The ECOOM group at UAntwerp covers two domains:
- Bibliometrics of the social sciences and humanities, attached to the Faculty of Social Sciences;
- Student entrepreneurship, attached to the Faculty of Business and Economics.
Bibliometrics of the social sciences and humanities
ECOOM-Antwerp is responsible for the implementation and technical maintenance of the Flemish Academic Bibliographic Database for the Social Sciences and Humanities (VABB-SHW). The VABB-SHW indexes all scholarly publications of researchers affiliated to a Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) unit at a Flemish university. These publication data are used in the Flemish funding system, for (international) benchmarking, and for research purposes.
ECOOM-Antwerp investigates the characteristics and evolution of publication patterns within the SSH – such as publication language, publication types, collaboration, (broader) impact, and interdisciplinarity. In addition, ECOOM-Antwerp also studies publication patterns from an international comparative perspective, often in collaboration with colleagues in other countries.
ECOOM-Antwerp technically supports the Authoritative Panel of the VABB-SHW and provides services based on the VABB-SHW to the Flemish Government and the Flanders Research Foundation (FWO).
Student entrepreneurship
ECOOM-Antwerp is, together with ECOOM-Ghent, responsible for research about student entrepreneurship. The researchers aim to provide comprehensive insights and evidence-based policy proposals to stimulate and support student entrepreneurship of higher education students in Flanders. The project consists of a qualitative and a quantitative research track.
