The review procedure

Pursuant to Article 18(3) of the Decree on the organisation and financing of science and innovation policy of 30 April 2009 (Belgian Official Gazette of 6 July 2009), the Flemish Government determines, upon proposal from the FWO, the way in which an applicant for financial support and whose application has been rejected can file a request for review of the decision.

The review procedure is laid down in Article 32 of the Decree of the Flemish Government on the granting of subsidies by the Research Foundation Flanders of 10 November 2011 (Belgian Official Gazette of 20 December 2011).

By decision of the Board of Trustees on 26 June 2024, the procedure for review was laid down as follows:

1. A fellowship or grant applicant that has been refused or a fellowship and grant recipient that has received a negative assessment may submit a request for review to the FWO Board of Trustees.
2. The request for review must be submitted within 30 working days of the Board of Trustees’ decision or, if applicable, within 30 calendar days, excluding weekends and public holidays, of receiving the feedback.
3. The request for review should indicate with clear and verifiable elements that the refusal of support or the negative assessment was manifestly unreasonable. The words "clear" and "verifiable" mean that the elements the request for review is based on, must be comprehensible to a third party or lay person. These elements may concern the application of the relevant FWO regulations, such as the general regulations, the regulations regulating internal and external peer review or the regulations for the support programmes, among others, and factual inaccuracies. Elements that do not concern the method of assessment but a substantive appreciation of grant applications and claim or final reports cannot be grounds for review. 
4. The Board of Trustees assesses the request for review after taking advice from the review committee.
5. If the request to review a refusal of a grant application is upheld, the application will be re-evaluated at the next opportunity by an expert panel different from that for the first application. If the request for review of a negative assessment of a claim or final report is upheld, the Board of Trustees, after consulting an expert panel, shall prepare a new assessment.
6. An applicant may only submit one application for review per refusal of a grant application or negative assessment of a claim or final report.
7. In the event of dissatisfaction with the handling by the FWO, a written or electronic complaint can be filed at all times (see complaint procedure). These complaints are handled within 45 calendar days of receipt.

The request for review must be sent to the secretary-general of the FWO.

By letter: FWO, Leuvenseweg 38, 1000 Brussel.

By email: fwo@fwo.be