Wallonia

At the end of the 1990s, ULB founded its Institute of Molecular Biology and Medicine (IBMM) in Charleroi, where it directly employs 300 workers. In partnership with the European Union, Wallonia and its private partners developed the Biopark Charleroi Brussels South around the IBMM, which is home to two new research institutes: the Institute for Medical Immunology (IMI) and the Center for Microscopy and Molecular Imaging (CMMI).

ULB also set up a business incubator (Biopark Incubator) on the Biopark, as well as a biotechnology training unit (Biopark Formation). Others were soon to join the Biopark: a certified Research Centre (ImmuneHealth), a series of ULB spin-offs, and a range of other companies.

The Biopark also provides all of the functions of a cutting edge technology park: academic research, technology transfer, business development and incubation, and training. Today it employs 600 people (biotechnologists, biologists, chemists, doctors, technicians, sales and administrative staff, etc.). It is also used as an example of the effective use of European and regional development funds.

ULB also adheres to the Marshall Plan 2.Vert with its six competition clusters that aim to stimulate the regional economy and its international appeal by promoting connections between private and public partners in sectors with high growth potential, and that possess the necessary academic and industrial clout to carve out a place on the international market.

Furthermore, the University takes part in a number of other regional research projects, in sectors as varied as biotechnology, the environment, new materials, information technology, archaeology, employment, etc. It also offers its expertise in these fields to a range of audiences: local or regional authorities, big business, SME, etc.

ULB also plays a role in disseminating scientific knowledge in Wallonia, especially through two museums: the Centre de culture scientifique (Charleroi-Parentville) and the Ecomusée du Viroin (Treignes).