Science and technology in Flanders, being the Flemish Community 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 ...

(

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

), 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. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

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 and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. It is the capital and larges ...

and

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Scienc ...

in the Western side, over

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

as a major university center alongside Antwerp,

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 status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. Th ...

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 ...

and Diepenbeek 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 stu ...

('UA'), Antwerp * 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 government. listof all ...

, ('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, whe ...

('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). ...

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, l ...

and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Campus Kortrijk,

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 cultu ...

, a co-operation between the Universiteit Hasselt (Flanders) and the Maastricht University (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 page ...

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 Antwer ...

: University Colleges associated with the

* Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen ( Antwerp, Merksem, 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 Belgian municipality and city located in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the city of Turnhout proper. In 2021, Turnhout had a total population of 45,874. The total area is . The agglomeration, how ...

), 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 Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital ...

(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), 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 ...

: University Colleges associated with

* Arteveldehogeschool (

), catholic * Hogeschool Gent (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 ...

), public * Hogeschool West-Vlaanderen (

), public

University Association Brussels A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', whic ...

: 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: University Colleges associated with Katholieke Universiteit Leuven * 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 ...

(Brussels), catholic *

Hogeschool voor Kunsten en Architectuur A university of applied sciences (UAS), nowadays much less commonly called a polytechnic university or vocational university, is an institution of higher education and sometimes research that provides vocational education and grants academic de ...

(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 K ...

(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 Mariake ...

), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Kempen ( Geel, 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 * C ...

), 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 aroun ...

), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg ( Diepenbeek,

, 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-N ...

), catholic * Katholieke Hogeschool Zuid-West-Vlaanderen, (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. ...

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 oc ...

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 ...

), catholic * Lessius Hogeschool (Antwerp, Sint-Katelijne-Waver), catholic

Limburg University Association Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

: 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 The Faculty of Protestant Theology in Brussels (FUTP), in Brussels, Belgium, is a private university. Its official languages are French and Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Du ...

(

): BA, MA and PhD studies on theology *

Flanders Business School Flanders (, ; Dutch language, Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Dutch language, Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, in ...

( Antwerp) * Prince Leopold Institute of Tropical Medicine (Antwerp), postgraduate degrees taught in French and English * Vesalius College (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 (IWT) * Flemish Council for Science Policy (VRWB)

Technology institutes

is home to several science and technology institutes. * Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) *

Flanders District of Creativity Flanders District of Creativity or Flanders DC is a non-profit organization founded by the Flemish government, on 7 May 2004, centered around the design and fashion sector. Goals * Research: analysis of the role of creativity in the economic grow ...

(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 Fla ...

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 Flan ...

(VIL) * Flanders' Mechatronics Technology Centre (FMTC) *Flanders Multimedia Valley * Flemish Innovation Center for Graphic Communication *

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 tech ...

(IBBT) * Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) * Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) *

Technopolis Technopolis or variants may refer to: *Technopolis or Technology Park are synonyms for science park *Technopolis (Belgium), a Flemish science center and activity museum in Mechelen, Belgium *Technopolis (Gazi), a City of Athens enterprise to protec ...

* Von Karman Institute for Fluid Dynamics * 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 ...

* Greenbridge science park * Haasrode Research-Park * Innotek *Limburg Science Park *Waterfront Researchpark * Zwijnaarde science park

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