Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve

Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve had a total population of 29,521. The total area is 32.96 km² which gives a population density of 896 inhabitants per km².

The two main towns in the municipality are Ottignies and Louvain-la-Neuve (sometimes abbreviated as "LLN"). The latter is a new town developed from 1968 in order to provide a home for the Université Catholique de Louvain, the French-speaking part of the former Université de Louvain on its separation from the Dutch-speaking part, which remained in the ancient city of Leuven.

Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park

Created in 1971, Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park is the first of its kind in Belgium and is the biggest one in Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium). It covers 231 hectares spread over the area of the town of Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve and the municipality of Mont-Saint-Guibert (30 km away from Brussels).

From the outset, the objectives pursued by the development of Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park were to develop cooperation between industry and the Catholic University of Louvain and to contribute to regional economic development. Particular emphasis is placed on environmental-friendliness, as well as the quality of the premises and their surroundings.

The main area of activity are:

• Life sciences
• Fine chemistry
• Information technologies
• Engineering

Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park is now home to more than 130 innovative companies and their 4500 employees, 1 incubator and 3 business centres.

References

External links

• Municipality Website
• The Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park website
• Louvain-la-Neuve WebTV
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Ottignies". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.