The University of Antwerp decided to identify nine key research domains as billboards of our research excellence, as focus points for research funding and as possible connector points for collaboration with industry.

Drug Discovery and Development
Ecology and Sustainable Development
Harbour, Transport and Logistics
Imaging
Infectious Diseases
Materials Characterisation
Neurosciences
Social Economic Policy and Organisation
Urban History and Contemporary Urban Policy

Drug Discovery and Development
Research is clustered in the innovative chain going from target discovery (disease pathology, disease mechanism, animal models) to drug discovery  (medicinal chemistry, small molecules, in vitro screens, medicinal plants, followed by preclinical drug development  (biomarkers, toxicity, imaging) to the end point clinical trials.  The major focus on the following disease areas: bone disease (osteoporosis), cancer, cardiovascular disease (atherosclerosis), infectious disease (bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections), kidney disease, metabolic disease (diabetes).  A major part of the research in these areas is grouped in the ‘Antwerp Drug Discovery Network’, an integrated platform for early drug discovery from hit to lead optimization, with specific attention to protease Inhibitors and Infectious Diseases.  It is recognized as Reference Center of the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Ecology and Sustainable Development
The research carried out in this key research domain deals with the following topics:
-Ecology:  aquatic and wetland ecosystems; terestrial ecosystems (plant and vegetation ecology in desert, forest, grasslands, tundra and tropics);
-Changing ecosytems:  effects of climate change, biodiversity
-Environmental toxicology
-Biomass for bioenergy: short rotation poplar tree crops
Within this key research domain, Antwerp University participates as Belgian partner in the Integrated Carbon Observation System (ICOS), a major research infrastructure funded by the EU to monitor the greenhouse gas balance in Europe.

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Harbour, Transport and Logistics
This key research domain focuses on research topics within transport and logistics, freight transport, production and supply chain management, mobility , route planning, intelligent transport services e.g. traffic information, speed adaptation, road charging.  Considering the importance of the harbor in Antwerp, ongoing research specifically targets the harbour and maritime sector, with disciplinary and interdisciplinary research in economics and law.

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Imaging
Within this key research domain research is largely clustered within the laboratory network EGAMI:  Expert Group Antwerp Molecular Imaging, involving the  Biomedical Microscopic Imaging, the Bioimaging Lab, the Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA), the MicroCT Lab and Vision Lab.  There are strong links with research being carried out in Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) in radiology and nuclear medicine. 
Major highlight is the Molecular Imaging Center Antwerp (MICA), a partnership between UA, UZA and the Janssen Pharmaceutica company, that is to be fully operational in spring 2011.

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Infectious Diseases
Multidisciplinary research on infectious diseases and vaccines, with focus on microbiology and immunology, with contributions of other disciplines: epidemiology, statistics/mathematical modeling, sociology and economics.  Both basic research (on immune system , disease mechanisms, antibiotic resistance) and preclinical research (on biomarkers , vaccines, injection devices) and clinical research (on diagnostic tests , vaccines, prevention, epidemiology) is performed.  Within this key research domain, the  European Surveillance of Antimicrobial Consumption (ESAC) platform, active in policy development related to antibiotic use and resistance  is active.

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Materials Characterisation
The research carried out in this key research domain deals with material characterization (electronmicroscopy, X-ray spectroscopy, mass spectroscopy); theory, modeling and simulation (Monte Carlo, molecular dynamics, density functional theory, finite difference/element); image processing and analysis (corrosion analysis, crystal characterization).  The following types of materials are studied: nanomaterials/nanoparticles, (meso)porous inorganic materials, inorganic thin films, alloys semiconductors/superconductors, colloids, plasmas and elemental particle physics (through participation in the Large Hadron Collidor).  Major highlight is the installation of the QU-Ant-EM : FEI Titan 50 – 80, the most powerful electronmicroscope in Europe, a unique instrument for atomic resolution measurement.

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Neurosciences
This key research domain clusters the following fields of research: Neuronal Degeneration (neurogenetics , neurobiology, neuro-pathology, biobank/ biomarkers),  Neuronal Plasticity (stem cells, song birds), Neuronal Repair/ Replacement (stem cells, neuronal tissue engineering, nanotechnology), Cognition and Behaviour (neurogenetics, rodent models, psychiatric disorders/ dementia).  The  Department of Molecular Genetics (VIB8) of the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology (VIB) is active in this key research domain, including 4 research groups:  Neurodegenerative Brain Diseases; Peripheral Neuropathies; Neurogenetics  and Applied Molecular Genomics.

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Social Economic Policy and Organisation
This key research domain focuses on research topics in poverty & income distribution, employment & labour market issues, social security & taxation, the ageing population and effect of migration on the welfare state.  Within this key research domain the ‘Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy’ is active, that has been studying social inequality and wealth distribution in the welfare state for over 30 years.

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Urban History and Contemporary Urban Policy
This  key research domains groups two research clusters:

• Urban history, with a focus on socio-economic, cultural, political, religious, and other forces in urban developments, and working in a  multidisciplinary approach, involving different partners in academia and society: city archives, museums, other cultural actors
• Contemporary Urban Policy, with a focus on sociological research, with contributions of other disciplines.  Within this field cultural, political, legal, religious and economical aspects to city development are studied, including specific attention to migration and poverty.