FAQ FWO fundamental research

Supervisor

How many applications can a (co-)supervisor submit? 
A researcher may submit a maximum of 1 proposal per call. In total, a (co-)supervisor cannot have more than 2 submitted and ongoing proposals. The reference date used to calculate this total is the date on which a newly awarded research project would normally start. This means that there can only be 1 ongoing research project on the date that the new research project starts. This rule also applies to LAP and Weave projects. This rule does not apply to a (co-)supervisor from a partner institution that has not requested any budget for the entire duration of the project, provided that the project is an inter-institutional project.
What are the criteria for submitting an FWO junior project proposal? 
The supervisor-spokesperson and all involved (co-)supervisors must have received their doctoral degree no more than 12 years prior to the submission deadline. 
When is an FWO project proposal evaluated as a senior proposal? 
The supervisor-spokesperson OR a (co-)supervisor has received their doctoral degree more than 12 years before the FWO deadline.
Can periods of e.g. parental leave be deducted when calculating postdoctoral seniority?  
A maximum extension of one year may be granted for each continuous period of 365 days between the date of the award of the doctoral degree and the date of the application. This extension can only be granted if, during this period, there have been uninterrupted periods of at least three months, regardless of their number, due to maternity leave, full-time parental leave, full-time sick leave or military/ compulsory civilian service in the country of citizenship. The maximum extension is three years.
The proposal was submitted as a junior proposal. After the deadline, it turns out that (one of) the researchers has a senior profile. Will the FWO declare the application ineligible?
No, the FWO administration will place the application in the correct (senior) category and the proposal will be evaluated as a senior proposal.
Can a researcher who has an appointment at Ghent University Hospital, but not at Ghent University, act as (co-)supervisor? 
No, this is not allowed. Ghent University Hospital is not an eligible host institution. In order to be a (co-)supervisor for Ghent University, a (partial) affiliation to Ghent University is required.
Can a researcher who will retire in the year of submission or during the project (if granted), submit an application? 
Yes, this researcher can submit 1 application (see the regulations for the maximum number of applications). As soon as the researcher retires, he/she must be replaced as supervisor-spokesperson by a ZAP-member from Ghent University who is involved in the application as co-supervisor. The former supervisor can continue to participate in the project as an emeritus with an ongoing appointment, including on an unremunerated basis.
If the supervisor's appointment will end during the project, he or she must submit a declaration from the head of the research group that his or her appointment will be extended to cover the entire duration of the project. How must this declaration of commitment be submitted to the FWO?
There is a template available through this link . The supervisor does not have to upload this declaration via the FWO e-portal, but should send it by email to the FWO file manager
Can a researcher who is a member of an expert panel submit an application to that panel? 
In this case, the panel member will be replaced by another expert. The following year, the panel member can resume his/her place on the panel if he/she does not apply to the same panel again. 

Co-supervisor

Does a non-Flemish co-supervisor have to create an account in the FWO e-portal?
Yes, a non-Flemish co-supervisor must also complete his or her account in the e-portal with an up-to-date publication list. A short CV (see FWO template) is also required in the project application.
Can a researcher who is already in retirement, be involved in a proposal as a co-supervisor?
Yes, an emeritus with an ongoing appointment can be involved as a co-supervisor in a proposal. 

Project budget

  • General 

Is it allowed to include overhead in an FWO project budget? 
No, overhead cannot be included in a project budget. The FWO grants the host institution(s) 6 % overhead on top of the project budget. 
Until when can the granted project budget be used? 
The granted budget for staff and consumables can be used until 2 years after the official end date of the contract. 
How should the budget for a non-Flemish partner be calculated?
A non-Flemish partner can receive 10 % of the total project budget. For example, 520,000 EUR is requested for Ghent University and 52,000 EUR for the non-Flemish institution. This results in a total budget of 572,000 EUR. 10 % of 572,000 EUR is 57,200 EUR. The budget that the non-Flemish institution would receive (52,000 EUR)  is less than 57,200 EUR, so this budget calculation is correct. 
  • Staff and consumables

Are there reference amounts for the staff budget? 
Yes, the indicative amounts for staff at Ghent University are available in a budget table on our website, together with information on salary estimations. 
Is it allowed to budget for an administrative assistant/secretary?
No, you can only request funding for scientific and technical staff on a research grant.
Is it allowed to include a postdoctoral bursary in the budget of an FWO project proposal?
No, since the amendment of the postdoctoral bursary regulations, this is no longer allowed. 
Can a supervisor affiliated to Ghent University and GUGC hire staff in South Korea with the FWO project budget? 
No, this is not allowed. Staff employed on the FWO project budget must be appointed in Flanders. 
A research project requires a PhD student and a full-time postdoc (for the last two years). Is it allowed to budget for a part-time postdoc for 4 years and only use the budget for the last 2 years?
Yes, this is possible. However, it is important to clarify in the budget proposal why this does not correspond to the requested work packages. Please note: under no circumstances can expenses be budgeted using project funds allocated for future project years.
Is it possible to budget for consumables in year 4 if they are required in a work package in year 2?
No, under no circumstances can expenses be budgeted using project funds allocated for future project years. This also means that the FWO does not accept invoices from before the start of the project. 
Can a project budget include the tuition fee for the doctorate?
No, the tuition fee cannot be paid with the FWO project budget. 
It is not allowed to include expenses for a PhD defense in a project budget. But what if the defense is part of a broader symposium, to which foreign researchers are invited? Are these travel expenses etc. allowed to be budgeted?
Expenses for a PhD-defense are not allowed. However, if the defense is part of a larger symposium related to the research project, travel costs etc. of foreign researchers can be included in the budget. 
A congress or workshop will be organized as part of the project. Is it allowed to budget for catering? 
No, catering is never an eligible cost in an FWO project proposal.  
Under which category should the use of core facilities be budgeted? 
The use of core facilities must be included in the budget as consumables (research expenses). 
Is it possible to budget for subcontracting in an FWO proposal?
Yes, in a project the execution of specific operational subtasks can be outsourced to subcontractors within the consumables cost category. These must always be routine tasks with no creative input. The cumulative contribution of subcontractors cannot exceed 20 % of the total consumables. A higher percentage is possible if duly justified in the project application.
  • Equipment

Can a device be included in the equipment category if the price excluding accessories is less than 20,000 EUR? 
If the accessories are necessary for the use of the device, it is allowed. Both the device and the accessories must be included in equipment and cost at least 20,000 EUR. 
Can software (20,000 EUR) be budgeted as equipment? 
Yes, over 20,000 EUR, software can be budgeted as equipment. 

Project outline 

The project proposal is a resubmission. Where can be explained what changes have been made?  
The resubmission must be mentioned in the project outline, along with the changes made.
The project proposal has also been submitted to another funding agency. Does this need to be mentioned in the application? 
Yes, the FWO requires full transparency. If the content of the proposal and at least the main part of the proposed research activities have been submitted previously, whether with exactly the same text or in a different form, AND if they have been funded or if the funding decision is still pending, this should be mentioned in the "Other funding" section. It is important to keep the FWO informed of any awards.
Is it possible to use a smaller font size for the references in the project outline?
No, this is not allowed. The guidelines on formal requirements in the application forms must be strictly followed. Otherwise, the application may be declared ineligible.

Publications 

How can researchers from abroad enter their publications in the FWO e-portal?
Researchers without an appointment at a Flemish host institution are advised to copy and paste all publications of the same type (e.g. A1, B2, …). It does not matter which publication date they choose, as the correct date is included in the bibliographic reference. This entry will appear as 1 entry in the e-portal, but when downloaded as a pdf, all publications will be listed separately. 
All publications have been registered in the e-portal, but only some of them are visible in the PDF file of the application. Have not all publications been correctly registered? 
Only publications from the last 10 years are visible in the PDF file of the application. This means that only these publications will be visible to the evaluators.  
In the publication list, each publication date starts with 1/01/... Have the publications been uploaded in the wrong way?
This is a known problem at FWO. The publication list has been uploaded correctly. It is the year of publication that is important, not the exact date.

Documents

A collaboration agreement is required for cooperation with a non-Flemish (and non-federal) host institution. When must this agreement be submitted to the FWO? 
The collaboration agreement must be drawn up and signed no later than 9 months after the official start of the project.
When is a consent form required? 
The supervisor-spokesperson collects the consent form for all non-principal host institutions, except for non-Flemish partner institutions. The signed consent form must be uploaded in the project application.   
Please note: this is not necessary for non-Flemish partners.   
Any tips regarding the CV? 
A Use the correct FWO template for the CV. Make sure that a CV has been uploaded for each involved (co-)supervisor. Include the name of the involved researcher in the title of the CV.

FWO E-portal

Should foreign co-supervisors also create an account on the FWO e-portal?
Yes, all involved (co-)supervisors should have an up-to-date account in the FWO e-portal. 
Does a researcher receive a confirmation email from the FWO after submitting the application form in the e-portal? 
Yes, the supervisor-spokesperson will receive a confirmation email from the FWO when he/she has submitted the proposal. 
Please note: if the supervisor-spokesperson resubmits an application that has been reopened, the FWO will NOT send a second email. 
When adding a (co-)supervisor in the online application, the research unit must be filled in. What is the research unit?  
A For the administrative follow-up of the application, it is recommended to fill in the academic department (if possible with department code, e.g. TW06 or LW03).

Submission procedure

Can a supervisor-spokesperson submit the proposal directly to the FWO? 
No, a supervisor-spokesperson cannot submit the proposal directly to the FWO. The submission must be made by the host institution. Team Flemish & Federal Projects must submit the application to the FWO before the final deadline (17:00). It is therefore important to submit the proposal via the e-portal well in advance of the FWO deadline.
Can Team Flemish & Federal Projects review an FWO research project application?
Yes, Team Flemish & Federal Projects will check applications submitted via the FWO e-portal before the internal deadline: eligibility of Ghent University (co-)supervisors, project budget and presence of the required documents (CV, consent form if required). Team Flemish & Federal Projects CANNOT review applications sent by e-mail, with the exception of Weave proposals in which the FWO acts as partner agency. This type of proposal can be sent to vlaams-federaal@ugent.be before the internal deadline.