Right at the crossroads of Europe, between France, Germany, and Belgium, Luxembourg is small in size but big in influence. As one of the EU’s capitals and a founding member of the EU, it hosts institutions such as the European Court of Justice and the European Investment Bank, while also growing into a hub for research, innovation, and culture.
Luxembourg speaks many languages — Luxembourgish, French, and German are all official, and used side by side in daily life. Nearly half the population is foreign-born, giving the country a truly cosmopolitan spirit where cultures and ideas meet naturally.
Fun fact: A country smaller than many cities, but with over 170 nationalities.
Luxembourg may be famous for finance, but its future lies also in research and innovation. Over the last 20 years, it has grown into a world-class hub in ICT, materials science, and health. Supported by stability, openness, and a strong international ecosystem, the country attracts talent and ideas from across the globe.
Fun fact: Luxembourg is so small you could cycle across it in a day — yet it’s home to cutting-edge research.
Once the heart of Luxembourg’s steel industry, Belval has become one of Europe’s most striking urban renewal projects. The preserved blast furnaces now rise alongside the University of Luxembourg, research centres, and cultural spaces — a powerful symbol of transformation.
What was once an industrial site is today a vibrant campus where students, researchers, and citizens meet — a place where past and future worlds collide to spark new ideas.
Fun fact: The Belval blast furnaces once forged steel for Europe. Today, they forge connections between science, culture, and society.
The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is the main funder of research activities in the country. Beyond investing in projects across science and the humanities, FNR is very actively promoting scientific culture and connecting science and society in Luxembourg. The FNR for example has a funding scheme for public engagement (PSP – Promoting Science to the Public), is (co)-organising the big national public engagement festivals Luxembourg Science Festival and Luxembourg Researchers’ Days, offers training for researchers and teachers in science communication/education, organises the national science communicator networking event (Scicom Lux) and is running several TV, radio, web and social media science shows and platforms (TAKE OFF, Mr Science, Ziel mir keng, science.lu).
Together, they create the perfect setting for In Other Words and Other Worlds.
Fun fact: The University of Luxembourg is one of Europe’s youngest national universities — founded in 2003 — but already ranks among the world’s top 25 “young universities.” The FNR even has its own science superhero — Mr Science — who’s been sparking curiosity in Luxembourg for years!
Luxembourg & Belval – Assumptions & Key Facts
Fact: Finance is just one side — today, Luxembourg is also a fast-growing hub for research, space, and innovation. (Nearly half the population is foreign-born, making it one of Europe’s most international countries — and research & innovation are among its fastest-growing sectors).
Fact: The capital city of the country Luxembourg, is also called Luxembourg, which sometimes leads to confusion. In reality, there are many other towns and villages, and a lot of forests, castles and beautiful countryside with a lot of cows…
Fact: No, there are around 680.000 people living in Luxembourg, and ~183,000 cattle — so almost one for every 3–4 people — but it’s also home to world-class research, satellites, and innovation.
Fact: Public transport is for free, everywhere in the country! 🙂
Fact: Luxembourgish truly exists. It’s one of the three official languages of Luxembourg (German, French and Luxembourgish) and sounds like a German dialect, pronounced a bit like Dutch or Kölsch with lots of French words… But if you walk through the streets of Luxembourg, you will also hear a lot of English, Portuguese, Italian, … the country truly is multilingual.
Fact: With over 170 nationalities living in Luxembourg, it is very multicultural. But Luxembourg has a lot of national culture to offer. Medieval castles and fortresses, delicious wine and beer, a vibrant music and theatre scene, fascinating architecture – and Kachkéis. If you haven’t yet tasted it, come to the EUSEA Luxembourg conference!
