The HISK is developing a research centre for contemporary visual arts and is in this way helping to put artistic research on the map. The HISK systematically collects up-to-date information on doctorates in the arts and lists all those who have been published.
The HISK, in cooperation with ECOOM, is working on the registering of all artistic research in Flanders in a dedicated database. This way, HISK artists are given the opportunity to present and share their artistic research practice with both the art and academic communities. Within the context of the process of academisation, the collection and dissemination of artistic research is an important objective for the HISK.
The HISK has a special library with numerous publications on art, art theory and criticism, as well as broader thematic literature. The HISK also collaborates with the Ghent Arts Library and other specialised knowledge centres.