Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC), the research department of the Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp (RZSA). The CRC is not a separate research institute, but is very much embedded in the structure and functioning of the Society. We are part of a larger department of Research and Product Development, which also includes zoology (including nature reserve “De Zegge”), education, veterinary services, and development projects. Research is concentrated on four disciplines: Ethology, Functional Morphology, Veterinary Medicine and Conservation Biology. Each discipline has its own coordinator, who is responsible for the research projects within the discipline and for supervision of students and postdocs.



As of 2001 the CRC is recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Flemish Government, its subsidizing authority. A high quality standard is guaranteed by the Scientific Advisory Board who supervise current research and also future research strategies. In addition, the RZSA, the CRC and the Flemish Government together established yearly performance targets, reflecting both the Society’s and the government’s goals. These targets not only evaluate our progress towards set goals, but also help focus the planning of new research projects