Support programmes
With our financial resources we support individual researchers and research teams with personal fellowships and project funding.
All about support programmes
Research projects are initiated by the researchers. There are two types of projects: junior and senior research projects. The objective of FWO's research projects is to advance fundamental scientific research. They are initiated on the initiative of researchers in all scientific disciplines.
The funding programme for projects fundamental research aims to support research addressing fundamental research questions. It focuses on curiosity-driven research, the sole/predominant/main aim of which is knowledge generation - i.e. the development of new knowledge without any concrete practical application or use in view. Questions on the valorisation of the research results are by no means mandatory or even relevant. Research funded by this programme is all about crossing the boundaries of existing knowledge, possibly but not necessarily with real scientific breakthroughs. These breakthroughs may consist of results with big potential impact, be it scientifically, economically, societally, culturally and/or in other ways, and which may transform or radically change existing knowledge, paradigms, technologies and/or structures.
Daring new ideas situated at the very start of the R&D-cycle are as welcome as research that is multi- or interdisciplinary. Applicants propose their own topics (bottom-up); no themes are imposed. The size of applicant teams may vary from individual researchers to multi-partner conglomerates. The programme indeed offers opportunities for cooperation between research teams within and even (in a more limited way) outside of Flanders. Bi- or multilateral projects encompassing structural collaboration with researchers in a series of other countries in Europe are possible as part of the WEAVE programme, which is integrated in the fundamental projects.
To create a level playing field, the programme for projects on fundamental research is divided in a junior competition, for applicants with PhD seniority of no more than 12 years, and a senior competition for applicants with PhD seniority of more than 12 years.
The programme for fundamental research projects thus distinguishes itself from funding schemes addressing applied research (or experimental development) on the one hand and schemes supporting strategic basic research, involving innovation potential in the long term, on the other.
The evaluation of the applications is carried out by 31 discipline-specific expert panels and one specific interdisciplinary panel. The applicant is solely responsible for the choice of the expert panel that will evaluate their application. You should read the scientific scopes of all expert panel carefully to determine to which panel your application is best submitted. You may find the scopes of the panels here.
See contact info for specific questions
For technical (IT) problems regarding e-portal and application modules send an email to the IT helpdesk: FWOhelpdesk@fwo.be
These general regulations are applicable to all applications submitted to FWO
These regulations contain all conditions to apply for an FWO Research Project
These regulations describe the requirements for the composition of the Expert panels and the code of conduct for experts; they also stipulate the method used for scoring and selection (decision making process). The composition of the panels is published on the FWO website in May 2024.
Evaluation and selection procedures are commented during the information sessions and in this presentation. The presentation allows to better understand the evaluation and selection process, and to prepare an application that meets the selection criteria.
The application form for this funding programme has been amended in 2022 to pay more attention to various researcher profiles and research results.
In the form the subsections relating to peer reviewed articles have been merged into a single section (i.e. without distinguishing between Web of Science, VABB-SHW and the like), the section ‘other output and impact’ in the CV template has been placed in a broader context, a ‘research statement’ has been introduced in which the ‘short CV’ and the ‘career path’ overlap, enabling the researcher to insert a narrative, and the option has been added to present and clarify the five most relevant publications and/or achievements over the last five years, and to include the research funding obtained over the last five years.
The evaluation procedure has also been amended accordingly: in the score grids, the score descriptors have been supplemented with the new elements in the application form.
The purpose of these amendments is to give researchers the opportunity to demonstrate a range of scientifically relevant activities, skills, experiences and achievements. The FWO is thus following an international trend away from a one-sided focus on ‘classical’ output criteria (such as publications, bibliometrics, patents and the like) towards a broader view of what science can be and accomplish, with respect for the specificity of each discipline. The new application forms intend to help the researcher demonstrate this versatility.
The application form now also features two questions relating to ‘responsible research and innovation’: one about the extent to which ‘gender/sex and diversity’ has been taken into account in the research approach and another about the involvement of social stakeholders in the research. Applicants can justify their answers to both questions or, where appropriate, indicate why these aspects are not relevant to their application. The questions are intended to raise awareness about these aspects in terms of what is understood as responsible research and innovation.