Between 2008 and 2024, Belgian universities and research institutes published between 447 and 974 peer-reviewed papers each year, across 2,006 different scientific journals. This output is on a par with the larger marine institutes in our neighbouring countries. A growing share of these papers is open access, rising from about 34% in 2008 to a provisional high of 79% in 2023.
Over the study period, Flemish universities were involved in 83% of Belgian marine peer-reviewed papers, followed by French-speaking universities (31%), Flemish scientific institutes (13%), and federal scientific institutes (10%). Flemish scientific institutes in particular showed clear growth, increasing their share in Belgian marine peer-reviewed papers from an average of 8% (2008–2012) to 16% in recent years (2020–2024).
Belgian marine research is strongly multidisciplinary. The papers span 206 subject areas, 42 of which each include over 100 publications. The most common fields are ‘Marine & Freshwater Biology’ (2,022 papers), ‘Environmental Sciences’ (1,976), ‘Geosciences, Multidisciplinary’ (1,638), ‘Oceanography’ (1,289) and ‘Ecology’ (985). Emerging areas focus on engineering and green/sustainable energy and technology, where publication numbers have increased tenfold during the period studied. The topics align closely with the UN Sustainable Development Goals SDG 13 (‘Climate Action’) and SDG 14 (‘Life Below Water’).
International collaboration also plays a crucial role in the success of the Belgian marine research. Since 2017, over 80% of publications have involved partners from abroad, mainly from France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This collaboration strengthens scientific impact, reflected in a high average of 39 citations per paper and an impressive h-index of 235.
Would you like to gain deeper insight into our marine research landscape? The full inventory is available for consultation here.
