Wallonia: a thriving economy, built on innovation
The vibrant, healthy nature of Wallonia’s economic landscape and the region’s recognised position at the forefront of technological development is no accident. It’s a result of a coordinated strategy driven by the creation of an exceptional learning environment, consisting of an extensive network of top-quality higher education institutions, applied research centers and innovative companies.
This has created a hub for groundbreaking research, establishing Wallonia as a leading science and technology innovator, with many researchers and scientists from the region winning prestigious international awards, including François Englert’s Nobel Prize for Physics in 2013, the seventh such accolade awarded to a Walloon.
As a result, Wallonia is attracting global investment, established businesses and cutting-edge start-ups keen to capitalise on the expertise on the ground and inspired by the prevailing spirit of innovation. Backed by strategically formulated grants and taxation geared to drive growth and research, this has resulted in a thriving community that includes many international companies.
In 2022, Belgium as a whole was at the top of EU countries with an R&D intensity of 3.4%, the other countries that reached the 3% threshold were Sweden, Austria, Germany and Finland. In 2021, the R&D intensity (gross domestic expenditure on R&D as a percentage of GDP) in Wallonia stood at 3.6%, which is higher than that of Belgium (3.4%) and the average of the 27 EU member states (2.3%).
In Wallonia, R&D activities are mainly carried out by businesses (with business R&D expenditure representing 3.0% of GDP). Higher education is the second largest sector for R&D execution (0.5% of GDP).
Since the early 2000s, Wallonia has seen growth in its R&D expenditure intensity (from 2.0% of GDP in 2000 to 3.6% in 2021) which allows Wallonia to be fully aligned with the trajectory of the Europe 2020 Strategy, aimed to achieve a 3% R&D intensity in Europe by 2020.
Living the dream: helping people live better lives
A region where research can thrive, and life beyond the lab is just as rewarding.
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Wallonia in a global context
