Regulations for Grant for a long stay abroad

The General Regulations apply.

Art. 1. (as amended by decision of the Board of Trustees 20/12/2023)

§1 Candidates for a travel grant for a long stay abroad must, throughout the entire period of their stay, hold a remunerated appointment of at least 50% at:

• a university in the Flemish Community (including the academic programmes within the corresponding association), or to
• a federal or Flemish scientific institute as scientific staff of the Dutch-speaking community of, or to
• a university hospital in the Flemish Community as scientific staff, or to
• a hospital with an academic character recognized as research center in the Flemish Community as scientific staff.

§2. PhD candidates must have obtained their master's degree in one of the member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. Candidates with a master's degree awarded from outside the EEA must hold a master's degree and a declaration from the university administration concerned confirming that it will permit the candidate to write a doctoral thesis. If candidates do not meet these criteria, they must have held an appointment of at least 50% at one of the institutes referred to in Art. 1 for a period of at least one year, immediately preceding the start of the grant. §1.

For postdoctoral level candidates Art 1 §2 does not apply. 

Art. 2.

To be eligible for a grant for a long stay abroad, researchers must have at least one peer-reviewed publication.

Art. 3.

Applications for a grant for a long stay abroad must be submitted online in English at least 3 months before the date of departure.  This submission deadline is strictly binding.

Art. 4.

Only one travel grant for a long stay abroad can be allocated per person and per civil year. The grants are personal and cannot be transferred.

Art. 5.

Applications from Academic Assistant Staff and Special Academic Staff must be accompanied by the advice of the head of department/supervisor. Late submission of this advice will result in the application being declared ineligible.

Art. 6.

The competent executive board has to be informed about the submitted application.  

Art. 7.

Grants for a long stay abroad are intended to give researchers, who are affiliated with an institution as referred to in Art.1. §1, the opportunity to (1) conduct research in a non-Belgian organisation or (2) carry out fieldwork abroad. Vocational training courses abroad, in whole or in part, do not qualify.

And this on the condition that:
- It concerns (strategic) basic research;
- The additional value of an on-site stay for the applicant's research is clearly justified in the application.

Art. 8.

§1 Grants for a long stay abroad can only be allocated for stays of more than 1 month (> 31 days) and maximum 12 months, and are not renewable.

§2 In principle, the stay abroad should be spent in one uninterrupted period, but for stays longer than six months some flexibility can be allowed for duly justified social or family reasons.

§3 A stay can exceptionally be extended by maximum one-third of the originally allocated duration. To this end, a duly justified request has to be submitted to the competent committee no later than at the meeting of the month that precedes the month in which the stay would normally come to an end. The exact meeting dates and corresponding submission deadlines are available upon request from the FWO administration. The total duration of the stay (including extension) shall never exceed 12 months.

§4 The total maximum duration of long stays is one year per term of three years from the start date of the first allocated stay.

Art. 9.

If the application is approved, the FWO pays the return-trip from Belgium to the place of destination, and a fixed accommodation allowance (*) may be granted. The aforementioned allowances are intended exclusively for the beneficiary. 

* The fixed accommodation allowance is € 66.00 per day or € 1,650.00 per month.

Art. 10.

Since the grants awarded under this heading are only fixed and supplementary amounts, the candidates shall, throughout their stay abroad, retain their salary or scholarship with a minimum remunerated appointment of 50%at one of the institutes referred to in Art.1. §1. where they are employed. This requirement is a precondition for the grant.

Art. 11.

§1. Applicants must indicate any grants obtained from or applied for with other Belgian or foreign authorities for the same purpose. Applicants must notify the FWO of the outcome of grant applications submitted to other authorities for the same purpose.

§2. When allocating a grant for a long stay abroad, any amounts allocated by other financial sources (other grants, scholarships, etc.) shall be taken into account.

Art. 12.

The allowance is paid into the beneficiary's account in Belgium. 

Art. 13.

Beneficiaries undertake to return to Belgium at the end of any long stay abroad for which they were allocated a FWO grant.

Art. 14.

Beneficiaries must submit a detailed scientific report on their stay abroad to the FWO within three months after their return to Belgium.

They must also send to the FWO a financial justification of the total financing envelope regarding the use of both the FWO grant and of any additional grants obtained from other authorities. The FWO can cover any costs incurred only on the basis of original supporting documents.

Art. 15. (as amended by decision of the Board of Trustees 28/09/2022)

Travel costs

Upon allocation of the grant, the beneficiary books the trip at the FWO authorised travel agent, presenting the official original allocation letter.

• By plane: economy class
• By train: cheapest fare

The invoice is sent directly to the FWO.

If the applicant stays at several locations, only the first trip (outward journey) and the last trip (inward journey) will be compensated.

When travelling by car, the beneficiary receives a mileage allowance of maximum €800.00.

All beneficiaries are automatically covered by a travel accident insurance with AIG. FWO fellows must fill in the form ‘notification stay abroad’ via the FWO e-portal and submit before departure.