FWO: open calls

Fundamental research in all disciplines; Flemish supervisor-spokesperson must be based at an eligible Flemish host institution. Joint integrated proposal required with South African partner(s). No remuneration for (co-)supervisors. Research security questionnaire mandatory. Budget: €45k–€85k/year for staff & consumables at FWO side; up to €150k equipment per project.

Open to researchers at Flemish universities, SOCs, and public knowledge institutions. Provides Tier-1 HPC compute time (500 kcore-hours to 10 Mcore-hours and/or 1–40 kGPU-hours) for 8 months. No cost contribution required. Benchmarks required to substantiate compute estimates.

For ZAP-position holders (≥80%) at Flemish Community universities, or equivalent doctorate-holding staff at specified Flemish institutions. Covers research expenses during sabbatical leave (not replacement costs). Applications must be submitted in English. Max once per civil year; max 1 year per 3-year term. Cannot be combined with conference/study visit grants.

Flemish universities, SOCs, and public knowledge institutions only. No cost to applicants. Projects require 500 kcore-hours to 10 Mcore-hours and/or 1–40 kGPU-hours. Benchmarks required to substantiate estimates. Free computing time for HPC research purposes.

Interdisciplinary fundamental research involving at least two of the three FRQ sectors (Health / Society & Culture / Nature & Technologies), carried out at an eligible Flemish host institution in collaboration with Québec partners. Staff & consumables: min €45k–max €85k/year; equipment: max €150k/project. Applicant may act only once as supervisor(-spokesperson) or co-supervisor per call. Proposals submitted in English or French via FWO E-portal.

Joint 3-year research projects between researchers from Flanders and Québec, in collaboration with Canadian funder FRQ. Applicants must be based at a Flemish research institution.

For senior researchers (PhD + 10 years minimum) affiliated to a Belgian university, university hospital, or eligible research institute until 31 Dec 2030. Funds rare disease research (bench to bedside); rare cancers and rare adverse drug events excluded. Proposals must be submitted in English. Up to 30% may be outsourced internationally or to the private sector.

Bilateral Flemish–French-speaking Belgium (FNRS) fundamental research project under the Weave Lead Agency Principle. Flemish supervisor-spokesperson must be eligible under FWO junior/senior project regulations (Article 7, 10–12). Proposals submitted in full to FNRS as Lead; Flemish side submits administrative form to FWO E-portal. Counts toward FWO's maximum of one active research project per applicant per round.

Bilateral Flemish–French-speaking Belgian collaborative fundamental research project under the Weave Lead Agency Principle. Flemish supervisor-spokesperson must be eligible under FWO junior/senior research project regulations. Flemish institutions must comply with FWO Article 7 conditions. Proposals submitted to FNRS as Lead Agency; FWO administrative submission via E-portal using form 'Research project WEAVE (FWO acts as Partner Agency)' within 7 days of FNRS deadline.

Problem-oriented strategic basic research with economic or societal application prospects. Applicants must be based at Flemish research institutions (universities, university colleges, strategic research centres); max 20% budget to non-Flemish partners. Supervisors at Flemish universities require ZAP appointment; non-university applicants need equivalent R4-level role with doctoral degree. Advisory committee of stakeholders required (except spin-off projects). Proposals submitted in English via FWO e-portal.

For internationally recognised pioneer researchers who have built their career outside Belgium. Candidate must hold ≥80% appointment at a foreign institution and have been abroad ≥3 of the past 5 years (max 10% Belgium during that period). Must be nominated by a Flemish university; application must be written in English. Total programme budget: €21.8M.

For internationally recognised pioneer researchers who have built their career outside Belgium. Applicant must hold ≥80% appointment at a foreign institution on deadline date and have been abroad (≥80%) for at least 3 of the past 5 years. Only Flemish universities may nominate candidates. Proposals must be written in English. Provides a ZAP position plus research funding to establish a research group at a Flemish university.

PhD fellowship for fundamental research funded by FWO, open to researchers at Flemish knowledge institutions. Includes preselection and interview stages. Open Science outputs (datasets, software, grey literature) can be highlighted in the application. Proposals submitted via FWO e-portal.

PhD fellowship for fundamental research in Flanders (Belgium). Applicants must be affiliated with a Flemish research institution. Includes preselection and interview stages. Open Science contributions (datasets, software, grey literature) are explicitly encouraged in the application.

Open to researchers at Flemish universities, Flemish SOCs, and Flemish public knowledge institutions. Applicants request Tier-1 compute time on the Flemish Supercomputer Center (VSC) infrastructure. Proposals must be submitted via the FWO e-loket; host institution must be based in Flanders.

Health research in a European context under the Horizon Europe cofund partnership ERA4HEALTH. Applicants must be based at a Flemish research institution. Transnational consortium required as part of the broader ERA4HEALTH partnership call.

Supports high-impact translational cancer research through the Transcan-4 European network. Applicants must be based at a Flemish research institution. Transnational consortium required as part of the broader Transcan-4 partnership call.

Fundamental research in all disciplines; Flemish PI must be based at an eligible Flemish host institution. Brazilian partner must be affiliated to a FAPESP-eligible organisation in the State of São Paulo. No distinction between junior/senior projects. Budget: €45k–€85k/year for staff & consumables plus up to €150k equipment at FWO side. Proposals must be submitted simultaneously to FWO and FAPESP.

Thematic SBO call focused on strategic basic research in the field of security and defence. Open to research teams at Flemish universities and research institutions. Call currently open.

Supports outstanding researchers who have built up a career outside Flanders to set up a research group or line at a Flemish university. Provides start-up funding for 5 years. Applicant must be hosted at a Flemish university. Call currently open.

PhD fellowships co-funded by INBO (Research Institute for Nature and Forest) and FWO, focused on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services with policy relevance. Only applicants to regular FWO doctoral fellowship calls where INBO has agreed to act as additional host institute, and approved but unfunded by FWO, are eligible. Host must be a Flemish university collaborating with INBO.

Provides iRODS-based data storage (5 TiB–1 PiB) close to HPC infrastructure for Flemish university/SOC/public knowledge institution researchers. Supports metadata, workflow automation, and data sharing. No cost contribution required. Contact data@vscentrum.be for assistance.

Free trial compute allocation (up to 500k core hours and 1000 GPU hours) for Flemish university/SOC/public knowledge institution researchers to test software and perform scalability benchmarks before a full Tier-1 Compute application. Apply by email to compute@vscentrum.be.

Open to research groups from Flemish universities only. Funds equipment, personnel, and operational costs for medium-scale research infrastructure (€150k–€1M excl. co-funding). Applications submitted via FWO E-portal through the host institution. Inter-university cooperation encouraged. 100% funding rate.

Open to research institutes from Flanders (FWO-funded subproject) within a transnational consortium. Covers waterborne contaminants & health risks, water quality monitoring, treatment/mitigation, and governance. FWO funds via fundamental (FO) or Strategic Basic Research (SBO) channels; valorisation is mandatory for SBO. Max 36 months; no extensions. PI must hold appointment covering full project duration.

Available exclusively to FWO postdoctoral fellows (junior or senior) active in cancer research at Flemish institutions. Applications are submitted via the FWO postdoctoral fellowship call and evaluated by the Med4 Cancer Research expert panel. The two best-ranked candidates each receive €41,500 as an additional bench fee on top of the regular bench fee (€4,000–€10,000/year).

Joint compute allocation for consortia of at least 3 research groups from different Flemish public research institutions with a common research theme. Up to 10 M core hours and/or 40 k GPU hours for 12 months. No cost contribution required.

Free trial of Tier-1 Data resources for Flemish university/SOC/public knowledge institution researchers. Apply by email to data@vscentrum.be and local VSC coordinator. No set deadlines.

OpenStack-based cloud (IaaS) resources for Flemish university/SOC/public knowledge institution researchers needing flexible virtual machines, storage, and high-level services. Proposals must be of outstanding quality. No cost contribution required. Contact cloud@vscentrum.be for assistance.

Free trial of Tier-1 Cloud resources for Flemish university/SOC/public knowledge institution researchers. Apply by email to cloud@vscentrum.be and local VSC coordinator. No set deadlines.

Doctoral fellowships for fundamental and/or strategic basic research hosted at Flanders Hydraulics (WL) as additional host institute. Only FWO call applications approved but unfunded, where WL agreed to act as additional host, are eligible. Research scope: hydraulic, nautical, sediment-related and hydrological topics. Flemish knowledge institutions; bench fee financed by WL.

Junior and senior postdoctoral fellowships hosted at Flanders Hydraulics (WL) as additional host institute, available from call 2024 onwards. Only FWO-approved but unfunded postdoctoral applications where WL agreed to act as additional host are eligible. Research scope: hydraulic, nautical, sediment-related and hydrological topics. Bench fee financed by WL.

For researchers with postdoctoral seniority of ≤12 years. Funds fundamental, curiosity-driven research at eligible Flemish host institutions. Non-Flemish partners may receive up to 10% of budget. Proposals submitted in English via FWO e-portal by the main host institution. 6% overhead awarded to host institution(s).

For researchers with postdoctoral seniority of >12 years. Funds fundamental, curiosity-driven research at eligible Flemish host institutions. Non-Flemish partners may receive up to 10% of budget. Proposals submitted via FWO e-portal by the main host institution. 6% overhead awarded to host institution(s).

Bilateral Flemish–French-speaking Belgium fundamental research collaboration under the Weave Lead Agency Principle. Flemish institutions and supervisors must meet FWO junior/senior project regulations. Proposals submitted to F.R.S.-FNRS as Lead Agency; Flemish supervisor-spokesperson must also submit administratively to FWO E-portal. Research Security questionnaire required.

Fundamental research joint projects between Flemish institutions and Chinese partners (NSFC). Host institution must be an eligible Flemish institution. Covers mathematical/physical, chemical, life, earth, engineering/material, information, management, and health sciences. Budget: €45k–€85k/year for staff & consumables + up to €150k equipment at FWO side. Proposals must be submitted simultaneously to FWO and NSFC.

PhD fellowships in fundamental and/or strategic basic research co-funded by Flanders Hydraulics (WL). Only eligible if WL agreed to act as additional host institute and the application was approved by FWO but could not be financed in the regular call. Host institution must be a Flemish research institution. Topics: hydraulic, nautical, sediment-related and hydrological research.

FWO co-funds transnational research projects in brain health for Flemish researchers. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat directly; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational health research projects for Flemish researchers under ERA4Health. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational One Health / antimicrobial resistance research for Flemish researchers. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational pandemic preparedness research for Flemish researchers under BE READY. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational personalised medicine research for Flemish researchers under EP PerMed. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational rare disease research for Flemish researchers under ERDERA. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational translational cancer research for Flemish researchers under Transcan-4. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational quantum technologies research for Flemish researchers under QUANTERA III. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational urban transitions research for Flemish researchers under DUT. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational data-driven agriculture research for Flemish researchers under AgData. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational animal health and welfare research for Flemish researchers under EUP AH&W. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.

FWO co-funds transnational biodiversity research for Flemish researchers under Biodiversa+. ~€350k per Flemish project (2 projects, 3 years). Applicants submit to the call secretariat; FWO selection based on transnational panel ranking. FO or SBO rules apply; SBO spin-off projects ineligible.