ULiège - RISE

What ULiège - RISE does

ULiège - RISE is the research, innovation, support and enterprise division of the Université de Liège, a public research university founded in 1817 and headquartered in Liège, Belgium. RISE (Recherche, Innovation, Support et Entreprises) operates as the central internal service department coordinating research support, intellectual property management, technology transfer, and enterprise relations for 55 research units, 11 faculties, and approximately 3,338 research-active staff (with 2,500+ researchers, professors, doctorants and technicians directly involved in research). Operations span four campuses across three cities (Liège center, Sart Tilman, Gembloux, Arlon), and include dedicated platforms such as the GIGA research center (genomics, imaging) and the ORBi institutional publication repository, which added 4,925 publications in 2024.

Underlying capabilities include the IP Cell (managing patents, trademarks and licensing via subsidiary Gesval s.a.), project assembly and management cells supporting ERC, Horizon Europe, MSCA, FEDER and FNRS funding, and structured researcher-development programs including the EURAXESS Service Center and the IPD-STEMA postdoctoral fellowship. RISE holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and the university has maintained the European Commission's HR Excellence in Research (HRS4R) label since 2011, with COARA and DORA signatory status.

The business model rests primarily on public and competitive-grant funding streams: core institutional funding from Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, FEDER/FSE multi-year allocations (~36 million EUR for 2021-2027), research grants from ERC/FNRS/Horizon Europe/MSCA, regulated tuition for Belgian/EU students, contract research and technology licensing to enterprises, and equity/licensing returns from 114 active spin-offs. GTM is community-led: research excellence, open science, and spin-off development are positioned to drive enterprise uptake and regional economic development in Wallonia, with international partnerships (UNIC, UniGR, EURAXESS) extending reach across 97 partner countries.

Name

ULiège - RISE

Legal name

Université de Liège

Website

https://recherche.uliege.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1817

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ULiège - RISE is the research, innovation, support and enterprise division of the public Université de Liège, coordinating research funding, IP management, technology transfer and enterprise relations across 55 research units, 11 faculties and approximately 3,338 research-active staff in Belgium.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

University Research and Innovation Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Educational Support Services (611710), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Research Universities with Major Extension & Outreach Missions (EDAHAAAG)

Keywords

• University research services
• Technology transfer
• Innovation support
• Doctoral training
• Science outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Liège

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Core institutional funding from public sources including Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, European Union through FEDER programs, and national research councils
2. Research Grants and Contracts: Competitive funding from European Research Council (ERC), F.R.S.-FNRS, Horizon Europe, MSCA, and other national and international funding bodies
3. Spin-off Commercialization: 114 active spin-offs developed through active policy to encourage innovation and knowledge transfer to the economy
4. Science Outreach Services: Public science engagement activities including museum admissions, competitions, and science communication events serving the broader community

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RISE (Research, Innovation, Support and Enterprise) is the central service department of the University of Liège, providing research support, innovation facilitation, technology transfer, intellectual property management, spin-off commercialization, and science outreach services to ULiège researchers, enterprises, and doctoral candidates. The division operates as the principal interface between the university's research community and external partners including industry, public funders, and the general public.

Product overview

RISE (Recherche, Innovation, Support et Entreprises) is ULiège's central research and innovation service department that supports researchers, doctoral candidates, and enterprises through multiple coordinated cells: Direction, Project Assembly and Management, Internal Research Management, Researcher Valorization Support, Intellectual Property, and Enterprise Relations. The IPD-STEMA postdoctoral fellowship is a flagship funding program offering 2-year positions for international researchers in Science & Technology fields. RISE holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and HR Excellence in Research accreditation (HRS4R).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RISE Research Support Services Central service department providing research funding acquisition support, project management, intellectual property management, and enterprise relations to ULiège researchers and external partners.
• IPD-STEMA Postdoctoral Fellowship Structured doctoral training program offering fellowships to qualified master's degree holders pursuing advanced research, providing mentorship, funding, and academic credentials.
• Spin-off Incubation and Commercialization End-to-end support for transforming ULiège research outputs into commercial spin-off ventures, including IP protection, licensing, incubation, and connections to investors and industry partners.
• Science Outreach Services Public science education and outreach services including science museums and educational programs for schools, families, and general public audiences to promote scientific literacy and engagement with research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 114 active spin-offs in operation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• European Union (FEDER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Regional Development Fund (FEDER) financing multiple research and innovation projects in Priority 1 (Smarter and More Competitive Wallonia) and Priority 6 (Just Transition Fund), totaling approximately 36 million EUR for 2021-2027 programming including projects in circular economy, cybersecurity, quantum computing, and agro-food technology.
• UNIC (European University Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean university alliance involving ULiège and other partner universities to create an inter-university campus across Europe, promoting mobility and shared educational resources.
• Université de la Grande Région (UniGR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-border university network including ULiège and partners in Luxembourg, Germany, and France, focused on the Greater Region's development.
• F.R.S.-FNRS (Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Research Fund providing mandates, fellowships (FRESH, FRIA), and research credits to ULiège researchers.
• European Research Council (ERC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean funding body providing grants for excellent research projects, with multiple ERC laureates at ULiège including Proof of Concept recipients.
• Fédération Wallonie-BruxellescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government providing core institutional funding, accreditation, and regulatory oversight for higher education and research.
• EURAXESS (European Commission)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean initiative supporting researcher mobility and career development, with ULiège operating an EURAXESS Service Center for researchers.
• Wallonia (Europe and Foreign Affairs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government co-financing FEDER projects and supporting regional economic development through research and innovation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• University of Cambridge: Global research university with extensive tech-transfer infrastructure (Cambridge Enterprise), broad multi-faculty research base, and landmark discovery pedigree (similar to ULiège's TRAPPIST-1 and meiosis contributions); much larger scale but structurally analogous as a comprehensive research-intensive university with active spin-off pipeline.
• TU Delft: Major European technical university with strong applied-research and tech-transfer focus, including a sizable spin-off portfolio; comparable to ULiège RISE in applied-research commercialization mission but with stronger global engineering brand.
• CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique): France's primary national scientific research organization covering physical, biological, engineering, and social sciences; ULiège's research-unit structure and FNRS/INSERM-type affiliations mirror CNRS's laboratory network, making it a structural incumbent comparable in breadth and public-funding model.
• ETH Zürich: Europe's leading technical university with an explicit applied-research and innovation-transfer mandate; comparable to ULiège RISE in terms of mission (applied research, spin-offs, industry partnerships) but operating at much larger scale and budget.
• Wageningen University & Research: Dutch research university with strong applied life-sciences and agro-food research portfolio; comparable to ULiège's Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech faculty and FEDER-funded agro-food technology projects in domain specialization and industry-facing research model.

Direct peers

• Université de Mons (UMONS): Wallonian public research university with comparable applied-research profile and FNRS dependency; directly comparable in size, mission, and funding sources to ULiège, serving the same regional ecosystem.
• KU Leuven: Belgium's largest research university and the country's strongest tech-transfer performer; competes with ULiège for ERC grants, Flemish/Wallonian industry R&D contracts, and senior researcher recruitment, with significantly larger budget and global ranking footprint.
• Université de Namur: Smaller French-speaking Belgian public research university in Wallonia; competes with ULiège for the same regional student pool, FNRS credits, and regional enterprise research contracts.
• UCLouvain (Université catholique de Louvain): Belgian French-speaking public research university with comparable scale, broad faculty structure, and active technology transfer / spin-off activities; competes directly with ULiège for regional talent, FNRS/ERC funding, and Wallonian industry partnerships.
• ULB (Université libre de Bruxelles): Brussels-based public research university with comparable multi-faculty structure, FNRS/FNRS-FRIA funding access, and active spin-off ecosystem; competes with ULiège for French-speaking Belgian talent and ERC funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/universitedeliege
• Facebookfacebook.com/100652500533991
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uliegerise
• Instagraminstagram.com/uliegeinthelab
• TikToktiktok.com/@universitedeliege

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ULiège - RISE