In February 2022, the BSI research project “The global knowledge capital of Brussels: What does the Brussels knowledge pole mean for our prosperity?” started, commissioned by VOKA Metropolitan. More specifically, a research consortium of the KULeuven (ECON; CEDON; Management, Strategy & Innovation), the ULB (IGEAT) and the VUB (ECOOM VUB, R&D Department) put in map the knowledge-intensive economic sector in Brussels.
Read the results here: “The knowledge base in Brussels“.
The research project comprises three sections. In a first section, the research team defined and operationalized knowledge-intensive activities. These activities can be defined in different ways, according to different classifications. Since the emphasis of the research is on employment, special attention was paid to the distinction between knowledge-intensive and low-skilled jobs. The second part of the research focused on the literal and figurative mapping of direct employment in the knowledge-intensive sector. The possible level of refinement of different data sources was examined in order to calculate estimates of direct employment based on the most appropriate sources. In the third and last part, the employment effects of this sector was further investigated. This means that not only the direct effects, but also the indirect and induced effects, were examined.