Generet Award For Rare Diseases
On the initiative of the Generet Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, the prestigious Generet Award will be granted in 2026, for the 9th time in a row, tosupport a 4-year research project in the field of rare diseases in Belgium.
Main Features
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The Award amounts to 1.250.000 € over 4 years. A first instalment of 750.000 € will be credited for 2 years. The second instalment of 500.000 € will be subject to the positive evaluation of a mid-term scientific, financial and communication report.
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Rare diseases are considered to be life threatening or chronic conditions which affect no more than 1 person out of 2.000. Rare cancers and rare adverse drug events research projects are not eligible for this call.
Application procedure
- Proposals will undergo a two-step application procedure encompassing a pre-proposal phase (open to all) and a full proposal phase (accessible to shortlisted applicants from the first stage).
- Applicants submitting a pre-proposal must fill in a brief administrative form,provide a letter of intent of max. 3 pages focusing on the scientific proof of concept of the research project and attach a relevant core bibliography and a short CV.
Eligible applicants
- Applicants must be internationally established investigators, with outstanding scientific achievements and multiple seminal contributions in :
- the field of rare diseases
- common diseases, but who can demonstrate that their research will have a substantial added value for rare diseases and can accelerate research in this particular field.
- Applicants must have a scientific seniority of min. PhD + 10 years at the deadline of the call (career breaks, such as maternity leave or long-time illness, not included).
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Applicants must be affiliated to a Belgian University, a Belgian University Hospital or an eligible Research Institute, until 31 December 2030 and not reach the retirement age limit during the project timeframe.
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Former laureates cannot reapply to the Generet Award as Principal Investigator but can be partners in other applications (at the earliest 4 years after being laureate).
Eligible research project
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The research project must be conducted in Belgium in the field of rare diseases.
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The research project should aim at a better understanding of the processes underpinning rare diseases and translating fundamental discoveries into better prevention, diagnosis or treatment for patients. Research can encompass all stages from bench to bedside.
Eligible expenses
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Eligible expenses encompass personnel costs, running costs and equipment. A maximum of 10% in overheads may be applied to this amount. These overheads are included within the Prize money and are not added on top of it.
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Up to 30% of the Award's amount can be outsourced for supporting international or intranational expenses (personnel and running costs) including the private sector if they charge at cost price.
Call timeline
- Opening of the call: 16 February 2026
- Pre-proposals deadline: 20 April 2026
- First Panel meeting: 27 May 2026
- Invitation for full proposals: Following the first Panel meeting
- Full proposals deadline: 6 July 2026
- Second Panel meeting: 17 November 2025
- Start of the research: 1 January 2027
How to apply ?
Pre-proposals, written in English, must be submitted via the online application system available on www.generetaward.be on 20 April 2026 at the latest.
The complete regulations of the Generet Award 2026 are available here.
The list of the previous laureates is available here.
Questions about the Award should be addressed via email to Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..
