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/