Ronquières inclined plane

Ronquières (Walloon: Ronkière) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Braine-le-Comte, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is best known as the location of the Ronquières inclined plane on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal. The lower end of the inclined plane is just a few hundred metres from the centre of the village. The population of the village was 1370 as of January 2006.

The Brussels–Charleroi Canal (French: Canal Bruxelles-Charleroi, Dutch: Kanaal Brussel-Charleroi), also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, is an important canal in Belgium. The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freycinet gauge, and its Walloon portion is 47.9 kilometres (29.8 mi) long. It runs from Charleroi (Wallonia) in the south to Brussels in the north. The canal is part of a north–south axis of water transport in Belgium, whereby the north of France (via the Canal du Centre) including Lille and Dunkirk and important waterways in the south of Belgium including the Sambre valley and the sillon industriel are linked to the port of Antwerp in the north, via the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal, which meets the Brussels–Charleroi Canal at the Sainctelette area of Brussels. The Ronquières inclined plane is the canal's most remarkable feature and a tourist site.

Écaussinnes (French pronunciation: [ekosin]; Picard: Les Scassenes; Walloon: Les Scåssenes) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2018 Écaussinnes had a total population of 11,135. The total area is 34.77 km2 which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km2. The municipality consists of the following districts: Écaussinnes-d'Enghien, Écaussinnes-Lalaing, and Marche-lez-Écaussinnes. The city hosts the "Oberbayern" Festival each year in August, and hosted the Spring Blues Festival from 1988 to 2013.

Écaussinnes-Lalaing Castle (French: Château d'Écaussinnes-Lalaing) is a castle in the village of Écaussinnes-Lalaing in the municipality of Écaussinnes in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium.

Eppegem is a railway station in the town of Eppegem, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station opened on 1 March 1865 on the Lines 25 and 27. The train services are operated by National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS).

Weerde is a railway station in the town of Weerde, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station opened on 1 January 1864 on the Lines 25 and 27. The train services are operated by National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS).

Ittre (French pronunciation: [itʁ] (listen); Walloon: Ite; Dutch: Itter, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɪtər]) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. Since the fusion of the Belgian municipalities in 1977, the municipality is composed of three districts: Haut-Ittre, Ittre and Virginal-Samme. Ittre was the geographical center of Belgium until World War I. The geographical center was moved to Walhain due to the allocation of the East Cantons (Eupen-Malmédy) to Belgium (Treaty of Versailles).

Braine-le-Comte railway station (French: Gare de Braine-le-Comte; Dutch: Station 's-Gravenbrakel) is a railway station in Braine-le-Comte, Hainaut, Belgium. The station opened on 31 October 1841 and is located on railway lines 96, 117 and 123. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS).

Seneffe (French pronunciation: [sənɛf] ; Walloon: Sinefe) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Seneffe had a total population of 10,743. The total area is 62.77 km² which gives a population density of 171 inhabitants per km². The municipality consists of the following districts: Arquennes, Familleureux, Feluy, Petit-Rœulx-lez-Nivelles, and Seneffe. The Château de Seneffe, now a museum belonging to the French Community of Belgium, is located in the municipality. Seneffe was the site of a battle in 1674 between French and Dutch armies during the Franco-Dutch War.

The Château of Seneffe or Château de Seneffe is an 18th-century château located in the municipality of Seneffe in the province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium. The château is property of the French Community of Belgium and serves as the "Centre de l'orfèvrerie de la communauté française" which displays a collection of antique (mainly 18th century) silverware.

Braine-le-Comte (French: [bʁɛn lə kɔ̃t] ; Walloon: Brinne-e-Hinnot; Dutch: 's-Gravenbrakel [ˈsxraːvə(m)ˌbraːkəl] ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Braine-le-Comte had a total population of 21,649. The total area is 84.68 square kilometres (32.70 sq mi) which gives a population density of 260 inhabitants per km2. The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-le-Comte, Hennuyères, Henripont, Petit-Rœulx-lez-Braine, Ronquières, and Steenkerque. The Ronquières inclined plane at the Canal du Centre is in the municipality of Braine-Le Comte.

The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific Council, its governing body consisting of distinguished researchers, and an Executive Agency, in charge of the implementation. It forms part of the framework programme of the union dedicated to research and innovation, Horizon 2020, preceded by the Seventh Research Framework Programme (FP7). The ERC budget is over €13 billion from 2014 – 2020 and comes from the Horizon 2020 programme, a part of the European Union's budget. Under Horizon 2020 it is estimated that around 7,000 ERC grantees will be funded and 42,000 team members supported, including 11,000 doctoral students and almost 16,000 post-doctoral researchers. The ERC awards to individuals are widely considered to be either among the most, or else the most prestigious grant for academics in Europe. Researchers from any field can compete for the grants that support pioneering projects. The ERC competitions are open to top researchers also from outside the union. The average success rate is about 12%. Five ERC grantees have won Nobel Prizes. Grant applications are assessed by qualified experts. Excellence is the sole criterion for selection; there are neither thematic priorities, nor geographical quotas for funding. The aim is to recognise the best ideas, and confer status and visibility to the best research in Europe, while also attracting talent from abroad. Along with national funding bodies, the ERC aims to improve the climate for European frontier research. The Scientific Council has been keen to learn from the ERC's peers in national research councils (European and overseas) and to engage in dialogue and appropriate collaboration.