Belgium
BE-FL: Belgium Flanders FWO - The Research Foundation - Flanders
The Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) is the funding agency (strictly RFO) that supports groundbreaking fundamental and strategic research at the universities and research centres of the Flemish Community, within Belgium. The FWO also stimulates cooperation between the Flemish universities and other research institutes.
BE-FL: Belgium Flanders HERMESFUND - FONDS FLANKEREND ECONOMISCH EN INNOVATIEBELEID
The budgets and decision making process regarding the funding of research projects in Flanders (including those related to and falling within the scope of FP7 and H2020, a.o. ERA-nets) have been assigned to the legal entity HERMESFUND “Fund for Accompanying Economic and Innovation Policy”. This follows from article 32§1 of the Decree of the Flemish Government of November 20, 2015 (Belgian Official Journal 10/12/2015).
According to the Decision of December 18, 2015 of the Flemish Government (regarding the management and operation of this Fund) the Hermes Fund resorts under the authority of the Ministry having the Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen/Vlaams Gewest) within its competence (art. 2; see annex (Belgian Official Journal 31/12/2015). Since the Hermes Fund is being administered through and represented by the leading officer of the Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen or VLAIO) and it may appeal to said Agency’s personnel (cfr. Article 2 and 5 of the Decision of December 18, 2015 of the Flemish Government (regarding the management and operation of this Fund), and since also working costs are reimbursed by or through the EC, this Agency should be regarded as linked third party to the Hermes Fund.
Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) will be a linked third party to Hermesfonds, making inkind contributions given that for its operation the Hermesfonds makes use of the personnel, the equipment and premises of Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship. VLAIO was established by the Flemish Government in January 2016 by merging IWT, the agency for Innovation by Science and Technology and OA, the agency for Entrepreneurship. Since innovation policy is a regional matter in Belgium, VLAIO is the key organisation to support, promote and coordinate R&D and innovation in Flanders. VLAIO employs approximately 370 FTE. The total budget for subsidies and grants amounted to 375 million Euro in 2018. The funding programmes are ‘horizontal’, i.e. without a priority for a specific discipline field or technology.
BE-FR: Belgium French-speaking Community FNRS - Fund for Scientific Research
The Fund for Scientific Research - FNRS (F.R.S.-FNRS) is a research funding agency that promotes and supports basic scientific research in the French-speaking Community of Belgium. Founded in 1928, it mainly receives public subsidies, currently from the French-speaking Community of Belgium, the Walloon Region and the Federal Government of Belgium. The Fund supports individual researchers on the basis of
the criterion of excellence by offering temporary or permanent positions; funding to research teams; grants and credits for international collaboration and scientific prizes. F.R.S.-FNRS fosters research in all scientific fields, following a bottom-up approach of investigator-driven research. Further, the Fund supports researchers in an ever growing context of internationalisation through facilitating their mobility, allowing for collaborative transnational projects and supporting a high level international working environment.
Since October 2008, Dr. Ir. Véronique Halloin is the Secretary-General of F.R.S.-FNRS.
BE-WA: Belgium Wallonia SPW recherche - Service public de Wallonie - recherche
The Research Department of the Public Service of Wallonia (SPW - recherche) is the legal administration in charge of funding applied research for new technologies and innovation for industries, academia and research centres, as well as of related international scientific cooperation. It is therefore the key advisory body for the
Walloon government authorities involving research and innovation policy.
Inside the SPW, 65 are involved in the activities of SPW - recherche: research and technological development, innovation and competitiveness.
SPW recherche supports innovation for companies and the development of the scientific competencies of the Region’s universities and research centres and their integration in federal and international research activities. The yearly budget managed is around 260M€.
Within SPW – recherche, the Direction for Research Programmes is in charge of organising Wallonia’s participation into international Programmes like the EUREKA initiative, the Eurostars programme, ERANET projects and into COST programmes, among others.
The Direction also manages the research projects co-funded by the European Commission under the Structural Funds scheme.
The Direction proposes accompanying measures, such as ‘Primes Horizon-Europe’; and manages the scientific partnership agreements involving Wallonia and third countries.