Research Foundation Flanders - Grant for a short study visit abroad

What the grant covers

You get your return travel costs from Brussels to a research location abroad. On top of that you get a daily living allowance of 66 EUR per day (up to 1,650 EUR in total) for stays longer than 7 days. The trip can last at most 31 days in a row, with no break. Flights and train tickets are booked through a travel agency approved by the FWO, and you are automatically covered by travel accident insurance. The money comes from the FWO (Research Foundation Flanders), which funds the visit so you can specialise in a research technique, work in a foreign archive or do fieldwork abroad.

Who can apply

• Where you are based: For the whole stay you work as scientific staff at a university or university hospital in the Flemish Community, or at a federal or Flemish scientific institute.
• Level: You are a PhD candidate, a postdoctoral researcher, or an emeritus within 3 years of gaining that status.
• Degree (PhD candidates): You hold a master's degree from the European Economic Area or Switzerland. A master's from elsewhere also works if your university confirms it lets you write a doctoral thesis. Postdoctoral researchers need no specific degree.
• Publications: You have at least one peer-reviewed publication. If not, you explain in the form why you still qualify.
• Type of research: Your work is (strategic) basic research, and you travel to an organisation outside Belgium.
• Existing FWO funding: If you already hold an FWO PhD or postdoc fellowship (a paid research position), or a Doctoral SB grant, with a bench fee, you cannot use this grant for a visit to the EEA, Switzerland or the UK. You can still use it for other countries.
• Once a year: You can receive at most one FWO travel grant per calendar year, counting conferences, courses and study visits together.

How to apply

You apply online in English through the FWO E-Loket at least 3 months before you leave. This deadline is strict. You attach an invitation from the host institution abroad. PhD students also need a recommendation letter from their supervisor. The FWO's International Collaboration Committee decides, judging the quality of your research plan, the value of the host group and your research record so far.

You can find more scholarships in our guide Scholarships in Belgium.