KU Leuven is a non-profit university headquartered in Belgium. Founded in 1425, it employs approximately 13,910 people. The university operates as a multidisciplinary institution based in Leuven.
On June 25, 2026, the Japanese Emperor visited KU Leuven and UCLouvain heritage collections, touring the University Library's East Asia Reading Room and Main Reading Room. Displays included the Hirohito vase, a gift from then-Crown Prince Hirohito in 1925, and the 1689 Japanese astronomy work *Tenmon zukai*. Previously, on June 24, Kazakhstan and Belgium signed agreements to establish a mirror laboratory for artificial intelligence and mathematics at the ALEM.AI center, creating a direct channel for Kazakhstani researchers to collaborate with European institutions. Earlier the same day, researchers developed a smart balloon designed to avoid the need for a second surgical procedure in unborn babies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a condition where abdominal organs move into the chest cavity, hindering lung development. On June 21, KU Leuven's SOLVOMET Research & Innovation Centre announced it would organize ICHS 2026 from September 2–4 in Mechelen, Belgium, addressing the rare earth "chokepoint" given China's estimated 85–90% control of global rare earth separation and refining. This follows the university's ranking at 59th worldwide in the QS World University Rankings on June 18, marking the highest position ever achieved by a Belgian institute in this international comparison.
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