About the region

The Leuven Model

Why Leuven?

Leuven is compact, smart and fast to work in. Companies innovate quicker here because talent, research and industry sit practically on top of each other. KU Leuven and UCLL bring in nearly 100,000 students (25% of them international), which means a steady flow of brains and talent.

You’ll find world-renowned institutes and companies like imec, Materialise, UZ Leuven, AB InBev and a pile of ambitious start-ups all within bike distance.

Brussels is 15 minutes away. Paris, Amsterdam and London are close enough to make day trips sound reasonable. Quality of life is high, pollution is low, and Leuven is one of Europe’s 100 climate mission cities.

In short: Leuven is a good place to live, and an even better place to get work done.

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A region of opportunities

Why the Leuven Innovation Region?

The Leuven Innovation Region works because Leuven’s research engine doesn’t stand alone.

The cities and municipalities around it (Tienen, Aarschot, Diest and others) provide what every serious innovation hub eventually struggles with: space to scale, diverse talent, strong mobility links, and accessible places to live and work.

Together, Leuven and the region turn this small piece of land into a complete, future-ready environment for companies, researchers, and people.

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Benefits

Why it's good to be in
the Leuven Innovation Region

Home to KU Leuven, UZ Leuven and research powerhouses like imec and VIB, the region delivers scientific excellence across health, engineering, digital and AI.

Few regions combine so much expertise in such a compact area. The population of Leuven (80K inhabitants) is doubled by students, coming from 124 different countries.

Health & life sciences, deep tech & advanced engineering, and digital & AI are mature clusters with global impact. 3000+ collaboration agreements are set up per year in R&D tech transfer by KU Leuven.

Companies, researchers and public partners work together with an openness that speeds up development and lowers barriers to innovation. We call it ‘the Leuven model’. It’s already applied all over the world, from Argentina to New Zealand.

60% of Europe's buying power is within a radius of 500 kilometers. Close to Brussels (15 minutes), EU institutions and major markets, while offering the agility and efficiency of a mid-sized region in the heart of Europe.

European Capital of Innovation (2020) and European Capital of Culture (2030) are not titles we take lightly. They highlight Leuven’s position as a region with a future-focused mindset and global relevance.

Leuven & Beyond

The Leuven & Beyond Toolkit

What starts in the Leuven Innovation Region always goes far beyond.

That's why Leuven MindGate created the 'Leuven & Beyond' marketing toolbox: a set of presentations, videos and branding assets you can use to tell the story of the Leuven Innovation Region. When we share that story consistently, everybody wins.

Download the toolkit