European institutions in Strasbourg seats in Strasbourg. Due to this concentration in such a small area, Strasbourg, like Brussels, claims the title of "capital of Europe". While Brussels is the capital city of a trilingual State, Belgium, Strasbourg has had long periods of rule by both France or Germany, assimilating both of their cultures and languages (it also has the Alsatian language). Strasbourg also has the distinction of being one of only three cities to host major international institutions without being a capital (the others being New York City and Geneva). In Brussels' case, it claims the title through referring to the European Union,
École supérieure de biotechnologie Strasbourg École supérieure de biotechnologie Strasbourg The French École supérieure de biotechnologie Strasbourg, also called European School of Biotechnology, Strasbourg (ESBS) is a scientific college situated in Illkirch (Greater Strasbourg). It was founded in 1982 as an autonomous institute within the University of Strasbourg and offers an international biotechnology program. In the year of 1988 the ESBS signed a convention on founding the European Confederation of the Upper Rhine Universities (German: "Konvention zur Gründung einer Europäischen Konföderation der Oberrheinischen Universitäten", EUCOR), an initiative established by Professor Werner Arber, a Nobel Prize Laureate (Medicine) and Principal of the University of Basel, Switzerland.