, or a few days, the helper role is the best way to experience MEDS and still return in time for work or another vacation.
- You are currently on a budget? Helper role might be the right thing for you then. To say ‘Thank you’ for your support during your shifts as helper, you receive from us a significant discount on your participation fee that lets you enjoy MEDS Workshop even cheaper than a participant. Of course, accommodation, two meals a day and all the fun activities and side events are still included.
But what exactly do helpers do?
- Helpers play a vital role in making the event happen, by supporting a variety of functions throughout its duration.
- Possible roles include running errands and supporting general logistics, staffing the info point, assisting with food, cleaning, helping with the evening schedule and side events – including the handling of technical equipment and tech support, documenting the event through photography and video, guiding or supporting participants during the community tasks (with backup and clear direction from the organizing team), running the tool shed and project material storage, and other essential tasks.
- Outside of their scheduled shifts, helpers are free to enjoy their time as they wish: whether that means joining one of the workshop projects like any participant, relaxing, experiencing Brussels, or connecting with others.
- The schedule is designed to offer balance, giving each helper the space to rest, participate in the workshop and its side events, and fully experience the spirit of MEDS Workshop.
We recommend downloading the Participant Pack, which was generally made for participants but most aspects apply to helpers, too. It provides all the information about …
- the concept of MEDS Workshop,
- the workshop schedule and the accommodation,
- your travel options to Brussels,
- … and much more!
Please note: The infos about the discounted prices and the attendance periods for helpers you will not find in the Participant Pack but directly in the Helper Application Form!
- You can apply as a helper by filling in the Google application form below.
- The application form contains all the information about the discounted participation fee for helpers and what is included in it.
- The form lets you also select your desired attendance dates as helper.
- The form contains questions about your academic or professional background and any relevant or special knowledge/ skills you bring in.
- Helper applicants don’t need to submit a creative assignment during application like participants.
- If you need a Schengen visa to enter Belgium, you will be asked to answer a few additional questions.
- MEDS selects applicants as helpers who are a good fit for the summer workshop, based on their motivation, skills, and personality.
- Helper applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, starting from the publishing date of helper call.
- Notifications of acceptance as well as waiting list notifications will be issued progressively, taking into account applicants’ qualifications and suitability for the event’s needs.
Helper applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, starting from the publishing date of Helper Call on April 29th, 2026.
The motto is: First come, first serve! When all helper spots are gone, they are gone.
After submitting your application through the Google Form, we advise you to whitelist the email address below to prevent important messages from MEDS from going to your spam folder.
In case of any questions, please get in touch with us via email:
medsbelgium@medsworkshop.com
HELPER CALL IS
OPEN NOW!
New to MEDS?
Or an experienced member who likes to reconnect with MEDS network?
Join us as a helper at MEDS Workshop Belgium – for a timespan of your choice! Help make a unique event happen and enjoy all the fruits of attending the full program during your stay. All that and more at an unbeatable, discounted fee.
How does it work?
What are the main differences between a helper and a participant at MEDS?
Apart from some differences in the role itself, we think a large portion is about the flexibility and the costs:
- While helpers can attend the full workshop (and even the tutor camp), they can also join for a shorter period. This is not not possible for participants as they must stay from start to finish to contribute to their project. If you only have time for half the workshop, a week, or a few days, the helper role is the best way to experience MEDS and still return in time for work or another vacation.
- You are currently on a budget? Helper role might be the right thing for you then. To say ‘Thank you’ for your support during your shifts as helper, you receive from us a significant discount on your participation fee that lets you enjoy MEDS Workshop even cheaper than a participant. Of course, accommodation, two meals a day and all the fun activities and side events are still included.
But what exactly do helpers do?
- Helpers play a vital role in making the event happen, by supporting a variety of functions throughout its duration.
- Possible roles include running errands and supporting general logistics, staffing the info point, assisting with food, cleaning, helping with the evening schedule and side events – including the handling of technical equipment and tech support, documenting the event through photography and video, guiding or supporting participants during the community tasks (with backup and clear direction from the organizing team), running the tool shed and project material storage, and other essential tasks.
- Outside of their scheduled shifts, helpers are free to enjoy their time as they wish: whether that means joining one of the workshop projects like any participant, relaxing, experiencing Brussels, or connecting with others.
- The schedule is designed to offer balance, giving each helper the space to rest, participate in the workshop and its side events, and fully experience the spirit of MEDS Workshop.
We recommend downloading the Participant Pack, which was generally made for participants but most aspects apply to helpers, too. It provides all the information about …
- the concept of MEDS Workshop,
- the workshop schedule and the accommodation,
- your travel options to Brussels,
- … and much more!
Please note: The infos about the discounted prices and the attendance periods for helpers you will not find in the Participant Pack but directly in the Helper Application Form!
- You can apply as a helper by filling in the Google application form below.
- The application form contains all the information about the discounted participation fee for helpers and what is included in it.
- The form lets you also select your desired attendance dates as helper.
- The form contains questions about your academic or professional background and any relevant or special knowledge/ skills you bring in.
- Helper applicants don’t need to submit a creative assignment during application like participants.
- If you need a Schengen visa to enter Belgium, you will be asked to answer a few additional questions.
- MEDS selects applicants as helpers who are a good fit for the summer workshop, based on their motivation, skills, and personality.
- Helper applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, starting from the publishing date of helper call.
- Notifications of acceptance as well as waiting list notifications will be issued progressively, taking into account applicants’ qualifications and suitability for the event’s needs.
Helper applications will be assessed on a rolling basis, starting from the publishing date of Helper Call on April 29th, 2026.
The motto is: First come, first serve! When all seats are gone, they are gone.
After submitting your application through the Google Form, we advise you to whitelist the email address below to prevent important messages from MEDS from going to your spam folder.
In case of any questions, please get in touch with us via email:
medsbelgium@medsworkshop.com
Tot snel in Brussel!
Tot snel in Brussel!
TUTOR CALL IS OPEN CLOSED NOW!
You could imagine to become a tutor
at MEDS Workshop 2026?
Join us in shaping one of 10 exciting workshop projects—from initial concept, through execution, to final exhibition—as a tutor at MEDS Workshop Belgium.
Work alongside 20 talented other tutors from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, coming together from around the globe, to make your dream project become reality in Brussels-Kuregem!
How does it work?
In one sentence, please? Here you go:
Tutors are individuals or teams of two to three people (students or young professionals) who are responsible for planning, facilitating and managing/tutoring a project during the two weeks span of MEDS Workshop, from initial concept development to its completion and final exhibition.
Best first step is downloading the Tutor Pack. It provides all the information about …
- what it means to be a tutor at MEDS,
- the theme of this year’s MEDS Workshop,
- the application process – including a submission checklist,
- … and most importantly: the definitions for all 10 projects!
- If you have never tutored at MEDS before, especially, but also in general, we recommend that you find at least one partner as a co-tutor who always has your back.
- Based on the project definitions from the Tutor Pack you can select your favorite project and start to conduct additional research.
- Ultimately, you will have to design your project proposal.
- To make sure you did not forget to mention anything relevant in the proposal, use the submission checklist from the tutor pack!
- Now you should be ready to apply.
- You can apply by filling in the Google application form below.
- You will be asked about your academic background and relevant practical experience.
- You will have to upload PDFs with your project proposal, your CV, and optionally your portfolio.
- If you need a Schengen visa to enter Belgium, you will be asked to answer a few additional questions.
- Tutors are selected based on their submitted applications, with a strong focus on their project proposals. After the deadline, all applications will be evaluated by the hosting team and additional experts.
- After reviewing all applications, we may contact you for further details on your project.
- The final selection will be announced in an official email, commencing the further collaboration with the selected tutors.
- A number of projects will involve local partners or require coordination with other relevant stakeholders, like the municipality, to ensure project success. Synchronisation and communication with the MEDS organizing team is crucial, too.
- To make sure all vested interests are being respected, the months between tutor selection and the start of MEDS Workshop are often used for communication with these stakeholders as well as for adjustments of the proposals, to make them fit for when reality hits.
- During this phase, experienced members of the MEDS tutor support team will be there to help you.
- However, depending on the type and ambition of your project, additional work and therefore time investment by your tutor team may be required.
- To mention some typical examples from the past: Previously planned project sites have sometimes had to be changed, materials and tools reconsidered, projects scaled up or down to balance feasibility and ambition, and the number and scope of planned workshop steps streamlined.
- While this can be challenging at times, you can learn here a lot.
- For a number of years, we have established MEDS Tutor Camp as a core component of our tutor support, taking place directly before the start of the actual MEDS Workshop.
- This year, tutor arrival day in Brussels will be on July 28th and Tutor Camp will be held from July 29th to July 31st.
- Regardless of whether you are already an experienced tutor, teacher, or facilitator outside of MEDS, or gaining your first tutoring experience, MEDS Workshop has certain specifics that you will learn about during Tutor Camp.
- After getting to know your fellow tutors from all projects, you will visit your workspaces and project site(s), check your tools and materials, and prepare and rehearse your project pitch (for the opening ceremony in front of all participants) to ensure you engage a good number of participants and encourage them to join your project.
- A key component of Tutor Camp is the preparation of day-by-day plans and schedules covering all workdays, taking into account people, tools, materials, logistics, safety, setup and cleanup times, and other relevant aspects.
- All things considered, Tutor Camp helps you prepare in the best possible way. This is why all tutor teams are required to be present at Tutor Camp.
TUTOR CALL IS OPEN CLOSED NOW!
You could imagine to become a tutor at MEDS Workshop 2026?
Join us in shaping one of 10 exciting workshop projects—from initial concept, through execution, to final exhibition—as a tutor at MEDS Workshop Belgium.
Work alongside 20 talented other tutors from diverse disciplines and backgrounds, coming together from around the globe, to make your dream project become reality in Brussels-Kuregem!
How does it work?
In one sentence, please? Here you go:
Tutors are individuals or teams of two to three people (students or young professionals) who are responsible for planning, facilitating and managing/tutoring a project during the two weeks span of MEDS Workshop, from initial concept development to its completion and final exhibition.
Best first step is downloading the Tutor Pack. It provides all the information about …
- what it means to be a tutor at MEDS,
- the theme of this year’s MEDS Workshop,
- the application process – including a submission checklist,
- … and most importantly: the definitions for all 10 projects!
- If you have never tutored at MEDS before, especially, but also in general, we recommend that you find at least one partner as a co-tutor who always has your back.
- Based on the project definitions from the Tutor Pack you can select your favorite project and start to conduct additional research.
- Ultimately, you will have to design your project proposal.
- To make sure you did not forget to mention anything relevant in the proposal, use the submission checklist from the tutor pack!
- Now you should be ready to apply.
- You can apply by filling in the Google application form below.
- You will be asked about your academic background and relevant practical experience.
- You will have to upload PDFs with your project proposal, your CV, and optionally your portfolio.
- If you need a Schengen visa to enter Belgium, you will be asked to answer a few additional questions.
- Tutors are selected based on their submitted applications, with a strong focus on their project proposals. After the deadline, all applications will be evaluated by the hosting team and additional experts.
- After reviewing all applications, we may contact you for further details on your project.
- The final selection will be announced in an official email, commencing the further collaboration with the selected tutors.
- A number of projects will involve local partners or require coordination with other relevant stakeholders, like the municipality, to ensure project success. Synchronisation and communication with the MEDS organizing team is crucial, too.
- To make sure all vested interests are being respected, the months between tutor selection and the start of MEDS Workshop are often used for communication with these stakeholders as well as for adjustments of the proposals, to make them fit for when reality hits.
- During this phase, experienced members of the MEDS tutor support team will be there to help you.
- However, depending on the type and ambition of your project, additional work and therefore time investment by your tutor team may be required.
- To mention some typical examples from the past: Previously planned project sites have sometimes had to be changed, materials and tools reconsidered, projects scaled up or down to balance feasibility and ambition, and the number and scope of planned workshop steps streamlined.
- While this can be challenging at times, you can learn here a lot.
- For a number of years, we have established MEDS Tutor Camp as a core component of our tutor support, taking place directly before the start of the actual MEDS Workshop.
- This year, tutor arrival day in Brussels will be on July 28th and Tutor Camp will be held from July 29th to July 31st.
- Regardless of whether you are already an experienced tutor, teacher, or facilitator outside of MEDS, or gaining your first tutoring experience, MEDS Workshop has certain specifics that you will learn about during Tutor Camp.
- After getting to know your fellow tutors from all projects, you will visit your workspaces and project site(s), check your tools and materials, and prepare and rehearse your project pitch (for the opening ceremony in front of all participants) to ensure you engage a good number of participants and encourage them to join your project.
- A key component of Tutor Camp is the preparation of day-by-day plans and schedules covering all workdays, taking into account people, tools, materials, logistics, safety, setup and cleanup times, and other relevant aspects.
- All things considered, Tutor Camp helps you prepare in the best possible way. This is why all tutor teams are required to be present at Tutor Camp.
Applications are open from today, 23rd of February until
23rd of March 2026, 11.59 pm GMT+1.
Update: Tutor application phase had been extended by two weeks and remains open until
6th of April 2026, 11.59 pm GMT+1.
Update April 7th, 2026: Tutor Call is closed now.
All tutor applications are currently being processed.
Tutor applicants will be informed about their acceptance on May 5th, 2026.
Info service for potential tutor applicants
While the tutor call is live, there may be additional information and important updates regarding the 10 projects as we progress in our talks with the important stakeholders. To ensure you stay fully up to date, we encourage you to sign up for our info service here. By doing so, you will receive timely email notifications and stay informed about any new details that could be valuable for your tutor application.
We’re already looking forward to your ideas!
All the best,
Your MEDS Belgium Team
After submitting your application through the Google Form, we advise you to whitelist the email address below to prevent important messages from MEDS from going to your spam folder.
In case of any questions, please get in touch with us via email:
medsbelgium@medsworkshop.com
We’re already looking forward to your ideas!
All the best,
Your MEDS Belgium Team
After submitting your application through the Google Form, we advise you to whitelist the email address below to prevent important messages from MEDS from going to your spam folder.
In case of any questions, please get in touch with us via email:
medsbelgium@medsworkshop.com
LOCAL ORGANIZING TEAM
OF MEDS WORKSHOP ’26
Jo Tubex
Marie Geudens
Ranka Terpstra
Tinne Beirinckx
LOCAL ORGANIZING TEAM
OF MEDS WORKSHOP ’26
Jo Tubex
Marie Geudens
Ranka Terpstra
Tinne Beirinckx
