Founded in 1817 as a Latin-speaking State University by William I, King of the Netherlands, Ghent University is a relatively young university. In 1930 Ghent University became the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium. The Decree of 1991 granted great autonomy to the university. Over the years eminent scientists such as Joseph Plateau (physicist, considered as a pioneer in the development of motion pictures), Leo Baekeland (inventor of Bakelite) and Corneel Heymans (Nobel Prize winner in Medicine) studied and worked at Ghent University. Prof. Corneel Heymans of Ghent was the only Flemish person to receive the Nobel Prize (1938) for his discoveries in the field of respiratory regulation. With a view to cooperation in research and scientific service, numerous research groups, centres and institutes have been founded over the years. Several of them are renowned worldwide, in various scientific disciplines such as biotechnology, aquaculture, microelectronics, history,… Ghent University is an open, committed and pluralistic university with a broad international perspective and research-inspired educational programmes. Because it plays a leading role in the academic and scientific world, Ghent University attaches great interest to a transparent organization structure, a dynamic human resources policy, an active environmental policy, its support to spin-offs and other new initiatives. Located in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium and the cultural and economical heart of Europe, Ghent University is an active partner in national and international educational, scientific and industrial cooperation. Today, after decades of uninterrupted growth, Ghent University is one of the leading institutions of higher education and research in the Low Countries.

根特大学由荷兰国王威廉一世于1817年创立，最初是一所拉丁语国立大学，是一所相对年轻的大学。1930年，根特大学成为比利时第一所荷兰语大学。1991年法令赋予大学极大自治权。多年来，著名科学家如约瑟夫·普拉托(物理学家，被认为是电影发展的先驱)、利奥·贝克兰(酚醛塑料发明者)和科内尔·海曼斯(诺贝尔医学奖得主)等人曾在根特大学学习和工作。根特的科尼尔·海曼斯教授是唯一一位因呼吸调节领域的发现而获得诺贝尔奖(1938年)的佛兰芒人。为了促进科研与科学服务的合作，多年来成立了众多研究小组、中心和研究所。其中几位在生物技术、水产养殖、微电子学、历史等多个科学领域享誉全球,… 根特大学是一所开放、承诺且多元化的大学，具有广泛的国际视野和以科研究为灵感的教育项目。由于根特大学在学术和科学领域发挥领导作用，非常重视透明的组织结构、动态的人力资源政策、积极的环境政策、对衍生企业及其他新举措的支持。根特大学位于比利时的荷兰语区弗兰德斯，也是欧洲文化和经济的核心，是国内外教育、科研和工业合作的积极合作伙伴。如今，经过数十年的持续发展，根特大学已成为低地国家领先的高等教育和科研机构之一。