Robots aren't coming. They're already here — in our warehouses, hospitals, ports and workshops. China builds the cheap humanoids, the US builds the models, so how does Belgium, and Europe, stack up? Turns out we have the chips, the labs and the industry. What we're missing is the nerve to use them.
On 29 September, Wintercircus brings together the people building that answer: a world-leading researcher joining live from IROS 2026 (the world's biggest robotics research conference), the team behind Belgium's first open robotics lab, and a CEO navigating it all in real time.
This isn't a panel about the future. It's a conversation about what's happening right now and what it means for the people building, leading and working alongside these machines.
On stage:
- Tom Van de Weghe — Curator at Collective for Politics & Society and AI & Geopolitics Expert at VRT NWS
- 📞 Salar al Khafaji, CEO & co-founder Monumental (joining live via video call)— Building software-defined robots that automate construction, one of the world's largest and least digitized industries. Earlier co-founded Silk, acquired by Palantir.
- Filip Nowak, North Star — One of Belgium's largest AI and robotics communities. They opened The Vessel, Belgium's first open robotics lab, in the Port of Antwerp. They're building the ecosystem from the ground up.
- Wei Guo, imec — Portfolio Manager for Robotics and Physical AI, building a global robotics ecosystem and turning semiconductor innovation into safer, smarter, human-centric autonomous systems.
- Tim Berckmoes, CEO ABC — ABC is a company that actively invests in innovation, with a clear goal to be future proof through actual groundbreaking manufacturing.
- 📞 Bram Vanderborght, Professor at VUB & affiliated with imec (joining live via video call)— leads Brubotics, the Brussels Human Robotics Research Center, and has spun out robotics companies including Axiles Bionics and Skinetix.
AGENDA
- 19:00 - 19:30 | Open doors
- 19:30 - 19:45 | Opening & Framing the Night by Tom Van de Weghe
- 19:45 - 20:15 | Statement run
- 20:15 - 20:45 | Sofa panel: ‘ask them anything’
- 20:55 - 21:00 | Closing Words
- 21:00 - 22:00 | Networking & Drinks at Club Wintercircus
GUEST POLICY - This event is open for members and their guests, so feel free to bring your plus one!
CANCELLATION - Can’t make it? You can cancel your ticket up to 4h for this event.
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NO-SHOW POLICY - We’re becoming stricter on no-shows as of 2026, not to be difficult, but because empty spots mean someone else misses out.
Soon, no-shows will be linked to a €25 contribution to the Wintercircus Fund, an initiative supporting those who might otherwise have less access to networks like ours.
