Research & Innovation in Belgium
Research and Innovation in the French Community
Wallonia-Brussels
1. Introductions
The special institutional reform act (LSRI) of
8 August 1980, in its current version, assigns various tasks to
the authorities in charge of scientific research in Belgium. Prime
responsibility with regard to scientific research is entrusted
to the Communities and Regions, in the framework
of their respective assignments, including research to be carried
out in accordance with international or supra-national agreements
or legal commitments.
The French Community is responsible for research related to education,
culture and issues that have a social impact such as health policy
(health care, health education) and social assistance (families,
youth, the elderly, etc.).
This encompasses research aimed at tackling these issues as well
as research carried out by organisations of the sector concerned
e.g. with regard to education, universities and other academic institutions.
The Federal Government and the Regions may seek assistance from
these institutions in order to fulfil their own commitments.
Thus the French Community is generally in charge
of fundamental research in university institutions and of applied
research in the Hautes Ecoles.
Through its scientific policy and the subsidies
it grants, for example the funding of the centres of excellence
within the framework of concerted research initiatives and the support
of the FNRS and its associated funds, the French Community intends
to support high quality fundamental research in all areas related
to the priorities of university institutions and provide researchers
with the opportunity to put their skills into practice.
2. The competent authorities in the field of scientific
research
At political level
The Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research is in charge
of university research and of applied research in the Hautes Ecoles.
The other Ministers are responsible for scientific policy initiatives
that fall within the context of their respective domains e.g. public
health, the socio-cultural sphere, sports and tourism.
At administrative level
The Direction générale de l'Enseignement non obligatoire
et de la recherche scientifique DGENORS (Directorate General
for non-compulsory Education and Scientific Research) of the Ministry
of the French Community caters for planning and implementing the
scientific policy of the French Community.
www.cfwb.be
www.enseignement.be
www.cfwb.be/infosup
Among its various tasks, the Directorate General
provides funding for university institutions and sets up funds for
general scientific research (FNRS
- National Scientific Research Fund and associated funds : IISN
- Inter-university Institute of Nuclear Sciences, FRSM
- Fund for Medical Scientific Research, FRFC
- Fund for Collective Fundamental Scientific Research and FRIA
- Fund for Research Training in Industry and Agriculture), organises
concerted research activities and is responsible for the special
fund for research in university institutions as well as for subsidising
the Hautes Ecoles.
At advisory level
The Conseil interuniversitaire de la Communauté
française de Belgique - C.I.U.F.
(Inter-university Council of the French Community of Belgium) is
composed of the nine universities and university departments of
the French Community of Belgium. Its structure is defined in the
decree of 3 April 1980. Its purpose is to organise and develop dialogue
and data transfer between the various institutions.
University Institutions:
www.ulb.ac.be
www.ucl.ac.be
www.ulg.ac.be
www.umh.ac.be
www.fundp.ac.be
www.fsagx.ac.be
www.fpms.ac.be
www.fucam.ac.be
www.fusl.ac.be
www.ful.ac.be
The Conseil des Recteurs
CREf (Council of University Rectors)
is composed of the rectors of the university institutions of the
French Community of Belgium.
3. The FNRS and associated funds
The Fund supports researchers personally by providing
them with temporary funding while they are writing their thesis
(undergraduates) or immediately after completion of the thesis (research
assistants). The Fund also provides researchers with permanent payment
(qualified researchers, research managers or research directors).
Besides these individual appointments, the FNRS
also grants subsidies to researchers and provides sums of money
aimed at covering the expenses of trips abroad or attendance to
conferences.
The Fund also financially supports the organisation of colloquia
and seminars and promotes the creation of contact groups between
researchers of the universities of the French Community and foreign
universities.
The National Fund also grants awards to outstanding researchers.
Three associated funds (IISN,
FRSM, FRFC) support
research programmes undertaken by teams of researchers by covering
personnel costs and providing equipment and other material needs.
The fourth fund (FRIA) grants scholarships
to university graduates who wish to work in the fields of research,
industry or agriculture.
It must be noted that all the initiatives of the
FNRS are run by several scientific committees composed of French-speaking,
Dutch-speaking and foreign scientists.
The FNRS has signed several co-operation agreements
with its partner institutions. The European Associated Laboratories
(EAL) was an initiative of the FNRS and the CNRS. The DEMON (modular
detector of neutrons) programme is another example of Franco-Belgian
collaboration.
Our researchers are involved in the projects of several large European
research centres working in the fields of nuclear research (the
CERN in Geneva or the ESRF in Grenoble), molecular biology (the
EMBO in Heidelberg) or at the European Science Foundation (ESF).
The FNRS also works in close collaboration with the CGRI
(International Relations Commission with a view to stimulating scientific
co-operation between European and international researchers.
4. Concerted Research Actions - ARC
The actions de recherche concertées (Concerted
Research Actions) are governed by the decree of the Government of
the French Community of 13 April 2000 signed by the French Community
and the university institutions offering graduate and post-graduate
courses. They embody a highly important instrument of scientific
policy and constitute a joint effort between the Ministry and the
academic authorities. This collaboration takes place upon the evaluation
of foreign independent experts and is based on clearly defined criteria.
The ARC are aimed at developing, within the framework of university
institutions, centres of excellence specialised in areas that are
essential to scientific progress and exploring their medium and
long-term applications. Three types of centres can be funded in
this way: "centres of excellence within university institutions",
"inter-university centres of excellence" and "centres of excellence
carrying out fundamental and applied research with an economic and
social perspective". Funding in this domain is substantial and spans
over several years. It is aimed at strengthening the team of researchers
and providing them with sufficient resources to prove their competence
in the discipline they specialise in. Several teams are set up to
this end, with a view to bringing together multidisciplinary, complementary
skills tackling all the fields of the envisaged research project.
5. The Special Research Fund
The "fonds spécial pour la recherche" (Special
Research Fund) is a grant provided to university institutions. The
only condition is that this grant be used for research purposes.
The subsidies granted in this connection are shared between the
university institutions, according to the number of graduate and
postgraduate Belgian students. In order to benefit from these subsidies,
each institution uses a fixed amount of these resources (including
related allowances), equivalent to a given percentage of the subsidies
it receives (17.5% in 2000).
6. Other research grants
The DGENORS also offers other grants aimed, for
instance, at funding research projects, studies and initiatives
regarding the dissemination of scientific knowledge and international
collaboration.
Contact :
Mr. Thierry MAUDOUX
DGENORS - Directorate of non-compulsory Education and Scientific
Research
Fax : 32.2.210.59.92
E-mail : thierry.maudoux@cfwb.be
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