KU Leuven Launches Three New Institutes to Drive Research and Innovation
The KU Leuven Institutes conduct interdisciplinary research with social relevance. They focus on themes that remain important in the long term and rely on a broad and interdisciplinary network. They form a breeding ground for sharing expertise across disciplinary boundaries, which opens up promising perspectives.
Leuven Gravity Institute: a new view of the universe
Einstein predicted them but they seemed elusive. Gravitational waves. Extremely small ripples of space that are generated, for example, when two black holes merge and that propagate at the speed of light, right through everything.
Thomas Hertog
Until 2015, when gravitational waves were detected for the first time in the United States. This breakthrough heralded the birth of a whole new astronomy, which in time might even bring the Big Bang into ‘image’.
The KU Leuven Gravity Institute aims to support and expand the multidisciplinary research fabric that underlies observations of gravitational waves. The goal: to fully exploit the scientific, technological and social potential of this revolution in astronomy. “We organise our research in four transversal themes”, says Thomas Hertog, director of the Leuven Gravity Institute. “For example, we contribute to the Einstein Telescope, which will one day be Europe’s most advanced observatory for gravitational waves. We are also supporting the Einstein Telescope’s big brother in space, the LISA mission of the European Space Agency (ESA). A third pillar consists of designing a broad education in this field for students, young researchers and engineers, ranging from gravitational (astro)physics, data analysis and computing, to engineering for gravitational wave detectors. Finally, the LGI wants to seize this Galileo moment to explore the interfaces between science and art and to strengthen the broad scientific culture.”
Leuven Interdisciplinary Language Institute LILI provides overarching language expertise
“Language is one of the most fundamental human capacities and therefore plays an important role in various disciplines,” says Professor Geert Brône, director of the new institute. “From AI experts and language technologists to communication scientists, neurologists and speech therapists. We notice that various research groups, departments and also a number of existing institutes at KU Leuven are working on language in one way or another, but for the time being we were still missing a central, overarching language institute that can form a bridge between all these partners.”
“LILI wants to position itself as a large center of expertise with, on the one hand, its own distinctly interdisciplinary research projects, for example on the role of language in access to social services such as healthcare or the ubiquitous large language models and their impact on research and education. On the other hand, we want to develop an impact network with actors from various fields of work in order to meet the questions from practice.”
“In short, LILI’s mission is to put language firmly and sustainably on the agenda of interdisciplinary research and the public debate on major societal challenges.”
Leuven Institute of Sport Science (LISS)
At the Leuven Institute of Sport Science (LISS), improving sports performance is central. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, the institute will support both individual athletes and teams, from recreational to elite level. Although sports performance is central, attention is also paid to prevention and policy.
The LISS builds on the preliminary trajectory of the Leuven Centre of Sports Science (LCSS) , which was founded in October 2023 by the Department of Human Movement Sciences. The LCSS is now receiving a new impetus through its formal recognition as a KU Leuven Institute, the Leuven Institute of Sports Science (LISS). It is a recognisable point of contact for athletes, clubs, federations and companies, but also a strong platform for interdisciplinary research, training and valorisation.
“The recognition as an institute will enable LISS to mobilise a larger and broader network of KU Leuven researchers. This will allow KU Leuven to strengthen its visible position in the national and international sports landscape”, says Professor Benedicte Vanwanseele, who is the director of the new institute. She is supported by co-directors Professor Jesse Davis (Department of Computer Science) and Professor Frank Hendrickx (Institute for Labour Law), and Kobe Houtmeyers as coordinator.
The institute will continue to work on the activities that were initiated by the LCSS. For example, there will soon be an event on training and coaching in endurance sports , on the sidelines of the World Gravel Championships in Leuven, early October.
KU Leuven Institutes as an organizational form for interdisciplinary research
The Strategic Plan of KU Leuven strongly focuses on interdisciplinarity, among other things through the establishment of KU Leuven Institutes and KU Leuven Core Facilities. Several KU Leuven Institutes and Core Facilities have already been awarded recognition.