Botanic Garden Meise is a centre of excellence for science and horticulture. The gardens are responsible for safeguarding the heritage of the past and for providing a legacy for the future. Not only beautiful plant collections, but also historic buildings, one of the largest herbaria in the world and a botanical library of international repute are being managed.

The mission of the botanic gardens is educative, botanical and ecological. They constitute invaluable tool in the management and conservation of biological diversity and as such build towards a sustainable future through discovery, research and conservation of plants.

The de Duve Institute is an  autonomous multidisciplinary biomedical research institute hosting several laboratories of the faculty of medicine of UCL (Université catholique de Louvain), as well as the Brussels branch of the Ludwig Institute.

Research at the de Duve Institute is based on the following principles: 1) priority to basic research and to the freedom of the investigators, 2) special attention to the medical benefits potentially resulting from basic discoveries, 3) multidisciplinary collaboration within a critical mass of competences.

The Flanders research institute for agriculture, fisheries and food (ILVO) performs multidisciplinary, innovative and independent research aimed at economically, ecologically and socially sustainable agriculture and fisheries.

Through this research, ILVO accumulates fundamental and applied knowledge which is vital for the improvement of products and production methods for quality control and the safety of end products, and for the amelioration of policy instruments as a foundation for sector development and agricultural policy for rural areas.

Imec is the world-leading R&D and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies. As a trusted partner for companies, start-ups and academia they bring together brilliant minds from all over the world in a creative and stimulating environment. By leveraging world-class infrastructure and local and global ecosystem of diverse partners across a multitude of industries, progress towards a connected, sustainable future is accelerated.

Imec focusses on Smart Mobility (making connected, driverless cars a reality), Smart Health (bringing advanced diagnostics and precision medicine within everyone’s reach), Smart Industries (empowering companies to ride the wave of the 4th Industrial Revolution), Smart Energy (creating a greener and more sustainable future), Smart Cities and Smart Education.  

The Institute of Tropical Medicine is an internationally renowned institute located in Antwerp. ITM conducts, within a coherent academic triad, fundamental, translational and applied scientific research; delivers advanced education and training; and provides medical, scientific and societal expert services.

Scientists from ITM carry out research in laboratories and in the field, in collaboration with partners in Africa, Asia and Latin-America. ITM’s doctors and nurses offer travel advice, vaccinations and medical care tailored to the individual patient, treating imported diseases, HIV and STDs.

SCK•CEN is one of the largest research institutions in Belgium. As a foundation of public utility, the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre conducts ground-breaking research into nuclear energy and ionising radiation for civilian use, and develops nuclear technologies for socially valuable purposes. This is achieved by means of independent, fundamental and applied research, and by providing advice, training, services and products.

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre aims to be a leading research institution and a centre of excellence at an international level. Driven by inspired scientists and engineers, in combination with a unique infrastructure, they strive to develop innovative technologies that provide solutions for the social issues and requirements in the field of nuclear energy and ionising radiation. Safety and durability are always the key priorities.

VITO is a leading international research and consulting centre. Its research agenda focuses on today’s major social challenges: climate change, food security, raw materials scarcity, a sustainable energy supply and an ageing population. In this way, VITO supports not only the future vision of Flanders but also the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The mission of VITO is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. The institute aims to reduce the risk of innovation for companies and strengthen the economic and social fabric of Flanders with interdisciplinary research and large-scale demonstrators.

The Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) promotes accumulation of marine knowledge and excellence in marine research in Flanders. The marine research areas are the ocean and seas, the coast and the tidal systems. The target groups for knowledge accumulation are the marine research community as well as educational institutions, the general public, policymakers and the industry (within the scope of the blue economy).

VLIZ serves as a national and international point of contact in the field of marine research. The institute also supports and accommodates several international organisations on behalf of the Flemish government. VLIZ manages the Simon Stevin, a marine research vessel equipped with marine robots as well as other research equipment. The institute develops data systems, products, technologies and infrastructure and also manages an extensive collection of marine scientific literature in Flanders. In addition, VLIZ initiates and conducts innovative and multidisciplinary research in collaboration with and complementary to the Flemish and international marine research groups.

The Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) developments and manages High Performance Computer Infrastructure used for research and innovation. The centre is managed by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) in partnership with the five Flemish university associations. The VSC is internationally connected through European projects such as PRACE and EGI.

The VSC infrastructure consists of two layers in the European multi-layer model for an integrated HPC infrastructure. Local clusters (Tier-2) at the Flemish universities are responsible for processing the mass of smaller computational tasks and provide a solid base for the HPC ecosystem. A larger central supercomputer (Tier-1) is necessary for more complicated calculations while simultaneously serving as a bridge to infrastructures at a European level.

The VSC assists researchers active in academic institutions and also the industry when using HPC through training programs and targeted advice. In addition, the VSC also works on raising awareness of the added value HPC can offer both in academic research and in industrial applications.