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Grant for participation in a conference abroad

This travel grant supports researchers who wish to actively participate in an international scientific conference abroad.

Status

Permanent call

Announcement

Over the past years the International Collaboration Committee (CIWC), mainly responsible for the evaluation of FWO travel grants, had to handle a significantly increasing number of applications. While pre-corona (2016-2019) the amount of applications remained stable, the number of applications to be evaluated during the first 10 months of 2024 grew by 39% compared to the same period in 2019. As a result, the CIWC workload rocketed and the available budget is strained. In order to continue the work of the CWIC in a sustainable manner, the FWO board of trustees decided, after consulting our stakeholders, to make some changes to the modalities and eligibility criteria when applying for a grant to participate in a conference abroad. Key elements that were taken into account when taking this decision were e.g. the intended target group and programme objectives.

Important changes in terms of eligibility and modalities from 01/01/2025 onwards:

  • Seniority: only applicants with no more than 6 years of postdoctoral seniority (start date conference as reference date) can apply for this type of travel grant.
  • Publication requirements:
    • Conference in EEA, Switzerland or UK: minimum 1 peer-reviewed publications as first or last author.
    • Conference outside EEA, Switzerland or UK, at least three or more peer-reviewed publications out of which minimum 1 as first or last author.

Exceptions can be made for research domains using different publication practices (e.g. alphabetically ordered author list).

  • Number of awarded grants: Maximum 1 grant per person and per civil year can be awarded for participation in a conference, workshop/course, or short study visit abroad combined.
  • Number of applications: Maximum 2 applications for a particular conference per research unit. A research unit is defined as a research team that collaborates on a structural basis as demonstrated by e.g. the author list of publications originating from this team. De facto this means that per listed supervisor/head of research no more than 2 applications for the same conference can be submitted.

Objective

The FWO encourages mobility among researchers and international contacts between research groups. This grant supports researchers who wish to actively participate in an international scientific conference abroad. The grants are awarded only for active participation (presentation or poster) in conferences of a purely scientific nature, featuring speeches and discussions of original contributions or reports.

Features

Be aware: For any travel towards a higher-risk destination, the FWO (travel) grant can only be used in case of a positive advice of the concerned host institution. Please make sure to request this advice at the responsible advisory body of your host institution.

Profile and conditions

  • Throughout the entire period of your stay abroad, you are affiliated to a university or university hospital in the Flemish Community or to a federal or Flemish scientific institute (see regulations for more detailed information).
  • Attention: for applications with a departure date from the 1stof October 2016 onwards there is no longer a nationality requirement for predoctoral candidates. Nevertheless, as a PhD student you should have obtained a master degree in one of the member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland* (see regulations for more detailed information). There are no degree or nationality requirements for candidates from postdoctoral level onwards.

*You can have your certificate, awarded outside EEA and Switzerland, recognized by NARIC, as being on the level of a Flemish master degree OR (new) provide the FWO, in the application phase, with a declaration in which the administration of your university confirms that you will be allowed to prepare a doctoral thesis with a start of your PhD-track before your departure abroad. This also applies to diplomas awarded in the UK.

  • For participation in a conference in one of the member states of the EEA or in Switzerland or in the United Kingdom, you need to have at least one peer-reviewed publication. For participation in a conference outside Europe (i.e. other countries than the ones mentioned in the previous sentence), you should preferably already have three or more accepted peer-reviewed publications.
  • You give a presentation (poster or oral) at the conference.
  • In case you already receive a bench fee within a granted mandate or fellowship, you cannot apply for a travel grant for a conference, short study visit or participation in a workshop/course in one of the member states of the EEA or Switzerland or the United Kingdom, since this bench fee can be used for these purposes.
  • For short study visits, workshops/courses, and conferences, a maximum of two grants per person and per civil year can be awarded.

Procedure

  • You submit your application (in English) online through the FWO E-loket no later than 3 months prior to the departure date. You will immediately receive a confirmation by e-mail when the application has been submitted successfully. If this is not the case, you need to contact interprog@fwo.be. Please note that it is also important that your personalia in in your E-loket profile are up-to-date (including publication list), among other things for the payment of the FWO funding in case of approval.

  • You attach the official proof of acceptance of your presentation (poster or oral communication). If this official acceptance is not yet available 3 months before the departure date, you can provide FWO with the documents afterwards.

  • Your application is submitted to the International Collaboration Committee (CIWC). Consult this time schedule to see when your application will be evaluated and when the result will be communicated.
  • Advice, selection and evaluation criteria
    Here you can find all advice, selection and evaluation criteria for a ‘Grant for participation in a conference abroad’ at FWO.
  • A letter of recommendation from your supervisor/head of research unit is no longer requested.

Please be aware that the International Collaboration Committee (CIWC) has no meeting in August

Regulations and downloads

General regulations

These general regulations are applicable for every funding of FWO.

Regulations for a ‘Grant for participation in a conference abroad’

These regulations include all the conditions and procedures for a ‘Grant for participation in a conference abroad’ at FWO.

Scientific Report template ‘Grant for participation in a conference abroad’

71.00 kb doc

Document car journey declaration

61.50 kb doc

Frequently Asked Questions

0.11 MB pdf