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Brussels-Capital Region

ULB actively promotes the economic, social, and cultural development of the Brussels-Capital Region.

The university plays a major role as a source of technological innovation, including through various regional programmes involving external partners (private businesses, non-profits, etc.). Using funds from the Brussels Institute for Research and Innovation (INNOVIRIS) and the ERDF 2021-2027, ULB plays an active part in research projects that impact the city of Brussels. ULB takes part in the following research programmes:

Applied PhD

The Applied PhD programme supports PhD projects carried out in collaboration with a business or an administrative authority located in the Brussels Region.

Brains for Brussels

The aim of the Brains for Brussels programme is to encourage high-level researchers, currently working abroad or in the private sector, to carry out pioneering research relevant to the Brussels-Capital Region, where the results will be exploited.

Co-Creation

The Co-Create programme is based on participatory research and societal innovation. It supports research and experimental development (R&D) projects carried out in co-creation with agents of change, with a view to meeting the challenges of societal transitions for the sustainable development of the Brussels-Capital Region.

FEDER

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the European Structural Funds. The aim of this funding is to improve economic and social cohesion in the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.

Prospective Research

The Prospective Research programme supports academic research projects designed to help the Brussels Region build a solid forward-looking vision of the major social issues it will have to tackle. The projects in this programme explore the urban complexity of Brussels and aim to use the results of the research to benefit society.

Research Platforms

The Research Platforms programme supports disruptive, collaborative and multidisciplinary research projects between the research units of distinct institutions representative of the industrial sector and the non-profit and/or institutional sector in Brussels, in order to anticipate major developments and/or socio-technical needs in strategic areas for the Brussels Region.

Other programmes

Proof of Concept - This programme supports short-term projects aimed at proving an innovation concept stemming from a research project.
Spin-off - This programme supports the creation of new businesses in the Brussels-Capital Region, with the aim of making economic use of the results of scientific research.
Joint R&D Project - This programme encourages collaboration between academia and industry. It allows businesses to adopt the latest innovations and provides researchers with practical cases to which they can apply their discoveries. The theme of the call for projects changes every year.
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