Within project EICSTES a big research effort has been made consisting in the collection of those web sites that form the European academic cyberspace (EU-15) and their quantification thereafter using second-generation mapping software (Aguillo, 1998).

In the basis of its philosophy it is to be found the web site concept, proposed by Isidro Aguillo and identified for the first time in 1998 (Aguillo, 1998), that can be defined as a web page or a set of web pages hierarchically linked to a main page identifiable by a URL and forming a documentary unity that is recognisable and independent of others by its subject, authorship or institutional representativeness (Arroyo & Pareja, 2003).

As result of this effort fifteen databases, one per EU country, have been produced containing very complete information about web sites corresponding to R&D institutions that maintain a presence in the web. All this information should be commercially exploited by EUROSTAT at the conclusion of the project, according to what is stated in the contract signed with the Commission, so it is not possible its free distribution here. Nevertheless you can take a look at it by peeping at the database for Belgium (last update in March 2003).