Most research and applied research activities at the Solvay Business School are centred around the Doctoral Programme. Under the leadership and management of Professor Ariane Szafarz, this programme has recently been considerably expanded.

There are currently over 35 students engaged in scientific research for a doctorate, covering most of the major management disciplines, including finance, marketing, strategy, innovation and intellectual property. Find out more about research at the SBS.

All of our research assistants, who are mainly financed by the ULB, are involved in the doctoral programmes. Most of the other researchers are supported by funding from the FNRS (Fonds National pour la Recherche Scientifique), the CIM (Centre Inter-universitaire de Management) or from ministries at federal or regional level. However, given the limited number of publicly financed scholarships and the scientific benefits of such research to the SBS, the School has decided to canvas for research funds from the private sector.

Companies can therefore finance researchers to work on intensive research projects in particular fields of management. This was the case, for instance, of a large Belgian company that commissioned an SBS researcher to carry out a study designed to help it improve its selection process for new research projects.

This type of investment is especially beneficial, as much to the companies concerned as to the researchers themselves, because it enables the former to acquire knowledge and scientifically based conclusions and the latter to acquire a much deeper knowledge of the world of business.