Catholic University of Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KU Leuven) - private nonprofit higher education institution in Belgium.

Catholic University of Leuven - Description

Situated in Belgium, in the heart of Western Europe, KU Leuven has been a centre of learning for nearly six centuries. Today, it is Belgium's largest and highest-ranked university and, founded in 1425, one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), KU Leuven offers a wide variety of international bachelor and master’s programmes, all supported by high-quality, innovative, interdisciplinary research. Since its founding, KU Leuven has been based in the city that shares its name. Leuven is a pleasant, safe and bustling student town, where centuries-rich history meets cutting-edge science. The university also offers degree programmes at campuses in 11 Belgian cities, including Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp. Situated in Belgium, in the heart of Western Europe, KU Leuven has been a centre of learning for nearly six centuries. Today, it is Belgium's largest and highest-ranked university and, founded in 1425, one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe. As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), KU Leuven offers a wide variety of international bachelor and master’s programmes, all supported by high-quality, innovative, interdisciplinary research. Since its founding, KU Leuven has been based in the city that shares its name. Leuven is a pleasant, safe and bustling student town, where centuries-rich history meets cutting-edge science. In October 2013 KU Leuven merged with academic university colleges. The university also offers degree programmes at campuses in 11 Belgian cities, including Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp. KU Leuven (University of Leuven), founded in 1425, is Belgium’s largest university. As a leading European research university, it offers a wide variety of academic programmes in Dutch and English (some 70 master programmes are taught in English), supported by high-quality interdisciplinary research, both in the university and in its internationally recognised university hospitals. More than 6500 researchers, from over 120 countries, participate in curiosity-driven and strategic frontier research, as well as targeted and demand-driven research. The university’s interaction and co-operation with external partners is very intense. As a comprehensive university, KU Leuven offers three-year bachelor and one- or two- year academic master’s programmes in almost all disciplines. The Leuven Doctoral Schools organise the international PhD tracks of over 4500 doctoral students. Leuven is a typical European and historical university city, with a multicultural and vibrant student community. Education KU Leuven offers a high quality, student oriented and international education. KU Leuven degrees offer a competitive advantage as they are highly valued throughout the world. Study programmes are research-based and organised within an innovative interdisciplinary framework, thus enabling students to adopt a critical, research and innovation-oriented attitude. The study programmes are flexible and use state-of-the-art ICT tools. The ECTS quality label guarantees that all credits obtained are transparent and fully transferable.The number of international students at KU Leuven has been rising steadily over the last few years, reaching the 8000 mark in 2013 with over 140 nationalities represented (data as before the integration of the University Colleges in October 2013). Some 70 master programmes are taught in English, while PhD students are working in highly internationally composed research departments, mostly in a multilingual environment. Research KU Leuven has a rich tradition of learning and research for almost six centuries, which provided KU Leuven with its own dynamic international dimension. Research departments are part of global research communities, the leadership often taken by KU Leuven professors. KU Leuven is a charter member of the League of European Research Universities (comprising some 20 top European research universities). KU Leuven carries out fundamental and applied research in all academic disciplines with a clear international orientation. KU Leuven is currently by far the largest university in Belgium in terms of research funding and expenditure. It is also ranked among the top European universities: more than 640 PhD degrees in 2012-2013 (nearly one third for foreign PhD students), over 17.000 international peer-reviewed publications (2010-2012). The annual research expenditures in 2013 were around 418 million euro. One in three of our research staff is an international scholar. To strenghten international collaboration, KU Leuven has its own international research fellowship programme. KU Leuven participates in over 540 FP7 projects (up to 2013), which places KU Leuven 6 th in the ranking of top HES organisations in FP7 signed agreements (5 th interim FP7 report). These include 69 of the highly prestigious European Research Council grants (ERC). Applied research is supported by the well-experienced KU Leuven Research & Development. Created in 1972 as one of the first technology transfer offices in Europe, LRD has a long tradition of promoting and supporting the transfer of knowledge and technology between the university and industry.LRD was rewarded the prestigious worldwide IPTEC Award for its achievements in technology transfer in 2008. LRD assists KU Leuven researchers in concluding over 1.000 new agreements anually for research collaboration projects. It also supports the commercialisation of intellectual property, which requires adequate protection and an appropriate transfer strategy to ensure that research innovation at KU Leuven finds its way into society. LRD stimulates the creation of spin-off companies by giving entrepreneurs the appropriate guidance and access to capital funding. LRD plays an important role in the knowledge-driven regional development and the construction of science parks and incubators in the Leuven region. Doctoral Schools The Leuven International Doctoral School Biomedical Sciences is a meeting place for dynamic and motivated people with a keen interest in human health and disease and with a passion for research. Doctoral students enter a challenging environment with state-of-the-art research facilities where they meet and interact with internationally recognised scientists who are dedicated to share their expertise. In joining one of the 11thematic interdisciplinary programmes, doctoral researchers have the opportunity to participate in an integrated set of training facilities that broaden their scientific horizon and stimulate thinking beyond classical lines. After basically four years of intensive work, this training programme culminates in a new biomedical doctor with valuable intellectual and technical expertise, who also knows how to achieve personal goals and interact with fellow scientists and society as a whole. The Arenberg Doctoral School of Science, Engineering and Technology is the ideal hub for research areas, that are structured around four themes: Information, Matter, Life and Habitat. From infinity to atoms and from cells to people and man-made systems, the main research topics can be found in life sciences, computing and information science, environmental sustainability, human settlements, agriculture and food research, genomics and biomaterials, nanoscience and nanofabrication, advanced materials, energy and optimisation and engineering. The Leuven International Doctoral School for Humanities and Social Sciences is located in the beautiful mediaeval centre of Leuven. This school offers doctoral training programmes in the eight faculties of the Humanities and Social Sciences Group. Embedded in the faculties, the research disciplines offered are varied. In each discipline, top researchers and advanced PhD fellows guide and assist students in achieving a PhD. They will help to acquire the necessary academic and scientific skills, resulting in a doctoral thesis, based on original research. In addition to research-based scientific training, the Doctoral Schools offers tranferable skills and competencies beyond the specific research topic of the doctorate. Workshops and trainings sessions on skills such as communication and self management prepare doctoral researchers for a professional career inside or outside the university. KU Leuven doctoral researchers have the confidence and pride of professionals at the frontier of knowledge and combine their scientific expedition with a unique professional experience.