Thanks to the support of the King Baudouin Foundation, acting on behalf of the SofinaBoël Fund for Education and Talent, the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS) and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) will grant in 2026 the SofinaBoël Fellowships to talented PhD students for aresearch and/or training stay abroad.
Main features
- Aimed at talented PhD students for a research and/or training stay abroad.
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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 2026-2027.
Fellowships support
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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.
Eligible applicants
- Applicants must be PhD students with a fully paid affiliation at a Belgian University at the deadline of the call and when leaving for the research stay.
Applicants are expected to maintain their paid affiliation for the entire duration of their stay.Applicants must have obtained a MA or MSc after November 1st, 2021.Applicants 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.Beneficiaries of clinical PhD fellowships, as well as applicants from the Royal Military Academy, are eligible.
- Applicants who have already obtained a SofinaBoël Fellowship in the past are not eligible.
Evaluation criteria
An independant Panel, appointed by the FNRS and the FWO, will evaluate all applications according to the following evaluation criteria:
- Candidate (50%)
- Project (40%)
- Sustainable Development Goals (10%)
The final decision will be made by the Board of Trustees of the Fund SofinaBoël for Education and Talent, on basis of the FNRS/FWO independent Panel recommendations.
Call timeline
- Call opening: September 24, 2025
- Call deadline: November 17, 2025
- Panel meeting: February 2026
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 17, 2025 at the latest.
The requested documents are :
The requested documents are :
- The duly completed application form.
- 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 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..
