Grant for a scientific stay in Flanders

Flanders is a financially strong region with an open and multilingual society. But it is also an innovation leader in the heart of Europe with enormous scientific capacity. The FWO realises that Flanders can only maintain this position if international mobility among researchers is sufficiently stimulated. Researchers working in Flanders can already make use of the FWO travel grant for outgoing mobility.

With this new channel, Grant for a scientific stay in Flanders, the FWO expands its portfolio with a channel for individual incoming mobility so that foreign researchers, affiliated to a non-Belgian institution, can apply for a grant for a scientific stay in Flanders. In this way, the FWO also contributes to a brain gain and brain circulation with the aim of strengthening Flemish research further and to make it more international.

For whom is this an interesting channel? Researchers in Flanders who want to start or further develop a collaboration with a colleague abroad, and who want to bring this colleague – with a certain excellent and necessary expertise – for a short period of time to their own research facilities. The central question is always “What is the (scientific) added value for Flanders of bringing that particular researcher to Flanders?”.

• A stay in Flanders of minimum 1 month and maximum 3 months without interruption.
• The grant includes (solely) for the beneficiary:
  • Payment of one-off travel costs, round trip, place of work abroad – Belgium;
    • Since the 1st of January 2020 FWO has a sustainable travel policy in place in all her funding channels. For more details, see here.
  • Fixed daily allowance of EUR 66 (or max. EUR 1,650 /month).
• Announcement of results: via e-mail, to the applicant and the host researcher in Flanders.
• Procedure for booking journeys when travelling on a travel grant

• An application for a grant for a scientific stay in Flanders can only be made upon the official and specific invitation of a researcher (research group) in Flanders, that is the host researcher. This invitation must be uploaded in the online application form (see below under 'How does the application procedure work?').
• There are no nationality restrictions, as long as all the criteria set out in the regulations are fulfilled. However, in the context of FWO's policy on good practice in international cooperation: please contact the research coordination service (or equivalent) of the Flemish host institution – before preparing the application – to obtain more information on the specific modalities concerning some partners.
• The applicant for a grant for a scientific stay in Flanders:
  
  • Holds a PhD by thesis or a diploma or certificate recognised as equivalent (see the regulations for detailed information);
  • Has a remunerated appointment of at least 50% (salary or scholarship with a minimum appointment of 50%) at a non-Belgian research institution for the entire duration of the scientific stay in Flanders. Under no circumstances may the applicant have a remunerated appointment – regardless of the percentage of this appointment – at a university or research institution in Belgium.
  • Has at least one peer-reviewed publication.
  • Only one grant for a scientific stay in Flanders can be granted per person and per calendar year.
  • Must create (and/or update) an account on the FWO e-portal. It is important that the data in this profile is up-to-date, among other things for the payment of the FWO funding in case of approval.
• The host researcher:
  • Is affiliated to:
    • A university in the Flemish Community (including the academic programmes within the corresponding association), or
    • A federal or Flemish scientific institution (except for university colleges), or at
    • A university hospital in the Flemish Community, as member of the scientific staff, or
    • A hospital with an academic character recognised as research center in the Flemish Community, as member of the scientific staff.
  • Must hold at least one of the appointments or be a holder of a research mandate as defined in Article 10 of the Regulations of the Research Foundation – Flanders governing fundamental research projects. An equivalent appointment (with PhD) of at least 50% at the non-university institutions stated above is also allowed.
  • Per calendar year, the host researcher can receive only one researcher with a grant for a scientific stay in Flanders.