Objective BELSPO supports activities which are of overall importance on the national and international level, including the stimulation of international mobility of researchers. The following 2 mobility schemes have been developed over the years, in concordance with political changes and the implementation of the European Research Area (ERA): A. Post-doc fellowships to non-EU researchers: initiated in 1991, with the objective to provide opportunities for highly-qualified foreign scientists to have a stay in Belgian research, in order to have access to "european" infrastructure capacities and to build lasting cooperation links. So far 673 fellowships were granted for a total of about 10.5 million EUR (budget 2009 :750.000 EUR), distributed over 41 countries of origin. B. Return grants: initiated in 2002, in the frame of the ERA, the scheme aims to reintegrate talented Belgian researchers performing a post-doc stay in a foreign country with the prospect to valorise their expertise gained abroad and to continue their carreer in a Belgian environment. Annual budget : 1.240.000 EUR, up to now 100 mandates have been granted for a total of about 8.7 million EUR. The present project would allow BELSPO not only to increase the number of fellowships and return grants but also to ameliorate some modalities: - for the non-EU postdoc fellowships the targeted countries would be enlarged by adding f.i. Asian countries such as China; also it appears that a post-doc stay of maximum 1 year, as currently offered, is becoming less attractive (effective) as well for the fellow as for the host unit so that the period would be prolongated to maximum 2 years; - for the return grants the criterion of “Belgian nationality” would be omitted and replaced by "having spent a certain period (minimum 3 years) in Belgium for higher education or research purposes" allowing to attract a broader category of excellent scientists willing to pursue their carreer in Belgium. Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-COFUND-2008 - Marie Curie Action: "Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-COFUND-2008 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-COFUND - Co-funding of Regional, National and International Programmes (COFUND) Coordinator Service Public Fédéral de Programmation Politique Scientifique (Belspo) EU contribution € 4 999 884,00 Address WTC III Boulevard Simon Bolivar 30 1000 Bruxelles / Brussel Belgium See on map Region Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Région de Bruxelles-Capitale/ Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest Arr. de Bruxelles-Capitale/Arr. Brussel-Hoofdstad Activity type Public bodies (excluding Research Organisations and Secondary or Higher Education Establishments) Administrative Contact Bernard Delhausse (Dr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Total cost No data
