Leuven has been a centre of knowledge creation for many decades. The city houses one of the world’s oldest universities. The research centres from the K.U.Leuven, the University Hospital Gasthuisberg and the research institute for nanotechnology and nano-electronics IMEC belong to the European and global top in their domains. Several groundbreaking inventions originated in Leuven.

In this millennium, knowledge is the driving force behind prosperity and well-being. Leuven has some knowledge institutions with world acclaim. In numerous highly-advanced research domains, the K.U.Leuven and the University Hospital Gasthuisberg belong to the European top league. IMEC is one of the world’s leading research centres for microelectronics and nanotechnology. For the past twenty years, several large international companies have found a base around these leading knowledge centres. As such, Leuven is in a privileged position to embrace the challenges of the 21st-century knowledge economy.

In 2003, the K.U.Leuven and IMEC spent over 350 million euro on research. Knowledge creation and groundbreaking research are key elements in the Leuven region. IMEC conducts scientific research that is 3 to 10 years ahead of the industrial needs. At the K.U.Leuven, the Research Coordination Office and the Research Board guarantee thorough and exhaustive scientific research that receives international recognition. What’s more, IMEC and K.U.Leuven Research & Development promote the transfer of knowledge and technology from the university to the business world. Contract research for industry, spin-offs, and efficient management and anchoring of the intellectual property in Flanders are the key concepts.

• K.U.Leuven and UZ Gasthuisberg belong to the top 25 of European research centres
• IMEC is the largest European independent research centre for micro-electronics and nanotechnology
• Over 350 million euro is spent on research in the Leuven knowledge region
• 150 patent applications per year
• More than 5,000 publications in international scientific journals and conference readers