Vrije University - Summer graduate programs
Summer Course in Non-invasive Brain Stimulation: Foundations for Designing and Implementing Research
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Summer Course
DURATION
1 week
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
15 May 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
20 Jul 2026
TUITION FEES
EUR 1,200 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* €750 - €1200 (fees for 2026)
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) is a powerful tool which can be used to ask questions about cause-and-effect relationships in the brain of healthy and pathological populations. It can also be used as a treatment in various psychiatric and neurological conditions. To harness the full potential of NIBS and use it optimally, it is essential to have a strong theoretical foundation. After following this course, you will be able to determine whether NIBS is a suitable technique for your research question and make informed decisions about the study design. You will also receive some hands-on training.
The main aim of this course is to provide students with that foundation by drawing on the extensive experience and expertise available at the VU. As such, the main target audience consists of students who want to use NIBS for their research, or would like to learn more about NIBS to determine whether it is a suitable technique for their research questions.
Course overview
- Attendance: In-person
- Forms of tuition: Lectures, lab sessions and group discussions
- Forms of assessment: Presentation (50%) and written assignment (50%)
- Course Level: Master's
- English language requirement: B2 level or higher (equivalent to IELTS 6.5)
- Credits: Equivalent to 2 ECTS
- Contact hours: 25
- Self-study hours: 10
Who can join?
Basic knowledge of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, at the Bachelors level, is essential for the course. The course is most suitable for Masters and PhD students who want to add a new tool to their repertoire. The aforementioned audience will be able to directly use what they learn in this course to design their own studies.
However, the course is also suitable for Bachelors students (if they have already followed a neuroanatomy and neurophysiology course) who are simply curious about the technique, and might develop new ideas after following the course.
Equal Access Scholarship
Application Procedure
Application for the Equal Access Scholarship will open in February
Great that you are interested in applying for the Equal Access Scholarship. You can apply for the scholarship between 12 February and 1 April. Please be aware that it is only possible to select one course.
The results of the scholarship selection will be announced in May. Since we have a limited number of scholarships available for a large number of applicants, we suggest - if possible! - to complete your payment at the time of your course application to guarantee your place in the course. However, if you are not able to come without the scholarship, you can just wait until the announcement. If you would like to come, regardless of whether you will be granted the scholarship, it is best to secure your place in the course by completing your payment via our regular application form. If the scholarship is granted to you, the tuition and accommodation fees will be reimbursed.
Deadline to submit your Equal Access Scholarship application: 31 March (23:59 CET).
Requirements
When you apply via the Equal Access Scholarship application form you will be requested to upload the following documents:
- Curriculum Vitae/Résumé (CV) stating your educational background.
- Professional Letter of Reference Including:
- His/her/their experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting)
- His/her/their motivation for recommending you for the scholarship
- Complete contact information
- When filling out the scholarship form, we will ask the following questions*:
- Why are you interested in joining VU Amsterdam Summer School?
- What’s your motivation for selecting this course?
- How you will use the information you learn to make a positive impact in the future for both you and your community?
- Why do you deserve this scholarship?
Please stick to a maximum of 150 words per question.
Green Travel Grant
At VU Amsterdam Summer Schoo,l we are also committed to VU's sustainability goals and we aim to reduce the environmental impact of mobilityd specifically, student travel. Therefore, we are thrilled to offer Green Travel Grants to encourage sustainable travel for students attending our summer school.
Where can I apply?
Once the courses have been confirmed to run in mid-May or June, we will send out a newsletter to our participants with a link where they can apply for either funding for train travel or funding for bus travel.
The application period will last two weeks, and we will select the winners via a lottery system. More information on the specific deadlines can be found in the newsletter we send out in May.
How does it work?
For students to receive the economic compensation they will need to submit their purchased travel tickets via email within two weeks after being selected as winners of the grant. Once the deadline to submit their tickets has passed, the students will receive the reimbursement.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Critically evaluate studies using NIBS.
- Design well-controlled NIBS studies, using the appropriate protocols for their own research questions.
- Assess safety when choosing protocols and recruiting participants or patients.
- Interpret NIBS data to make well-justified inferences and conclusions.
- Perform basic procedures of NIBS.