The Ferdinand Verbiest Institute is a Belgium-based institute sponsored by Ferdinand Verbiest Foundation Leuven and hosted by the Catholic University of Leuven and committed to the dialogue between Europe and China.

The Institute was named after the Belgian Jesuit-astronomer at the Chinese court, Ferdinand Verbiest (1623-1688). Faithful to the inspiration of its patron, the Institute combines scholarly exchange with an active interest in the Church of China.

Historical research on the Belgian presence in China has been the red thread through the Institute's research programme since the foundation in 1982.  Since then the research program includes also China today. Currently, the Institute is strengthening  its role as an observatory on religion and society in modern China.