Weave - FWO as Lead Agency

Weave is a bottom-up cross-European initiative developed by European research funders – and embedded in Science Europe – to support excellent European collaborative research projects across national and regional borders. Based on the Lead Agency Principle, Weave aims to simplify the submission and selection procedure of collaborative project proposals: a European team of researchers from two to three European countries or regions that have signed the Weave initiative, submits their joint project proposal to only one research funder (Lead Agency) who is responsible for the entire administrative procedure and scientific evaluation. Each research funder involved is as such responsible for the payment of its own researchers (i.e. researchers eligible for funding from this research funder). Since Weave will enable bilateral as well as trilateral scientific cooperation within Europe, it will contribute to the realisation of the European Research Area (ERA).

More details on the research funders that joined the Weave initiative as well as the aim, procedures, … can be found on this Weave website. The Weave initiative will be rolled out progressively over the coming years with a possible official accession of new Weave research funders. The eligible collaboration combinations are as such a dynamic fact.

• 15 January 2024: call opens
• March 2024: internal deadlines at host institution (contact the responsible department of the host institution in a timely manner for the transfer of the application between supervisor-spokesperson and host institution)
• 2 April 2024 at 5.00 pm: call closes (final submission date via FWO e-portal by main host institution)
• 9-20 September 2024: rebuttal phase (in writing)
  • 20 September 2024 at 23h59: end of rebuttal phase (final submission date via FWO e-portal by promoter-spokesperson)
• 21 October – 15 November 2024: (in person) panel meetings
• 13 December 2024: announcement of results
• 1 January 2025: start of project at Flemish side
• January 2025: feedback is sent to supervisor-spokesperson

Weave is not a new, separate funding programme. It makes use of existing funding channels for fundamental research (with the corresponding timelines and conditions) of the Weave partners. In 2021, the FWO integrated the Weave initiative within its channel for regular FWO research projects for fundamental research. Please make sure to consult for more details this webpage.

• Project duration: as a rule, projects have the same duration both on the Flemish side and on the non-Flemish/foreign side(s), and the project duration rules of the Lead Agency apply:

• FWO as Lead Agency: in principle maximum 4 years, minimum 2 years.
• Please note:
• When German researchers are involved (through research funder/Partner Agency DFG), the maximum project duration is 3 years, both on the Flemish side and on the non-Flemish/foreign side(s).
• When Swedish researchers are involved (through research funder/Partner Agency Formas), the project duration at Swedish side is always fixed at 4 years (shorter project duration not possible). However, this project duration is not by default applicable to the other partners involved.
• An overview of the (maximum) Weave project durations can be found here.

• FWO staff and consumables: at least € 50,000 per year for the entire project (all Flemish, federal and non-Flemish institutions included) and at most € 145,000 per year per Flemish/federal institution.
• FWO equipment: maximum € 150,000 per project (all Flemish and federal institutions included).

The modalities (e.g. budget) and eligibility criteria of the Flemish part follow the regulations of the junior/senior research projects for fundamental research. This means among other things:

• Institutions involved (Article 7) and (co-)supervisor(s)(-spokesperson(s) (Article 10-12) involved have to comply with the conditions described in the regulations for junior/senior projects for fundamental research. Within a Weave project it is however not possible to include a non-Flemish institution other than the involved foreign Weave partner(s) for up to 10% of the total project funding.
• Junior vs. senior projects pursuant to Article 10 of the regulations for junior/senior projects for fundamental research. To determine the type of project (junior/senior), the scientific seniority of the involved non-Flemish/foreign Weave (co-)supervisor(s) also needs to be taken into account.
• Regardless of the fact whether the FWO is Lead or Partner Agency, Weave projects (including those with the Netherlands NWO) are always taken into account for the maximum of 2 research projects fundamental research per application round for which you can act as (co-)supervisor(-spokesperson). They also fall within the rule stating that the total number of research projects fundamental research – applied for and currently ongoing – in name of one and the same (co-)supervisor(-spokesperson) cannot be more than two on the starting date of the new granted project.
• The same Weave project may only be submitted once within the same budget year. The parallel submission of the same Weave project at several research funders where the research partner(s) involved is (are) eligible, is therefore not allowed.
• Applicants agree with the Research Integrity Clause.

The modalities (e.g. budget) and eligibility criteria of the non-Flemish/foreign partner(s) follow the regulations of the respective research funder(s) for which they are eligible. In case the FWO is the Lead Agency, however, it is important to include full details in the application form, also with regard to the budget applied for at the other research funder(s). Further information can be found on the specific websites of the eligible research funders:

• AUSTRIA via FWF (Austrian Science Fund)
• FRENCH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY OF BELGIUM through F.R.S.-FNRS (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique)
• GERMANY through DFG (German Research Foundation)
• LUXEMBOURG through FNR (National Research Fund)
• NETHERLANDS through NWO (Dutch Research Council) (Weave pilot phase)
• POLAND through NCN (National Science Center)
  • Polish side’s budget: applicants must first calculate the requested budgets in złoty (PLN) and then convert them into euro (EUR) based on the applicable EUR/PLN exchange rate as posted on the NCN website. Discrepancies between the Polish budget as indicated in the complete application at the FWO (as Lead) and in the administrative application at NCN (as Partner) may result in ineligibility.
  • Polish side’s staff: postdoctoral researchers and scholarship grantees on the Polish side must be recruited via an open competition and may therefore not be mentioned by name in the applications submitted at the FWO (as Lead) and at NCN (as Partner), otherwise this may result in ineligibility. This rule applies only to NCN; researchers on the Flemish (FWO) side may be mentioned by name, if already known.
• SLOVENIA through ARIS (Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency)
• SWEDEN through Formas (Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development)
  • Please be aware: Formas funds bottom-up fundamental and need-driven research in all scientific domains but with a focus on the following areas of activity:
    • Environment
    • Agricultural Sciences
    • Spatial Planning

The aforementioned information is a crucial part of the eligibility check at Swedish side. Therefore Swedish researchers (and the Swedish part of the joint Weave proposal) must adhere to the restrictions within Formas’ areas of responsibility. For more information on the focus areas of Formas, see this document.

• SWITZERLAND via SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation)

The submission and evaluation of this type of joint project proposal follow the procedure of the junior/senior research projects for fundamental research. This means among other things:

• To be submitted to the FWO (FWO E-portal) using the specific application form ‘Research project WEAVE (FWO acts as Lead Agency)’. Please note: when applying for a Weave project, you cannot use the application form for a regular junior/senior project fundamental research.
• Each (co-)supervisor(-spokesperson) of both the Flemish and the non-Flemish/foreign research teams involved needs to have a profile on the FWO E-portal including an updated overview of their functions/careers and an updated list of publications, and must attach a CV (standard template) to the application.
• Please note: besides submitting the entire application to the FWO, for each Weave country/region involved, an obligatory administrative submission needs to be done to the foreign research funder involved. This administrative submission abroad includes an exact (!) copy of the application submitted to the FWO. Therefore be sure to generate a PDF of your final application submitted to the FWO. Further information (including deadline) is available on the respective websites:
  • AUSTRIA through FWF (Austrian Science Fund)
  • FRENCH-SPEAKING COMMUNITY OF BELGIUM through F.R.S.-FNRS (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique)
  • GERMANY through DFG (German Research Foundation)
  • LUXEMBOURG through FNR (National Research Fund)
  • NETHERLANDS through NWO (Dutch Research Council) (Weave pilot phase)
  • POLAND through NCN (National Science Center)
  • SLOVENIA through ARIS (Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency) – Please note: Slovenian administrative form to be submitted to ARIS before 2^nd of April 2024, 17:00 (CET). A copy of the complete application as submitted to the FWO must be submitted to ARIS within 7 days after the FWO deadline.
  • SWEDEN through Formas (Swedish Council for Sustainable Development)
  • SWITZERLAND through SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation)
• The FWO and the involved non-Flemish/foreign research funder(s) check the eligibility of the application/applicants.
• Weave research projects are evaluated together, and therefore in competition with, junior/senior projects fundamental research. Further information can be found on the webpage on junior/senior projects fundamental research. Positively evaluated proposals will be presented by the FWO to the research funder(s) involved for ratification.
• The boards of trustees of all research funders involved do the final ratification. The FWO will pay for the Flemish part of the positively evaluated proposals, the non-Flemish/foreign part will be paid for by the relevant research funder(s).

For any further questions regarding Weave, please send an email to weave@fwo.be