An old university town where twenty-somethings wander in an Oxfordian altmosphere. The city harbors 21st century knowledge institutes, research parks, academic spin-offs, incubators and venture capitalists. Not surprisingly, the European Commission calls it Belgium's most innovative city. We just call it our knowledge pearl.

The national airport is Belgium's main gateway by air and second economic engine. The cargo area specializes in pharmaceuticals, perishables and automotive logistics. Plus... nowhere else they sell more chocolate.

Everyday, millions of Belgian iPads and TVs tune in to Media City Vilvoorde. Near the city's 'media strip' you will find a dense concentration of Belgium's main audiovisual media companies and specialized entertainment services.

Brussels Free University is a comprehensive university with a strong emphasis on progressive research. 'Free' is the motto, i.e. to set tradition and conservatism aside and to continually challenge ethical traditions. This scientific attitude has led to great strides in biotech, nanotech and photonics.

The oldest and most reputed university of the Low Countries. KU Leuven is a research-intensive and internationally oriented university. Its technology transfer office has created +100 spin-offs over the past 40 years and was recently voted best in the world.

Built by Brussels Free University on tremble-free underground in the rolling hills of Gooik. Here Prof. Thienpont and his world-renowned B-Phot team develop tomorrow's lasers, lenses and LEDs to be used in space, ICT, displays and medical applications.

A city within a city. Belgium's largest hospital counts +2000 beds, 8800 staff, 4 campuses and 19 associated hospitals. Superb innovative health care is bolstered by excellent research and education. Its eHealth platform handles more data requests than all banks during holiday sales.

Entertainment Valley is home to global players in stage design and construction (Stageco), light and sound (EML Productions) and event power solutions (The Powershop). A lot of music festivals and events use their services, just ask the Foo Fighters, Chanel or Rock Werchter.

In 1926, the notorious Belgian beer 'Stella Artois' was created in De Hoorn. This was a brewery in the Vaartkom, an old industrial area in Leuven. Today, the old brewery is home to 'Creative Minds' such as marketing powerhouse Boondoggle, personality managers Bonka Circus and even an incubator for gaming and digital entertainment. Moreover, the entire surrounding area is now gradually gentrifying into a hotspot for creative industries ranging from software to product design.

Europe’s largest independent research center on nano-electronics and nanotechnology. Think wearables, CMOS scaling, ICT, energy and sensor tech deemed ten years ahead of what is currently available.