Medium-scale research infrastructure

This call is closed for the moment. We expect a new call in spring 2025.

What?

In the call for medium-scale research infrastructure funding is available for investments in both fundamental and strategic basic research.

Research infrastructure comprises all facilities and sources that promote the performance of cross-border and strategic basic research across all scientific disciplines. Besides scientific infrastructure, this includes collections, natural habitats, corpora and databases (including digital opening up). Due to this broad definition it is possible for research groups from both the alpha, beta and gamma faculties to submit a proposal.

An important criterion is that the new infrastructure can take the research to a substantially higher level. The application must include a strong research plan for the first years after acquisition of the infrastructure.

For the 2023-2024 call there iss 5.687.564 EUR (overhead excl.) available for Ghent University.

Submit with Ghent University?

Do you consider applying for this call and would you like to discuss your proposal?

Contact us for an intake meeting (vlaams-federaal@ugent.be).

Conditions

  • Total subsidy cost (excl. co-funding) at least 150.000 EUR and at most 1.000.000 EUR (incl. non-refundable part of the VAT).
  • Promoter: Must have a ZAP-affiliation. Copromoters can also be guest professor or postdoctoral researcher.
  • Third Parties (companies, university colleges, strategic research centers, foreign partners, ...) can be part of the consortium, but can never receive funding from FWO. They have to provide a financially assessable contribution to the project.
  • Funding: 100%
  • Duration: 4 years

What costs are eligible?

  • Equipment: The purchase of (components for) the research infrastructure or the upgrade of already existing infrastructure

  • Staff costs: For the development and construction or permanent operation of the research infrastructure, including costs for training.
  • Operational costs: Maintenance costs, upgrades or repair costs to the research infrastructure
Attention: consumables for the use of the infrastructure are not eligible! These costs should be charged on the research projects that make use of the infrastructure.

Overhead costs should not be included in the budget.

Procedure

  1. The promoter-supervisor submits a preregistration on 30 June 2023 at the latest, via the FWO e-portal
  2. The 5 Flemish universities exchange the information about the preregistrations in order to detect possible collaborations.
  3. The promoter-supervisor submits the full proposal to Ghent University on 11 September 2023 at the latest (again via the FWO e-portal).
  4. Eligibility and budget check by Research Co-ordination Office. Any corrections can still be made by the promoter.
  5. Research Co-ordination Office submits all projects to FWO on 18 September 2023 (17:00) at the latest.
  6. Interuniversity consultation: To promote maximum cooperation, the other Flemish universities get the opportunity to check whether their researchers are interested to join one of the submitted proposals.
  7. Every proposal will be evaluated by 2 international experts, using the evaluation grid.
  8. The promoter-supervisor has the opportunity to respond to these reports through a rebuttal.
  9. Evaluation by the different evaluation committees, using the evaluation grid.
      • Alpha committee: Human, social and economic sciences
      • Beta committee: Exact and applied sciences
      • Gamma committee: Medical, biomedical and farmaceutical sciences
  10. The Research Council formulates a motivated advice, based on the reports of the different committees and ranks the proposals. This indicative ranking will be handed over to the FWO.
  11. The Board of Directors of the FWO takes a final decision (April 2024)
  12. Project can start: Spring 2024

More information

Contact

Research Co-ordination Office