Université libre de Bruxelles: A university at the heart of Europe

With more than one third of international students and researchers, over 650 partnerships worldwide and six Erasmus Mundus programmes, ULB stands out as a firmly European university and a major actor within the European Higher Education and Research Areas.

ULB, a university committed to European integration

Founded in 1964, the Institute for European Studies (IEE-ULB) trains each year numerous experts in European studies across a range of disciplines (law, economics, political science) or through an interdisciplinary approach. The Institute was designed as a reflection of the European integration, evolving alongside it.

This commitment to European integration is also visible in the diverse career paths pursued by our alumni across disciplines as illustrated by the book “50 parcours pour construire l’Europe” (“50 paths to build Europe”), which traces the journey of fifty ULB alumni who have made significant contributions to the European project. This commitment continues today through the university’s mission to provide critical education on the challenges facing the European Union.

Our role as a university is to provide information and critical insight into the challenges currently facing the European Union (…). We obviously have an important role to play in raising awareness of the values of the European Union, which are crucial in today's world. Anne Weyembergh, Vice-Rector for External Relations and Cooperation

European funding: ULB confirms its pioneering role

As an interdisciplinary and international university, ULB successfully participates in the many European funding calls. In the field of research, many ULB researchers coordinate scientific projects under the European Union’s current Framework Programme, Horizon Europe. As of 1 February 2026, 63 current or former ULB researchers have been awarded grants by the highly selective European Research Council (ERC). Likewise, ULB’s research teams are involved in numerous European collaborative projects, whether as coordinators or partners.

From an education perspective, ULB is also strongly engaged in the Erasmus+ programme, both in terms of mobility and in terms of international cooperation. In addition to student exchanges, our university is also involved in the programme’s cooperation and educational innovation strands: as of 1 February 2026, the University takes part in six Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, which, thanks to their European and international scope, are a key driver of its internationalisation strategy.

The CIVIS alliance, funded primarily by the Erasmus+ programme, also plays a crucial role in ULB’s contribution to the European Higher Education Area. CIVIS provides a dedicated framework enabling ULB and its 16 partners to apply for other European calls. The alliance has therefore made it possible to develop ambitious projects, including:

The SMARTT project: an innovative project aiming at analysing, testing and piloting the new European Degree label criteria.
The Jean Monnet PolyCIVIS network: composed of 21 universities, this Euro-African collaboration aims to foster a better interdisciplinary understanding of polycrises. It covers research, teaching and policy engagement.
TRACEE: a new master’s programme in Transdisciplinary studies of climate, environment and energy, delivered jointly by 11 CIVIS universities.

CIVIS is part of the first generation of alliances funded by the European Commission in 2019. Together with a few other universities, we truly played a pioneering role in this area and contributed to the debate on the European Higher Education Area. Anne Weyembergh

Furthermore, ULB actively participates in discussions on the future of European policies in education, research and innovation. It is a member, among others, of several European and international networks such as UNICA, the European University Association (EUA), and the informal UnILiON network.