Belgium – a home for innovation

September has seen a lot of time spent discussing and shaping innovation in the EU. This week (September 28-29^th) the European Commission held its European Research and Innovation Days – their flagship event on research and innovation. This event, dedicated to promoting research and innovation across the EU, provided a space for policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and the public to come together and debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe. 

In addition, earlier this month the Commission published its 2022 European Innovation Scoreboard (EIS). The annual EIS provides a comparative assessment of the research and innovation performance of EU Member States and the relative strengths and weaknesses of their research and innovation systems. Based on their scores, Members States fall into four performance groups: 

1. Innovation leaders (performance is above 125% of the EU average) 
2. Strong innovators (between 100% and 125% of the EU average) 
3. Moderate innovators (between 70% and 100% of the EU average) 
4. Emerging innovators (below 70% of the EU average). Sweden continues to be the best performer in the EU. 

Belgium was scored as an ‘innovation leader’, based on multiple factors over four main types of domains that include; framework conditions (human resources, attractiveness of research systems, digitalisation), investments, innovation activities and impact (sustainability, exports, employment). This is something I am pleased to see; it confirms that year after year Belgium remains a good place to innovate and ratifies UCB’s continued investment in our high-tech Braine Campus (one of three key strategic research centres for UCB), in the establishment of our Leuven satellite, as well as an R&D presence in our global headquarters in Anderlecht. 

From ground-breaking scientific innovation to high-tech manufacturing, our Belgian UCB sites are home to a thriving and dynamic community of scientists, technicians, engineers, and manufacturing personnel who will enable us to be faster, flexible, smarter and more scalable - making our company in Belgium one of the most exciting places for creative minds and people determined to innovate, pushing the beyond the boundaries of what’s possible and shaping the future. After all we are an R&D company and R&D is all about the future. 

At UCB, innovation goes into the medicines we discover, develop, and deliver. To achieve this, we work hard at providing the right surroundings and facilities, creating a culture that nurtures and fosters innovation, hiring great people and looking beyond our own boundaries to acquire new knowledge and skills. If you want to join a company that takes innovation seriously then you have arrived at the place - we have unique opportunities and exciting positions waiting for you!

Take a look