Senior postdoctoral fellowship

The senior postdoctoral fellowship aims to support researchers who have completed their PhD a few years ago to further specialize in their research discipline. With the help of this fellowship, a postdoctoral researcher can develop their own research line while simultaneously acquiring additional academic skills through training and mobility, among other means. In this way, the FWO aims to provide young researchers with optimal opportunities to build an independent international research career, either within an academic context or beyond.

The FWO collaborates with the Plantentuin Meise, VITO and Flanders Hydraulics for the funding of additional postdoctoral fellowships.

The Suzanne Duchesne Fund is administered by the King Baudouin Foundation and provides €123,000 for the 2025 call in the form of special bench fees for selected postdoctoral researchers in oncology (Med4 panel).

• 18 September 2024: call opens
• 2 December 2024 at 5pm: call closes (last application date)
• 27 March – 3 April 2025: online preselection meetings
• 7 April 2025: invitation to interviews
• 23 April - 9 May 2025: (physical) interviews
• 22 May 2025: announcement of results
• 1 October or 1 November 2025: start of fellowship

• Duration of the fellowship: Three years
• Gross monthly salary (7 years seniority): €5,731.26 (index 2,O399 from 1/12/2023)
• Bench fee which can range from €4,000 to €10,000 per year

• See the programme regulations for more details on eligibility conditions.
• You hold a PhD by thesis or a degree or a diploma or certificate recognized as equivalent in accordance with European Union directives or a bilateral agreement.
• You can apply for a senior postdoctoral fellowship if your PhD degree, with as reference point the date mentioned on the PhD degree, was awarded minimum three years and maximum six years before the first of October of the year in which the fellowship commences. You can always apply for a senior postdoctoral fellowship if you have previously enjoyed a junior postdoctoral fellowship. In that case, the senior postdoctoral fellowship must immediately follow the junior postdoctoral fellowship.
• You must have a postdoctoral research experience of minimum 2 years on the first of October of the year in which the fellowship commences. In case you have not had a (junior) postdoctoral fellowship from the FWO before, you must prove this experience by means of a declaration by the Flemish host institute. The declaration is to be signed by someone with signature authority, binding the host institute. Contact the host institute’s research co-ordination office for more info.
• You have not yet benefited from this fellowship, not even partially.
• You can apply maximum two times for the same fellowship.
• You agree with the Research Integrity Clause.

• You have to find a supervisor at a Flemish host institution (article 3 of the regulations on postdoctoral researchers).
• You need to submit your application via the online application (addressed to a FWO expert panel).
• The supervisor receives a request from the FWO to write a letter of recommendation.
• Once the expert panel has completed the preselection, you will be notified and depending on your result, you will or will not be invited to the second round.
• If you are invited to the second round, you will be interviewed by the panel between 23 April and 9 May 2025. You will receive an invitation for this on 7 April 2025. Have a look at the dates for the interviews.
• On the basis of the proposals from the expert panels, the board will make the final decision on the selection. The results will be announced via email and via our results page on 22 May 2025.
• You will get feedback on your evaluation once the decisions have been published.
• The evaluation and selection procedures are explained in a number of information sessions (see below).