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WELBIO information webinar : the presentation is online !

An information webinar on the “WELBIO Investigator Programmes” call was held on Septembre, 22th, at the FNRS.

The slides are available here.

More info on « Welbio Investigator Programmes » here.


FNRS.awards | Nokia Bell Scientific Award 2023 ceremony

The Nokia Bell Scientific Award 2023 was awarded to Nicolas Englebert, Postdoctoral researcher at ULB, for his work in the field of optical communications. 

This Belgian Prize of €8.000 is awarded for a doctoral thesis in the field of information and communication technologies.

Nicolas Englebert completed his PhD thesis ("Temporal solitons in coherently driven active cavities") as a FRIA FNRS Fellow at ULB. The jury recognized the significant advances the winner has made in the field of optical communications, publishing his results in high-impact journals and filing a patent. His work has already received significant recognition within the scientific community. 

The award was presented at an academic session held at Nokia Bell in Antwerp on September 19, 2023, attended by representatives from Nokia, FNRS and academia, and during which Nicolas Englebert presented his work.


SofinaBoël Grants for research and/or training stay abroad 2024 : call for applications

SofinaBoël fellowships

  • Aimed at talented PhD students for a research and/or training stay abroad.
  • Fixed allowance of 1.650 €/month. Top-up funding that may be used for accommodation, daily living expenses, expenses related to the research or training undertaken in the course of the Fellowship, and local transportation.
  • Travel costs: a lump sum of 1.000 € covering one economy class return ticket. 

Format of the fellowship 

  • Candidates may go abroad to a host institution of their choice in all countries worldwide except the United States of America (for which another mobility scheme with the BAEF exists).
  • The stay abroad will last either 6 or 12 months and should fall within theacademic year 2024-2025.

Eligibility Criteria  

  • Candidates must be PhD students with a paid affiliation at a Belgian University.
  • Candidates must have obtained a MA or MSc after November 1st, 2019.
  • Candidates must have been affiliated to a Belgian university for at least one full year prior to the submission deadline and be affiliated to a Belgian university for at least the entire duration of the research stay.​

Evaluation criteria

An independant Jury, appointed by the FNRS and the FWO, will evaluate all applications according to the following evaluation criteria:

  • The candidate's profile.
  • The candidate’s motivation, expressed in a motivation letter.
  • The quality of the host institution.
  • The potential to realise the project described in the application.
  • The transfer of knowledge that will be obtained during the stay abroad to the research group of the applicant in Belgium.
  • The project's merits and benefits to the candidate's career.  

The final decision will be made by the Board of Trustees of the Fund SofinaBoël for Education and Talent, on proposition of the FNRS/FWO Jury’s recommendations. 

Call schedule

  • Opening of the call: 15 September 2023
  • Deadline of the call: 6 November 2023
  • Jury meeting: February 2024 

How to apply

Applications, written in English, must be sent electronically to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. on November 6th, 2023 at the latest. 
 
The requested documents are :
  • The application form duly completed.
  • A detailled curriculum vitae (including a list of publications).
  • A letter of reference by the applicant’s PhD supervisor.
  • A personal motivation letter.
  • An invitation letter from the foreign host institution.
  • A detailed curriculum vitae (with list of publications) of the head of the foreign research group.
 
The complete regulations are available here
The FAQ with relevant additional information pertaining to the call is available here.
The list of the previous laureates is available here.
Questions about the Fellowships should be adressed via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
 

The “WELBIO Investigator Programmes” Call 2023 is open !

The FRFS-FNRS and the WEL Research Institute announce the opening of the “WELBIO Investigator Programmes” call, funded by the Walloon region, for strategic research of excellence in life sciences, with a view to translate discoveries into industrial applications in all fields of medical, pharmaceutical and veterinary biotechnology.

This call is open to researchers from the universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation who are either established (Advanced grants, max. €350,000/year) or at the beginning of their career (Starting grants, max. €200,000/year).


Calendar:

  • Opening of the call on e-space: September 12, 2023
  • Information Webinar : September 22, 2023, 12:00 / To register, click here
  • Deadline for PI’s electronic validation: October 19, 2023
  • Evaluation process : November 2023 – March 2024
  • Communication of the funding decision: End of April 2024
  • Start of the programmes: June 1, 2024

Context of the call:

The WELBIO (Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology) funding instrument corresponds to a strategic axis of the FRFS and a department of the WEL Research Institute. Through this instrument, Wallonia grants significant resources over several years to the WELBIO Investigators within the WEL Research Institute to develop ambitious research programmes that will lead to major scientific breakthroughs. These programmes represent a pillar of the Investigators’ laboratories and are flexible so the research scope can be adapted over time as needed. The Investigators within the WEL Research Institute must demonstrate a combination of scientific excellence, an awareness of unmet medical and technological needs in their field, and a willingness to seek application opportunities for their discoveries.

Rules, mini-guide and templates:


WELBIO WEBINAR, September, 22, 12:00

The FRFS-FNRS and the WEL Research Institute announce the opening onSeptember 12 of the “WELBIO Investigator Programmess” call, funded by the Walloon region, for strategic research of excellence in life sciences, with a view to translate discoveries into industrial applications in all fields of medical, pharmaceutical and veterinary biotechnology.

This call is open to researchers from the universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation who are either established (Advanced grants, max. €350,000/year) or at the beginning of their career (Starting grants, max. €200,000/year).

An information webinar is organised
on September 22, 12 PM

To register, click here

Context of the call:

The WELBIO (Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology) funding instrument corresponds to a strategic axis of the FRFS and a department of the WEL Research Institute. Through this instrument, Wallonia grants significant resources over several years to the WELBIO Investigators within the WEL Research Institute to develop ambitious research programmes that will lead to major scientific breakthroughs. These programmes represent a pillar of the Investigators’ laboratories and are flexible so the research scope can be adapted over time as needed. The Investigators within the WEL Research Institute must demonstrate a combination of scientific excellence, an awareness of unmet medical and technological needs in their field, and a willingness to seek application opportunities for their discoveries.

Calendar:

  • Opening of the call on e-space: September 12, 2023
  • Webinar : September 22, 2023
  • Deadline for PI’s electronic validation: October 19, 2023
  • Evaluation process : November 2023 – March 2024
  • Communication of the funding decision: End of April 2024
  • Start of the programmes: June 1, 2024


Rules, mini-guide and templates:


WELBIO INVESTIGATOR PROGRAMME CALL 2023

The FRFS and the WEL Research Institute announce the opening on September 12th of the “WELBIO Investigator Programme” call, funded by the Walloon region, for strategic research of excellence in life sciences, with a view to translate discoveries into industrial applications in all fields of medical, pharmaceutical and veterinary biotechnology.  This programme is open to researchers from the universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation who are either established (Advanced grants, max. €350,000/year) or at the beginning of their career (Starting grants, max. €200,000/year).

Context of the call:

The WELBIO (Walloon Excellence in Life Sciences and Biotechnology) funding instrument corresponds to a strategic axis of the FRFS and a department of the WEL Research Institute.  Through this instrument, Wallonia grants significant resources over several years to the WELBIO Investigators within the WEL Research Institute to develop ambitious research programs that will lead to major scientific breakthroughs.  These programmes represent a pillar of the Investigators’ laboratories and are flexible so the research scope can be adapted over time as needed. The Investigators within the WEL Research Institute must demonstrate a combination of scientific excellence, an awareness of unmet medical and technological needs in their field, and a willingness to seek application opportunities for their discoveries.

Timetable:  

  • Opening of the call: 12 September 2023
  • Deadline for PI’s electronic validation: 19 October 2023
  • Evaluation process : November 2023 – March 2024
  • Communication of the funding decision: End of April 2024
  • Start of the programmes: 1st of June 2024 

Rules, mini-guide and templates:


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