Organisation

The FWO subscribes to the principles of good governance for external independent agencies operating under private law. The document below (in Dutch) sets out the principles of the Charter on Good Governance and how they are put in practice by the FWO. These principles were drawn up under the umbrella of MOVI, a management network organisation of the Flemish Government, and in cooperation with Guberna, the Belgian Institute for Directors.

Charter on Good Governance (Dutch).

The Royal Decree of 18/1/1965 (BOG 5/2/1965) enabled associated funds to be set up to fund collective fundamental research via research projects conducted by research teams. In this context, agreements were reached with three ministries:

1. Inter-University Institute for Nuclear Science (IIKW/IISN) via an agreement of 12/4/1965 with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy, now the corresponding Federal Public Service (FOD). For historical reasons this is a fund with legal personality, whose first statutes were approved by the Royal Decree of 6/9/1951 (BOG 13/9/1951 en ABOG 22/9/1951) and amended by, among others, the Royal Decree of 17/5/1972 (BOG 6/6/1972 and ABOG 20/7/1972).
Pursuant to the Law of 8/8/1988 concerning the Funding from Communities and Regions, 80% of the funds were communitised and the Flemish share was incorporated into the FWO’s basic subsidy.
The amended statutes of the Public Utility Foundation were approved by the Royal Decree of 14 October 2007.
The enterprise number is 0850.890.334.

2. Fund for Medical Scientific Research (FGWO) via an agreement with the Ministry of Public Health (now the corresponding FOD) of 7/11/1969, amended in August 1971. This Fund has no legal personality.
Pursuant to the Law of 8/8/1988 concerning the Funding from Communities and Regions, 80% of the funds were communitised and the Flemish share was incorporated into the FWO’s basic subsidy.

Pursuant to the judgment of the twenty-first Chamber of the Brussels Court of Appeal, known under roll number 2021/AR/683, the litigation between FWO/F.R.S.-FNRS and the Belgian State was settled and this on the basis of the settlement agreement concluded between the Parties.  Pursuant to this settlement, the Parties agreed that the underlying grant agreement of 7 November 1969 relating to the claiming of federal grants would cease to have effect. Therefore, as a result of this judgment the FGWO has ceased to exist.

3. Fund for Collective Fundamental Research - initiative of researchers (the former FKFO) via an agreement with the former Ministry of National Education and Culture of 8/4/1965, amended on 1/1/1971. This fund focussed on research areas that were not covered by the FGWO and the IIKW. This Fund had no legal personality. Following the communitisation of education pursuant to the law of 1988, this subsidy fully came under the competence of the Flemish Community. The Flemish share of the subsidy in question was added to the basic subsidy of the FWO into which the FKFO was incorporated.

Since 1/1/1997 the specific scientific committees of these associated funds have been fully integrated into the scientific committees of the FWO.  Decisions concerning specific authorisations and refusals are also made by the trustee bodies of the FWO, but submitted to the trustee bodies of the associated funds for enforcement.
As a result, more coherent decisions are made, and the activities of the various authorities reinforce one another to achieve greater coherence.