About the School

Who we are 

The Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (SBS-EM) was created in 1903 by Ernest Solvay, a well-known humanist and captain of industry. Today, the School is proud to be part of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), which now has among its faculties a high-quality faculty dedicated to Economics and Management.

SBS-EM continues to honour the main goals set by its founders, namely: training leaders who aspire to the ‘Homo Universalis’ ideal, highlighting the importance of adopting, through its programmes, a multidisciplinary perspective, and focusing on a quantitative and scientific approach.

The School also shares values with ULB, especially the principle of free inquiry, an approach based on critical thinking, and a focus on research.

The Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management is well-known for its rigorous and demanding approach to education, focusing on excellence at every level. This vision and mindset, together with its extensive international alumni network, enable the School to train the leaders of tomorrow’s society.

Mission

Our mission is to have a decisive and positive impact on how economic and business challenges are addressed. With a strong emphasis on quantitative methods, we produce pioneering research and educate women and men to become true leaders and entrepreneurs in their field.

Vision

Our School aims to be a leading European school in economics and management, as an enabler of the sustainability transformation of our society. As part of a multidisciplinary, research-based university, the SBS-EM collaborates closely with its entire ecosystem and combines a unique blend of scientific rigour, contextual engagement, and problem-solving skills, with an ambitious European and global reach.

Values

The SBS-EM nurtures certain core values, which constitute the foundation for its education and research missions. They also inspire its philosophy in terms of internal governance, strategic planning and pedagogical methods.

• Free inquiry: we challenge our students and stakeholders to open their minds to a wide range of perspectives and adopt a critical attitude
• Excellence: we all strive towards the highest standards of performance
• Entrepreneurial spirit: we expect all our stakeholders to demonstrate initiative, innovation and leadership
• Multidisciplinarity: we build on a full blend of university disciplines and our expertise in economics and management
• Equal opportunity: we provide access to students from all socio-economic backgrounds
• Democratic governance: practitioners, academics, researchers, students and staff all have a voice in our governance
• Societal relevance: we nurture a long tradition of corporate social responsibility, ethics and diversity in public institutions and the business world

Why Brussels?

When asked about Brussels, many people will tell you the same thing: it is small. This is the Brussels paradox in a nutshell. A triple capital (of Europe, Belgium, and the Flemish Region), home to both NATO and the EU headquarters, the European base for a large number of international corporations (including more than 1,000 just from the United States), with a population of more than 300,000 expats, an incredibly cosmopolitan environment… And yet, Brussels remains a relaxed and laid-back city that manages to keep its human scale.

Offering all the facilities and entertainment you would expect from a capital city, from hotels, bars, and restaurants to museums and famous monuments, Brussels is still easy to get around. Outside rush hour, you can cross the city in just 20 minutes. The city centre itself is easily walkable. Last but not least, the city’s green spaces (parks, woods and forest) account for 13.8% of its surface.

Historically anchored in the heart of this great metropolis, the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management leverages the city’s geostrategic strengths to enable its students to become true international professionals with strong networking skills.