2. Postdoctoral fellowships

3. Infosession fellowships FWO
Agenda
Mission and key facts
Research Integrity
Selection procedure and how to apply
Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellows
Research and travel grants
Varia
Infosession fellowships FWO

4. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Mission of the FWO
Funds fundamental and strategic basic scientific research (‘frontier research’)
Bottom-up funding in all disciplines
Strong selection based on scientific excellence and interuniversity competition (Flemish universities and, to a lesser extent, research institutes)
Transparent and equal opportunities
Infosession fellowships FWO

5. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Our partners
Universities (Leuven, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels, Hasselt)
Main (Strategic) Research Centers:
Infosession fellowships FWO

6. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Label awarded in december 2010
Implementation of Charter & Code
Focus on transparent recruitment procedures and family/gender friendly measures
Infosession fellowships FWO

7. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Target groups of the FWO
Young researchers
Postdoctoral researchers
Established researchers
Research teams
Top-researchers and high-potential researchers
Infosession fellowships FWO

8. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Funding schemes of the FWO
Funding for individual researchers
pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, bench fees and grants
Funding for research teams
Research projects, Big Science, Bilateral agreements, …
Supporting mobility, international contacts and collaborations
travel grants, sabbatical leaves, scientific research communities, organisation of conferences in Belgium, international coordination actions, collaboration agreements, …
Attracting excellent researchers, active abroad, to Flanders
Odysseus , Pegasus
Awarding scientific prizes
Infosession fellowships FWO

9. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Budget 2015: 241 million EUR, ca. 82% from Flemish Government
Budget 2016: 321 million EUR (new system of MAC)
Infosession fellowships FWO

10. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Allocation 2015
Distribution of the allocation
Infosession fellowships FWO

11. Evolution number researchers in function (1st Oct.)
1. Mission and key facts
Evolution number researchers in function (1st Oct.)

12. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Infosession fellowships FWO

13. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
% foreign researchers (excl. Projects)
Infosession fellowships FWO

14. Infosession fellowships FWO
1. Mission and key facts
Evolution success rate
Infosession fellowships FWO

15. Information session FWO
Mission and key facts
Events
Information session FWO

16. 2. Research Integrity As part of FWO Policy:
Clause in call text, application and contract on committment to RI
Profiles for (co)promoters and researchers
Adaptations in General Regulation and Regulation Pre- and Postdoc on procedure and sanctions in case of RI violation
Please read the detailled information on our website: .
 Every applicant and beneficiant is expected to know the rules and what (s)he will be committed to.

17. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply

18. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Call
External referees (online)
Submission/
eligibility check
Expert
Panels
(30+1)
(CIS)
Board of Trustees
1 February
1 April
April/May
September/
October
2 meetings/year in Brussels
28 June 2017
22 November 2017
Duration workflow fellowships: < 5 months
Duration workflow projects: < 7 months
Infosession fellowships FWO

19. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
FWO E-Portal (ww.fwo.be)
(register at least 24 hours in advance)
Infosession fellowships FWO

20. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Some important changes in the forms
Project outline
A standard template is presented with questions and instructions (Font Calibri 11 - max 10 pages).
The applicant will be able to download it, fill it in and upload it again. (You can include lay-out, formulas, graphs, pictures, etc.)
The FWO administration can reject the PDF if it doesn’t comply with the instructions and ask to adapt it.
Infosession fellowships FWO

21. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Some important changes in the forms
Postdoc renewal
A subdivision for ‘career breaks’ is provided
Templates of the application forms are online available (
Infosession fellowships FWO

22. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Publication lists within the E-portal
Based on FWO classification (A1.1, A1.2, A2, B1, etc.)
A1.2 : Peer-reviewed articles in journals approved by VABB
Copy/paste of publications within each category is possible
Automatic upload from Academic Bibliography available. Only for the publication categories A1.1, A1.2, A2, B1, B2, B3 and C1.
But final check by the applicant of the uploaded references remains necessary!
Infosession fellowships FWO

23. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Ethical advice
The applicant has to indicate whether an advice is necessary if human beings or animals are involved.
The panel can also ask for an advice.
The advice has to be provided by the local ethical commission (host institution).
The advice has to be submitted to FWO before the start of the fellowship/work package concerned.
No advice  fellowship can start, but bench fee can be reclaimed
See for detailled information: .
Infosession fellowships FWO

24. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Ranking and granting (Pre- and Postdoc)
Applications with insufficient quality: not ranked
Others: ranked without the possibility of equal ranking.
For the 2016/2017 round (deadline 02/01/2017) Pre- and Postdoc I:
distribution on the basis of the average historic distribution of fellowships in period
Infosession fellowships FWO

25. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Ranking and granting
PRE-DOC
POSTDOC I %
BIO
11,4
13,8
CULT
17,7 15 GM
18,1
15,4
INTDIS
2,3
2,9
MED
25,6
24,1 WT 25
28,7
Infosession fellowships FWO

26. 3. Selection procedure and how to apply
Ranking and granting
POSTDOC renewal:
General succes rate applied to each scientific domain
Distribution of resulting number of fellowships to be granted between the panels of each domain
By domain panel: chairs + vice-chairs
On the basis of comparison between rankings of the panels + pre-reports
Ranking panel is respected
Infosession fellowships FWO

27. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Pre-doctoral fellowships
Postdoctoral fellows
Research and travel grants
Deadline fellowships: 1 February 2017 – 17h00
Start date: 1 October 2017
Applications in English
Infosession fellowships FWO

28. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Fellowships: general remarks
There is a maximum of 2 attempts to apply for a specific grant
Evaluation and ranking (Pre- and Postdoctoral fellows)
Applications for the Interdisciplinary Panel which are inadmissible based on the interdisciplinarity of the research proposal, can be redirected towards a monodisciplinary panel (after consultation of the applicant).
Selection of the correct Expertpanel is very important
Infosession fellowships FWO

29. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Senior Clinical Investigator – separate funding line/ranking
Infosession fellowships FWO

30. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
What?
3 years, 1x renewable (no longer 2nd renewal)
Full time research
Postdoctoral level (obtained PhD < 1 June 2017)
First step in academic career
No nationality requirements
Host institution:
Flemish university
ITG, AMS, Vlerick BS, HZS
Infosession fellowships FWO

31. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Limitation postdoctoral seniority for application
Max. 3 year postdoctoral seniority (on June 1 of submission year)
Calculated from date of PhD diploma on
Limit extended with 1 year per pregnancy or parental leave
Infosession fellowships FWO

32. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Temporary suspension for research position abroad
A FWO postdoctoral fellowship (1st or 2nd term) can be suspended during the period the postdoc occupies a full-time and paid research position (incl. stipend) at a foreign university/scientific institute/company.
Why? Encouraging international mobility of researchers
Infosession fellowships FWO

33. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
In practice
Employment contract, 3 years
Renewable once
Apply before 1 February of the last year
Salary is at the same level of doctor-assistant of a Flemish university
Seniority is taken into account
Disciplinary dependent of the host institution
Infosession fellowships FWO

34. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Personal statement
The personal statement is your opportunity to discuss personal motivations, your (research) interests, your experience and activities, and your future goals. The Personal Statement should focus on your personal background or experiences that have significantly influenced you or your goals. It should be a document that describes your abilities, skills, and accomplishments as evidence of your aspirations for pursuing a career in research.
If you have interrupted your academic career at any given point for at least three months, you may provide details about this in your Personal Statement (optional).
This Personal Statement should be written in English, and is limited to characters, including spaces (ca. 500 words).
Infosession fellowships FWO

35. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
External advice
Head of the receiving research unit
At least 2 external referees
Infosession fellowships FWO

36. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Applicant suggests 10 potential referees
APPLICANT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ELIGIBILITY OF THE REFEREES; IN CASE OF ANY MISCONDUCT EACH APPLICATION WILL IMMEDIATELY BE INELIGIBLE
FWO-administration selects at random referees until at least 2 reports are available
Information session FWO

37. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Not eligible as referee are:
Members of the Board of FWO;
Members of an expert panel of FWO;
Those who are appointed at a Belgian university, research institution or whatever other organization;
Those who are professionally appointed at an institution where the applicant(s) has/have been enrolled as a student or has/have been professionally appointed after January 1st of the year n-3 (n= year of application);
Information session FWO

38. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Not eligible as referee are:
Co-authors of the applicant(s) of a publication that has been submitted or published after 1 January of the year n-3 (n=year of application); co-authorship is to be understood as follows:
Co-authorship of a monograph of which the applicant is co-author as well;
Co-authorship of an article or another type of contribution to a collection of which the applicant is co-author as well;
Editors are not regarded as co-authors, insofar as they have not also acted as what is understood under ‘co-author’. Co-editors of the applicant are not accepted as external referees.
Information session FWO

39. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Not eligible as referee are:
Partners of the applicant(s) in a research project that has been applied for or ongoing within the last three years prior to the final submission date for applications
Applicants are responsible for the eligibility of the proposed referees! If the proposed referees do not comply with the eligibility criteria, the referee/application will be declared ineligible!
Information session FWO

40. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Eligibility: specification “research partners”:
Art. 12, § 4: “partners of the applicant(s) in a research cooperation ,whether formalised in a research project or not, that has been applied for or has been running after January 1st of the year n-3 (n=year of application. In this context, the following shall in any case qualify as research cooperation (non-exhaustive list):
Information session FWO

41. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Eligibility: specification “research partners”:
Cooperation under a research fellowship, granted by the FWO;
Cooperation under a research project, whether relating to a specific subject or not or under an international cooperation project, granted by the FWO;
Cooperation under the Odysseus programme or the Big Science programme, granted by the FWO;
Cooperation under a Scientific Research Network, granted by the FWO;
Cooperation under programmes similar to those mentioned above, granted by  organisations other than the FWO;
Joint research work not formalised in a cooperation structure as defined above;
Research carried out in the research areas and/or with research facilities provided by the applicant to the referee or vice versa; …”
Information session FWO

42. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Eligibility
When in doubt about the eligibility before the submission, applicants can contact FWO before submitting the application: .
The questions to the FWO before submission will be presented to the FWO referee commission of the appropriate scientific domain.
Information session FWO

43. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: FWO Referee Commission
After submission, co-authorship in publications with > 10 authors  FWO administration will consult the referee commission
After submission, referee commission will decide on the alleged eligibility of the proposed referees
When the referee commission decides negatively on the eligibility of a proposed referee in an application that has already been submitted, this referee/application will be disqualified!
Information session FWO

44. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: FWO Referee Commission
If after the submission date the referee commission answers negatively to a question concerning eligibility of a proposed referee that reached the FWO before the application: applicant will be asked to propose a new referee that meets the eligibility criteria.
Information session FWO

45. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Other issues
Applicants must see to it that any contact information of the reviewers is up-to-date  not the case: FWO will not take further steps in tracking down the reviewer(s) and the applicant may be asked to submit new names.
Applicants and reviewers may not in any way communicate with each other about any aspect of the application and of the evaluation.
At the time of entry in application process: reviewers will need to declare that they comply with eligibility requirements or reviewers and that they will treat any information contained in the application as confidential and that they will not use any of this information for purposes other than the drawing up of their evaluation
Information session FWO

46. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Check by FWO
FWO administration will see to it that applicants strictly observe the eligibility regulations and other guidelines. It will inform the Board of Trustees about any violation of this sort. The Board of Trustees will take the final decision on these violations.
After administrative check: FWO will inform applicants about violations that were found  if alleged violations result from a factual error of the FWO administration, the FWO can be notified.
Information session FWO

47. 3. Funding schemes: Research projects
Postdoctoral fellowships: External referees
Check by FWO
Since this round:
If no more than 2 CoIs are detected between applicant and referee(s)
the applicant will be invited to propose new names for the ineligible ones
If in the following application round for fellowships a new violation is detected, the application will then become ineligible immediately
If more than 2 CoIs are detected between applicant and referee(s)
the current application will become ineligible immediately
Information session FWO

48. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Selection criteria (1)
Quality of the applicant
Research capability and potential such as
Publications in peer reviewed journals as well as other elements of the candidate’s CV
Patents, teaching, advanced courses, etc., taking into account the level of experience
Research skills and methodology
Scientific independence (independent thinking, management experience and leadership qualities)
Scientific background of the candidate
Mobility of the applicant (previous transnational and/or intersectoral mobility experience)
Infosession fellowships FWO

49. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Selection criteria (2)
Quality of the proposal
Originality and innovative nature of the project (progress beyond the state of the art)
Feasibility of the project
Focus of the project
Relevance of the project
Coherence of the project
Infosession fellowships FWO

50. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Selection criteria (3)
Quality of the context of employment
Quality of the research environment of the host group (researchers, infrastructure, etc.)
Quality of the supervision and training support of the host group
Infosession fellowships FWO

51. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Accountability
Yearly progress report
FWO should be acknowledged on every publication
FWO should be informed about every foreign stay
Infosession fellowships FWO

52. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Combining jobs: general max. 8 hours / week
Unpaid
Administrative or clinical tasks
Guiding practica / seminars (1 hour = 2 hours)
≤ 2 hours on yearly basis in teaching at a univ./institution for higher education (3 hours on yearly basis in 2nd)
Parttime paid
Appointment as fellow % reduced
Allowed without application
Compensation for stay abroad
Compensation covers only travel and accomodation costs
Infosession fellowships FWO

53. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Temporary suspension for research position abroad
A FWO postdoctoral fellowship (1st or 2nd term) can be suspended during the period the postdoc occupies a full-time and paid research position (incl. stipend) at a foreign university/scientific institute/company.
Why? Encouraging international mobility of researchers
Infosession fellowships FWO

54. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Temporary suspension for research position abroad
Conditions:
Suspension: min. 6 months / max. 2 years in total (1st + 2nd term taken together)
Official request to the Secretary-General of FWO
Minimal 80% postdoc fellowship
No time gap between 1st and 2nd postdoctoral term
> applications for renewals : in the last full year of 1st term (incl. suspension) (year= 1 Oct. – 30 Sept.)
Suspension not possible for
Senior Clinical Investigator
If the foreign position is part of a group or consortium receiving any (in)direct public Flemish funding
Infosession fellowships FWO

55. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Bench fee
Each year € 4.000
Responsibility of the researcher
Can be combined with other funding
Saldi may be used the next year
Cf. PhD Fellowships
Infosession fellowships FWO

56. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Postdoctoral fellowships
Mobility
Very important for postdoctoral fellows
Make use of (FWO) funding schemes for international mobility
Travel grants (short/long stay)
Bench fee: € 4.000
Infosession fellowships FWO

57. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Senior Clinical Investigator
Who can apply?
A medical specialist, general practitioner or pharmacist specialist in clinical biology
Full-time clinical role at a university hospital
5 years, 2 x renewable
Halftime exemption of clinical tasks
Obtained PhD (< 1 June 2017)
Infosession fellowships FWO

58. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Senior Clinical Investigator
Selection procedure referees:
> See Postdoctoral Fellowships
Infosession fellowships FWO

59. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Research and Travel Grants
Research grants
> Together with call Research Projects (deadline: April 1st)
Postdocs and ZAP (limited)
Personal research budget between € and €
Grant for 1 year
Infosession fellowships FWO

60. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Research and Travel Grants
Travel grants
Bottom-up: free choice of destination and research topic
No grants inside Europe for Aspirant/IWT-fellowship and FWO-postdoc
At least one publication
Types of grants:
Attendance of international conferences / workshops
Short and long stays abroad
Infosession fellowships FWO

61. 4. Funding schemes of the FWO
Earmarked Travel Grants:
Belgian Historical Institute in Rome (BHIR)
Stipends:
Stay + travel
For research in archives, libraries, archaeological digs and in museums
1 week – 12 months (cf. FWO short and long stays)
Master or Doctorate in Humanities
Affiliation to Belgian university
Submission: September
Evaluation together and in interaction with Academia Belgica
See for more information: .
Infosession fellowships FWO

62. 4. Other Funding: Academia Belgica
Academia Belgica, Rome (Secretariat by FWO)
Research stays and stipends
Stipends:
Stay + travel and living expenses
1 – 9 months
Doctorate obtained in previous 3 academic years
Proposal for research activities in Rome
Support by 2 professors of a Belgian university
Submission: September
Evaluation together and in interaction with BHIR
See for more information: .
Infosession fellowships FWO

63. More information on the FWO
Website of the FWO:
Information on strategy, regulations, scientific prizes, calls, …
Free to download publications
More information on FWO:
Infosession fellowships FWO