Issue
Science and innovation are at the heart of government strategy for promoting prosperity and growth. Research and knowledge is increasingly developed and transferred through international collaboration which provides opportunities to work with the best in the world, exchange students and researchers, and gain access to large scale international facilities; leading to mutual benefits for the UK and Belgium.
Actions
To promote international collaboration the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office jointly fund the UK Science and Innovation Network (SIN), based in 28 countries around the world.
SIN Netherlands works to the following global objectives:
influence science and innovation policies of the Belgian government, industry and academia to benefit the UK
improve UK policy based on international experience and emerging opportunities and challenges in Belgium
stimulate strategic science collaborations with Belgium to benefit the UK and deliver wider policy goals
harness Belgian international technology partnerships and investment to grow UK innovation capability
Science and Innovation in Belgium
Belgium as a whole spent Euro 8.2 billion or 2.21% of GDP on R&D in 2011, of which 69% from the private sector, well above the 2.03% EU average, The science base and research capacity in Belgium is internationally competitive. Key national strengths are biotechnologies, life sciences, ICT, electronics, environmental research and logistics. Belgium also has particular strengths in manufacturing and services innovation, and social innovation is a new priority.
Top three Belgian Universities in the 2012-2013 rankings of Times Higher Education are the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (40th worldwide in engineering and technology, 45th worldwide in clinical and health), the University of Ghent (48th worldwide in life sciences) and the Université Catholique de Louvain (164th worldwide, 69th Europe). Internationally outstanding research institutes in Belgium are IMEC in Leuven for micro-electronics, VIB in Ghent for biotechnology and VITO in Mol for environmental research. IMEC and the University of Leuven (Flanders) are part of the Aachen (GE) – Eindhoven (NL) – Leuven (BE) triangle for micro-electronics.
SIN Belgium Reports and Recent Successes
September 2013: Launch of University of Wolverhampton Office in Brussels
SIN Belgium supported the launch of the University of Wolverhampton Europe Office in Brussels, which was hosted at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Brussels. By establishing a Brussels Office the University of Wolverhampton hopes to be at the heart of the political decision-making process, collaborating closely with other European academic institutes and businesses. The event was well attended by representatives from academic, research institutions, businesses, EU policy-making and public bodies and contributed to establishing solid relationships with EU and Belgian organisations.
September 2013: British Ambassador Jonathan Brenton blogs on Innovation
British Ambassador Jonathan Brenton explains why research and innovation are vital to UK prosperity, and sets out what the Government is doing to support it in his blog in ‘the Bulletin’, a magazine that goes out widely to the expat community in Brussels.
May 2013: Science|Business event on Big Data hosted by the British Ambassador
SIN Belgium supported a major event on Big Data organised by ‘Science|Business’ and hosted by the British Ambassador Jonathan Brenton. It proved an excellent opportunity for participants from the worlds of policy-making, academia and industry to discuss the way in which big data applications/e-infrastructure can stimulate a new wave of economic/social progress and barriers to implementation.
November 2012: Innovation Roundtable hosted David Willetts, UK Minster for Universities and Science
SIN Belgium organised a roundtable-discussion on ‘Innovation for Growth: the role of universities research and industry in supporting competitiveness’ hosted by UK Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts. The event involved a wide range of participants including high-level representatives of major Belgian and UK investors in R&D (UCB, GSK, Shell, BP, MDx, Health), Belgian funding bodies IWT, Belspo) and leading Belgian Universities and Research Institutes (Leuven, Brussels, Antwerp, Ghent, IBBT) as well as Kent University. Mr. Willetts discussed the Government’s strategy on supporting university-based research in the UK through protecting the national science budget. On innovation, Mr. Willetts outlined the Government’s investments in the Catapult Centres and the new Industrial Strategy for Life Sciences.
Opportunities
The S&I Network in Belgium focuses on the key strategic sectors Life Sciences and Health, ICT, Environmental Sustainability, Micro-electronics and Creative Industries. This is not an exclusive list, and we also have an interest in emerging technologies or areas where complementary skills exist.
If you are a researcher wishing to work inside or outside of the UK, you might be interest in: Euraxess British Council.
Contact details for SIN Belgium team
To contact us, send an email to liesbeth.bouwhuis@fco.gov.uk and / or sara.gill@fco.gov.uk of the SIN Belgium team.