M-Eranet

Luxembourg

LU: Luxembourg  FNR - National Fund for Research

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is the main funder of research activities in Luxembourg.
The FNR invests public funds and private donations into research projects in various branches of science and the humanities, with an emphasis on selected core strategic areas. Furthermore, it supports and coordinates activities to strengthen the link between science and society and to raise awareness for research. The FNR also advises the Luxembourg government on research policy and strategy.
The FNR aims to be a driving force for Luxembourg’s innovation capabilities and focuses on the following three strategic objectives to foster research with impact.

  1. Attaining scientific leadership in key areas: By setting the highest quality standards, we contribute toestablishing international research excellence in Luxembourg. By attracting and training the most talented scientists, we help to build critical mass in key research areas, thereby supporting economic development and societal progress.
  2. Turning public research into a competitive advantage for Luxembourg: We support the advancement of Luxembourg’s knowledge-based economy by supporting industry-informed research, by reinforcing co-operation between public research and innovative industries and by facilitating the commercial
    exploitation of research results.
  3. Anchoring science and research in society: We promote the active involvement of researchers and scientists in addressing current and future societal challenges. To ensure that research is established sustainably in the public consciousness as an important pillar of Luxembourg’s knowledge society, we
    support an active exchange between scientists and the public at large. 

A multi-annual contract between the FNR and the Government (Contract, concluded with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research) sets the budgetary frame for the well-defined short- and long-term objectives. For the period of 2018-2021 the FNR has a budget of 264 mio EUR.
The budget allocation enables the FNR to implement its three strategic objectives, which are:

  •  Strengthen the foundation of public research
  • Contribute to shaping the future of Luxembourg
  • Promote innovation in public research organisation 

The FNR relies exclusively on independent peer review processes applying the internationally accepted quality standards when selecting which research projects to support.