Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

KU Leuven boasts a rich tradition of education and research that dates back six centuries and received the European HR Excellence in Research Award based on its current policy and a comprehensive action plan. The university’s basic research orientation has always been and will remain fundamental research. At the same time, the university remains vigilantly open to contemporary cultural, economic and industrial realities, as well as to the community’s needs and expectations. From a basis of social responsibility and scientific expertise, KU Leuven provides high-quality, comprehensive health care, including specialised tertiary care, in its University Hospitals. In doing so it strives toward optimum accessibility and respect for all patients.

KU Leuven is currently by far the largest university in Belgium in terms of research funding and expenditure (EUR 782 million in 2025), and is a charter member of LERU. KU Leuven conducts fundamental and applied research in all academic disciplines with a clear international orientation. In the Times Higher Education 2026 ranking KU Leuven is ranked 46th and thereby the 11th European university.

Not including University Hospitals Leuven (the network of KU Leuven university hospitals), as of 2025 KU Leuven employs 13655 people, including 8126 researchers. To strengthen international collaboration, KU Leuven has its own international research fellowship programme and supports international scholars in international funding applications.

KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD) is the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) of KU Leuven. It guides the university’s scientists in putting their research results at the service of society, economy and the environment. This resulted - in 2025 alone - in 3142 new collaboration agreements with industry and other stakeholders, in 102 new patents and in a license income of 152,6 million euros. Also in 2025, 10 spin-off companies were launched, bringing the total number of spin-offs founded at KU Leuven to 199.

In Horizon Europe, KU Leuven takes the lead as the institution of higher education (HES ranking) with the highest number of signed contracts (560) and awarded EU contribution (336,2 million euro).

KU Leuven is the lead university participant in the MSCA programme (117 Doctoral Networks, coordinating 40). It is the 10th university in the ERC programme with regard to EU contribution (106 million euro, acting as the host institution in 65 grants including PoC). KU Leuven is also the lead university participant in HE Pillar 2 with 219 projects of which 36 in a coordinating role, with a total worth of 139,5 million euro.