Science and technology in Flanders, being the

Flemish Community The Flemish Community ( nl, Vlaamse Gemeenschap ; french: Communauté flamande ; german: Flämische Gemeinschaft ) is one of the three institutional communities of Belgium, established by the Belgian constitution and having legal responsibilitie ...

and more specifically the northern region of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

(

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

), is well developed with the presence of several

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and research institutes. These are strongly spread over all Flemish cities, from

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

and

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

in the Western side, over

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

as a major university center alongside

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...

and

Diepenbeek Diepenbeek (; li, Diepenbik) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. On January 1, 2012, Diepenbeek had a total population of 18,337. Its total area is 41.19 km² (15.9 sq mi) which gives a population dens ...

in the Eastern side.

Institutes of higher education in the Flemish community

Universities

Six Flemish universities issue academic bachelor, master and doctoral degrees on a broad range of disciplines: *

University of Antwerp The University of Antwerp ( nl, Universiteit Antwerpen) is a major Belgian university located in the city of Antwerp. The official abbreviation is ''UA'', but ''UAntwerpen'' is more recently used. The University of Antwerp has about 20,000 stud ...

('UA'),

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

* Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel ('HUB'),

(former Katholieke Universiteit Brussel) *

Vrije Universiteit Brussel The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking research university located in Brussels, Belgium.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the Flemish Community, Flemish gov ...

, ('VUB')

Ghent University Ghent University ( nl, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. Established before the state of Belgium itself, the university was founded by the Dutch King William I in 1817, when the ...

('UGent'),

Hasselt University Hasselt University (Dutch: ''Universiteit Hasselt or UHasselt'') is a public research university with campuses in Hasselt and Diepenbeek, Belgium. It has more than 6,700 students and 1,660 academic, administrative and technical staff (2022). The ...

KU Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, ...

and

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Campus Kortrijk The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven associatie Kortrijk (Catholic University of Leuven Campus Kortrijk), or short Kulak is a university satellite campus of the KU Leuven in the city of Kortrijk (Courtrai) in the Belgian province of West Flanders an ...

As a result of an international treaty between the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, a co-operation between the Universiteit Hasselt (Flanders) and the

Maastricht University Maastricht University (abbreviated as UM; nl, Universiteit Maastricht) is a public research university in Maastricht, Netherlands. Founded in 1976, it is the second youngest of the thirteen Dutch universities. In 2021, 22,383 students studied at ...

(the Netherlands) is recognised as the *

Transnational University Limburg The transnationale Universiteit Limburg (abbreviation tUL and translation in English is: 'transnational University Limburg') is based in Belgium and the Netherlands. The tUL was founded together by both the Universiteit Maastricht and the Limburgs ...

According to the

Webometrics Ranking of World Universities The Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of Universities, is a ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web content (number of web pages ...

and the

THES - QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

,THES - QS World University Rankings 2007
QS Education Trust. Retrieved on January 16, 2007 four Flemish universities (Universiteit Antwerpen, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Universiteit Gent and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) are among the top-150 universities in Europe and top-300 universities worldwide.

University colleges

All recognised Flemish university colleges are associated with a Flemish university. The following colleges, which issue professional bachelor, academic bachelor's and master's degrees, are recognised by the Flemish government:

Antwerp University Association The Antwerp University Association (in ''Dutch'': Associatie Universiteit & Hogescholen Antwerpen or AUHA) is a Belgian association for higher education, with members located primarily in Antwerp. The leading institute is the University of Antwerp. ...

: University Colleges associated with the

Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen AP or in full Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp ( nl, Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen), founded in 1995, is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the city of Antwerp (population range of ...

(

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Merksem Merksem (; former spelling: ''Merxem'') is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has 44,808 inhabitants as of 2021. History The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that perio ...

, Lier,

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

Turnhout Turnhout () is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality and city located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. ...

), public *

Hogere Zeevaartschool Antwerpen The Antwerp Maritime Academy (''Dutch'': Hogere Zeevaartschool Antwerpen; ''French'': École supérieure de navigation d'Anvers) is a university college in Belgium, located in the north of Antwerp. The academy trains future officers of the Merch ...

(Antwerp), public *

Karel de Grote-Hogeschool Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts () is a Roman Catholic higher educational institution in Antwerp, Belgium. The school was founded after a merger of thirteen educational institutions in Antwerp in 1995. It was named after Ch ...

(Antwerp), catholic *

Plantijn Hogeschool AP or in full Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp ( nl, Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen), founded in 1995, is a non-profit public higher education institution located in the urban setting of the city of Antwerp (population range of ...

(Antwerpen,

Boom Boom may refer to: Objects * Boom (containment), a temporary floating barrier used to contain an oil spill * Boom (navigational barrier), an obstacle used to control or block marine navigation * Boom (sailing), a sailboat part * Boom (windsurfi ...

), public

Ghent University Association The Ghent University Association (AUGent) is an association between four institutes for higher education in East and West Flanders, Belgium: * Ghent University * Hogeschool Gent * Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen * Artevelde University of Applied Scienc ...

: University Colleges associated with

* Arteveldehogeschool (

), catholic *

Hogeschool Gent University College Ghent ( nl, Hogeschool Gent), commonly known as HoGent, is the largest university college in Flanders, with three faculties, one School of Arts and over 17,000 students as of 2022.

(Ghent, Aalst,

Melle Melle may refer to: People * Basil Melle (1891–1966), South African cricketer * Gil Mellé (1931–2004), American artist, jazz musician and film composer * John van Melle (1887–1953), Dutch-born South African author * Melle Mel (born 19 ...

), public *

Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen Howest, de Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen (English: ''Howest University of Applied Sciences''), abbreviated as HOWEST, is a university of applied sciences in West Flanders, a province of Belgium with five campuses situated in Bruges and Kortrijk Kor ...

(

), public University Association Brussels: University Colleges associated with

Erasmushogeschool Brussel The Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Dutch: ''Erasmushogeschool Brussel'') is an institute of higher education based in Brussels, Belgium. Like the EU student exchange programme ERASMUS, EhB is named after the humanistic ...

(

), public

KU Leuven Association The KU Leuven Association ( nl, Associatie KU Leuven) is a large Belgian association for higher education. The leading institute is the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. Introduction The association has thirteen founding members which are main unive ...

: University Colleges associated with

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

* Groep T Hogeschool (

), catholic * Hogeschool-Universiteit Brussel (Brussels), catholic *

Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel, based in the Schaerbeek municipality of Brussels, Belgium, is an independent flemish art school. It is a predominantly Dutch-speaking institution located on the Paleizenstraat/Rue de Palais, and at another site, withi ...

(Brussels), catholic * Hogeschool voor Kunsten en Architectuur (Brussels, Ghent, Leuven,

Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...

), catholic *

Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge-Oostende Katholieke Hogeschool Brugge Oostende (KHBO) was a college for higher education in Belgium which was founded in the 1990s. It was the result of a merger between two colleges from Ostend and three colleges from Bruges. In 2013, KHBO merged with KATH ...

(Bruges,

Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...

), catholic *

Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen The Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen (KH Kempen, KHK) was a university college where students could obtain a professional bachelor's degree (3 year education) in several domains. There was also the opportunity to study for a master's degree in engineeri ...

(

Geel Geel () is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, which acquired city status in the 1980s. It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns: Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum. Further on around the cen ...

, Lier, Turnhout,

Vorselaar Vorselaar () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Vorselaar proper. In 2021, Vorselaar had a total population of 7,995. The total area is 27.62 km2. Famous inhabitants * ...

), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Leuven (Leuven,

Diest Diest () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around ...

), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg (

, Genk), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Mechelen (Mechelen), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Sint-Lieven (Ghent, Aalst,

Sint-Niklaas Sint-Niklaas (; french: Saint-Nicolas, ) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and . Sint-Nikl ...

), catholic *

Katholieke Hogeschool Zuid-West-Vlaanderen The Katholieke Hogeschool Zuid-West-Vlaanderen or KATHO was a university college in West Flanders. It had four campuses: Kortrijk, Roeselare, Tielt and Torhout. Since September 1, 2002, KATHO was a member of the K.U.Leuven Association. In 2013, KAT ...

, (Kortrijk,

Roeselare Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke. The ...

Tielt Tielt (; french: Thielt) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Tielt proper and the villages of Aarsele, Kanegem, and Schuiferskapelle. History Some traces of Gallo-Roman occu ...

Torhout Torhout (; french: Thourout; vls, Toeroet) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Torhout proper, the villages of Wijnendale and Sint-Henricus, and the hamlet of De Dri ...

), catholic *

Lessius Hogeschool Lessius was a university college in Belgium named after the Jesuit economist Leonardus Lessius. It was founded in 2000 from the merger of two Catholic institutions of higher education in the city of Antwerp, and was later joined by another const ...

(Antwerp,

Sint-Katelijne-Waver Sint-Katelijne-Waver (, old spelling: ''Kathelijne-Waver''; french: Wavre-Sainte-Catherine, ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver and Sint-Katelijne-Waver ...

), catholic Limburg University Association: University Colleges associated with

* Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg (Hasselt, Diepenbeek), public * XIOS Hogeschool Limburg (Diepenbeek, Hasselt), public

Registered institutes of higher education

Finally, the Flemish government has recognised a number of "registered" institutes of higher education, which mostly issue specialised degrees or provide education mainly in a foreign language: *

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

(

): postgraduate degree in European studies * Continental Theological Seminary ( Sint-Pieters-Leeuw) * Evangelical Theological Faculty (

): BA, MA and PhD studies on theology * Brussels Faculty for Protestant Theology (

): BA, MA and PhD studies on theology * Flanders Business School (

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

) *

Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine The Institute of Tropical Medicine ( nl, Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde, ITG; french: Institut de médecine tropicale, or IMT), officially known as Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine, is one of the world's leading institutes for ...

(Antwerp), postgraduate degrees taught in French and English *

Vesalius College Vesalius College, also known commonly as VeCo, is a college situated in the heart of Brussels, Belgium. The college is operated in association with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. It is named after Andreas Vesalius, one of the first and foremost pi ...

(Brussels) *

Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School Vlerick Business School ("Vlerick") is a Belgian business school with campuses in Ghent, Leuven and Brussels. It is a result of a merger of the MBA programmes of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and of the ''Instituut Professor Vlerick voor Ma ...

(

): MBA and other management degrees taught in English and Dutch.

Technology funding

The following institutions provide various forms of public funding for research and development: *

Institute for the promotion of Innovation by Science and Technology The Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology was a Flemish agency between 1991 and 2015. It was an externally autonomized agency of the Flemish Government, in charge of innovation policy in Flanders and located in the Ellipse-Building in Brus ...

(IWT) *

Flemish Council for Science Policy Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

(VRWB)

Technology institutes

is home to several science and technology institutes. *

Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) is an international research & development organization, active in the fields of nanoelectronics and digital technologies, with headquarters in Belgium. Luc Van den hove has served as President and ...

(IMEC) * Flanders District of Creativity (Flanders DC) *

Flanders DRIVE Flanders’ DRIVE is a Flemish non-profit organization. The aim of the organization is to support the vehicle suppliers with know-how through the Flanders’ DRIVE Network, and to provide infrastructure for the automotive industry through the Flan ...

Flanders Institute for Logistics The Flanders Institute for Logistics ( nl, Vlaams Instituut voor de Logistiek; VIL) is a Flemish non-profit organization, founded in 2003 by the Flemish government. The VIL supports and enhances the competitiveness of the logistics sector in Flander ...

(VIL) * Flanders' Mechatronics Technology Centre (FMTC) *Flanders Multimedia Valley *

Flemish Innovation Center for Graphic Communication Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

Interdisciplinary institute for BroadBand Technology iMinds (formerly IBBT) was a Flemish non-profit organization, founded by the Flemish Government. It was founded as a research institute, with a focus on information & communication technology ( ICT) in general, and applications of broadband techn ...

(IBBT) *

Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology VIB is a research institute located in Flanders, Belgium. It was founded by the Flemish government in 1995, and became a full-fledged institute on 1 January 1996. The main objective of VIB is to strengthen the excellence of Flemish life sciences r ...

(VIB) *

Flemish Institute for Technological Research The Flemish institute for technological research ( nl, Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek or VITO), is an independent Flemish research organisation that provides scientific advice and technological innovations that facilitate the transi ...

(VITO) * Technopolis *

Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics The von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics (VKI) is a non-profit educational and scientific organization which specializes in three specific fields: aeronautics and aerospace, environment and applied fluid dynamics, turbomachinery and propulsi ...

* Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde

Science parks

Several

science park A science park (also called a "university research park", "technology park”, "technopark", “technopole", or a "science and technology park" (STP)) is defined as being a property-based development that accommodates and fosters the growt ...

s associated with the universities are spread over Flanders: *

Arenberg Research-Park The Arenberg Research-Park is a science park founded by the KU Leuven in 2004. The science park is in the immediate vicinity of the Arenberg campus of the university in Heverlee (Belgium), UZ Leuven campus Gasthuisberg and IMEC. The park is 13 hec ...

Greenbridge science park The Ostend Science Park is a business incubator and science park of located on the Plassendale site in Ostend (Belgium). The site is aimed towards research and development in the Blue Economy. History Due to the expansion of the incubator at the Z ...

Haasrode Research-Park The Haasrode Research-Park business and research park in Heverlee (Leuven, Belgium) with a total area of 136 hectares (336 acres), accommodates dozens of high-technology businesses, employing well over 5,000 people in total. International compan ...

* Innotek *Limburg Science Park *Waterfront Researchpark *

Zwijnaarde science park The Zwijnaarde science park is a science park of Ghent University, located in Zwijnaarde near Ghent (Belgium). The science park has an area of 52 hectare (ha) and comprises the Ardoyen campus (30 ha) of the University of Ghent and the Ardoyen scien ...

References

External links

Flemish Science Policy Council

Presentation of R&D policies in Belgium (European Commission website, ERAWATCH)

Presentation of innovation policies in Belgium (European Commission website, ProInno TrendChart for Innovation)

Flanders' Mechatronics Technology Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Science And Technology In Flanders Flanders Science and technology in Belgium Economy of Belgium

Institutes of higher education in the Flemish community

Universities

University colleges

Registered institutes of higher education

Technology funding

Technology institutes

Science parks

See also

References

External links