Information sessionUHasselt
FWO:
Call 2011-2012
Pegasus
Dr. Hans WillemsDirector Research Policy
7 december 2011
2
On the agenda
1. Mission and key facts
2. Selection procedure and how to apply
3. Funding schemes of the FWO
Pre-doctoral fellowships (a.o. Aspiranten)
Postdoctoral fellows
Pegasus
Research and travel grants
4. Varia
3
1. MISSION AND KEY FACTS
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Mission and key facts Mission of the FWO
Funds fundamental scientific research (“frontier research”)
Bottom-up funding in all disciplines
Strong selection based on scientific excellence and
interuniversity competition (Flemisch universities and, to a lesser
extent, research performing organisations)
Transparent and equal opportunities
5
Mission and key facts
Mission of the FWO Label awarded in december 2010
Implementation of Charter & Code
Focus on transparent recruitment procedures and gender-
friendly measures
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Mission and key facts Target groups of the FWO
Young researchers
Postdoctoral researchers
Established researchers
Research teams
Top-researchers and high-potential researchers
Equal opportunities: no discirimination with respect to nationality,
gender, disciplines,…
flexible regulations to support and stimulate female researchers in
their academic career.
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Mission and key facts Funding schemes of the FWO
Funding for individual researchers
• Pre- and postdoctoral fellowships, bench fees and grants
Funding for research teams
• Research projects, Big Science, Bilateral agreements, …
Supporting mobility, international contacts and collaborations
• Travel grants, Visiting Postdoctoral Fellowships, Sabbatical leaves,
Scientific research communities, Organisation of conferences in Belgium,
Internationald coordination acties, collaboration agreements, …
Attracting excellent researchers, active abroad, to Flanders
• Odysseus , Pegasus
Awarding scientific prizes
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Mission and key facts Budget 2011: ± 200 million euro, of which ca. 80% from
the Flemish Government
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 € -
€ 50,000
€ 100,000
€ 150,000
€ 200,000
€ 250,000
Evolution budget (kEUR)
Totaal Vlaamse Overheid Federale Overheid
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Mission and key factsAllocation 2010
Allocation over different research domains 2010
42.71
2.570.71
51.22
2.79Fellowships
International contacts
Grants
Research Projects
Overhead costs
Biological Sciences
Humanities
Social Sciences
Medical Sciences
Exact and applied sciences
Interdisciplinary
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Mission and key facts Evolution of number of researchers in function
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
Postdoctorale onderzoekers Predoctorale onderzoekersInstroom predoctorale onderzoekers Instroom postdoctorale onderzoekers
1700
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Mission and key facts Gender balance
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Postdocs
man vrouw
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Pre-docs
man vrouwStrong increase in number of female researchers on pre-doctoral level: in 2010 53% of the research fellows in function were women.
The amount of female researchers has also risen on postdoctoral level, yet, despite implementing family friendly regulations, the percentage of female researchers stays below 40%.
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Mission and key facts % foreign researchers
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100.0
2.0
4.0
6.0
8.0
10.0
12.0
14.0
Aspiranten Postdoctorale onderzoekers
Continuous increase in number of foreign researchers in function:In 2010, ca. 12% of the researchers had a non-Belgian nationality.N.B.: this does not include researchers employed on FWO research projects
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Mission and key facts Evolution of succes rates pre-doctoral fellowships:
Downward trend reversed in 2011
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
535598 620
709
826
98494533 32
35
30
27
2223
aantal aanvragen slaagpercentage
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Mission and key facts Evolution of success rates postdoctoral fellowships:
Downward trend reversed in 2011
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
427445
478507
599
728
600
28
34
37
35
29
25
28
aantal aanvragen slaagpercentage
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Mission and key factsEvents
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2. SELECTION PROCEDURE AND
HOW TO APPLY
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Selection procedure and how to apply
Call
Submission/eligibility check
ExpertPanels(29+1)
CIS(Pegasus)
Board of Trustees
External referees (online)
1 February1 April
February/MarchApril/May
2x / year meeting in Brussel
20 June14 November
Duration workflow fellowships: < 5 monthsDuration workflow projects: < 7 months
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Selection procedure and how to apply Online: FWO E-Portal (register at least 24 hours in advance)
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Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships
PhD Fellowships
Special PhD Fellowships
Clinical PhD Fellowships
Postdoctoral fellowships Postdoctoral Fellowships
Senior Clinical Investigator
Pegasus
Research and travel grants
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Postdoctoral fellow What?
3 years, 1x renewable (no longer 2nd renewal)
Full time research
Postdoctoral level (obtained PhD < 1/6/2012)
First step in academic career
No nationality requirements
No formal age limit:
≤ six years after obtaining PhD (1/10/2012)
One extra year for each pragnancy or parental leave
(not applicable when < 36 (1/10/2012))
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Postdoctoral fellow In practice
Employment contract, 3 years
Once renewable
• Apply before 1 February of the last year
Salary is at the same level of doctor-assistant of a Flemish
university
Anciennity is taken into account
Disciplinary dependant of the host institution
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Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships
PhD Fellowships
Special PhD Fellowships
Clinical PhD Fellowships
Postdoctoral fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Senior Clinical Investigator
Pegasus
Research and travel grants
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Pegasus
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Pegasus Background
International mobility, income and outcome are important
Until now FWO instruments are focussing on outward mobility
Odysseus programme for very high-level researchers, in general
not for young postdocs
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Pegasus Aims of the programme
To increase incoming mobility into the Flemish research
community
To provide selected fellows with optimal career development
opportunities (i.c.w. universities) and thus contribute to ERA
To serve as a pioneering initiative for ongoing evolutions within
FWO (HR strategy, e-government, etc.)
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Pegasus PEGASUS-long (30): 3 year-fellowship with employment
contract
PEGASUS-short (59): 1 year-fellowships, employment
contracts or stipends
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Pegasus General overview: calls
Call deadline Available fellowships
01/02/2012 30 long + 10 short
01/05/2012 10 short
01/02/2013 10 short
01/05/2013 10 short
01/02/2014 10 short
01/05/2014 9 short
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Pegasus Who can apply?
PhD no longer than 6 years ago for Pegasus-long or 10 years
for Pegasus-short on the start of the fellowship (if < 36 years)
At least 2 of the 3 previous years active abroad (Belgian
nationals not excluded)
After receiving the grant: affiliated to one of the universities of
the Flemish Community (collaboration with other RPO’s is
possible)
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Pegasus Selection procedure: remote referees
Remote referees (cfr. Postdoc)
Regular Expert Panel evaluation (cfr. Postdoc)
General panel:
• CIS: Committee for International Collaboration
Multidisciplinary, majority of foreign members
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Pegasus What the regular Expert panels do…
Discussion of all the Pegagsus applications submitted to it, on
the basis od preliminary reports by at least 2 panel members
Ranking of all suitable Pegasus applications (independently
from other fellowships)
What the CIS panel does … Discussion of the ranked proposals on the basis of all available
information
Global ranking of Pegasus applications (ranking cannot
overrule sub-ranking by panels)
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Postdoctoral fellow Selection procedure referees:
Applicant suggests 10 potential referees
APPLICANT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ELIGIBILITY OF THE
REFEREES. IN CASE OF ANY MISCONDUCT EACH
APPLICATION WILL IMMEDIATELY BE INELIGIBLE
FWO-administration selects at random referees till at least 2
reports are available
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Postdoctoral fellow Not eligible as referee are:
Members of the Board of FWO;
Members of an expert panel of FWO;
Those who are appointed at a Belgian university, research institution or whatever
other organization;
Those who are professionally appointed at an institution where the applicant(s)
during the last three years has/have been enrolled as a student or professionally
has/have been appointed;
Co-authors of the applicant(s) of a publication that has been submitted or
published within the last three years prior to the final submission date for
applications;
Partners of the applicant (s) in a research project that has been applied for or
ongoing within the last three years prior to the final submission date for
applications
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Pegasus Selection criteria (1)
Quality of the applicant
• Research capability and potential such as:
– Publications in peer review journals as well as other elements of the
candidate’s CV
– Patents, teaching, advanced courses, etc., taking into account the level of
experience
• Research skills and methodology
• Scientific independence (independent thinking, management
experience and leadership qualities)
• Scientific background of the candidate
• Mobility of the applicant (previous trans-national and/or inter-sectoral
mobility experience
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Pegasus Selection criteria (2)
Quality of the proposal
• Originality and innovative nature of the project (progress beyond the
state of the art)
• Feasibility of the project
• Focus of the project
• Relevance of the project
• Coherence of the project
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Pegasus Selection criteria (3)
Quality of the context of employment
• Quality of the research environment of the host group (researchers,
infrastructure, etc.)
• Quality of the supervision and training support of the host group
• Potential to acquire new scientific (disciplinary and interdisciplinary)
and non-scientific skills (“soft skills”, e.g. project management, IPR,
grant writing, communication, ethics, etc.)
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Pegasus Interim and ex-post evaluation
PEGASUS-long: annual progress report expected from the
candidate
PEGASUS-short: final report within three months after the end of
the fellowship
Reports are examined and marked by the CIS panel
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Funding schemes of the FWO Predoctoral fellowships
PhD Fellowships
Special PhD Fellowships
Clinical PhD Fellowships
Postdoctoral fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowships
Senior Clinical Investigator
Pegasus
Research and travel grants
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Research and travel grants Research grants
Personal research budget between € 2.500 and € 40.000
Grant for 1 year
Krediet Fernand De Waele
(Civil Construction/Cancer): € 6.200
Krediet Rimaux-Bartier
(Incurable Disease): € 12.400
Krediet Effel (Cancer and Leukemia):
€ 7.450
Krediet “Fortis Bank & Mees Pierson”
(Economy): € 15.500
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Research and travel grants Travel grants
Bottom-up: free choice of destination and research topic
Types of grants:
• Attendance of international conferences / workshops
• Short and long stays abroad
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4. VARIA
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For more information on the FWO
Website of the FWO: www.fwo.be
Information on strategy, regulations, scientific prizes, calls, …
Free to download publications
Module 80 year FWO: http://www.geschiedenisfwo.be/