Research

Research is closely linked to education and one of the principal activities of a university. It is the daily profession and passion of involved and responsible men and women at UCL. Both on the short and long term, research is one of the best economical, social and cultural investments. Together with education and healthcare, financing research should therefore be one of the principal concerns of a sophisticated society.

It is through being part of an international network and the high quality of its numerous publications that a great, modern university can show its excellence in the field of research. UCL holds a top position in numerous framework programmes of the European Union. On a more local level, the institution participates very actively in research programmes of the Belgian government and supports the development of the regions in which it based or active.

Research performed at UCL has given birth to a number of spin-off firms, such as Ion Beam Applications (IBA), a world-wide leader in the field of construction of small cyclotrons for medical and industrial use. Other examples of successful spin-offs are Xylowatt, a company that uses a UCL-developed method to create energy by gasification of waste wood, and Alterface, creator of interactive multimedia systems based on software that reconstructs digital video images.