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FWO Postdoctoral Fellowships (Flanders, Belgium)

1. Overview

The FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship is one of the main competitive postdoctoral funding schemes in Belgium for early-career researchers. It is funded by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) and supports researchers who wish to develop an independent research profile within a Flemish university or research institution. The fellowship is particularly relevant for researchers in the social sciences, humanities, law, economics, and political science, and is widely recognised within the European academic funding landscape.

The programme is divided into two tracks: the Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship, intended for researchers who recently completed their PhD and are at an early stage of building their publication profile and academic independence (PhD obtained no longer than 3 years before fellowship begins), and the Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship, aimed at more established postdoctoral researchers (between 2 and 6 years of postdoctoral experience) with a stronger track record and clearer evidence of independent scholarship. While both schemes emphasise research excellence, internationalisation, publication potential, and integration into a strong host environment, the Senior track generally expects a more substantial publication record and a more developed research trajectory. Applications are prepared in close cooperation with a Flemish host institution, making early contact with potential supervisors or research groups highly advisable.

  • Duration: 3 years
  • Goal: support development of independent postdoctoral research profile
  • Eligibility:
    • Junior Fellowship: PhD awarded no longer than 3 years before October, 1 of the year in which the fellowship would start, or will be obtained on September 15 of that year at the latest
    • Senior Fellowship: PhD degree awarded minimum three years and maximum six years before the first of October of the year in which the fellowship commences; minium 2 years of postdoctoral experience
  • Language: English
  • Disciplines: all fields
  • Open to researchers of any nationality
  • Requires host institution in Flanders (Belgium)

FWO Postdoctoral Fellowships official page

Approximate timeline:

  • Call opens: September (annually)
  • Deadline: November
  • Evaluation and interviews: March/April
  • Interviews: April/May
  • Results: late May
  • Start date: October/November

Approximate success rate: 14% (1300-1400 applications annually)

2. Eligibility

Applicants must hold a PhD by the start of the fellowship and should normally be within a limited number of years after PhD completion (depending on the specific call rules and career interruptions). The fellowship requires affiliation with a Flemish host institution – a university in Belgium’s Dutch-speaking region (e.g. Ghent University, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel). Applications may be submitted in English, and many Flemish research environments operate fully in English at postdoctoral level, especially within the social sciences and humanities.

3. Timeline: when to start preparing

9–12 months before deadline

  • identify potential Flemish host institutions and supervisors
  • familiarise yourself with Flemish research groups and ongoing projects
  • contact potential mentors with:
    • short academic CV
    • concise research proposal or concept note (1–2 pages)
  • assess how your project complements the host’s expertise and research priorities
  • begin refining publication strategy and academic profile

6–9 months before deadline

  • confirm host interest and institutional support
  • develop detailed proposal structure together
  • refine methodology, theoretical contribution, and feasibility

3–6 months before deadline

  • complete full proposal draft revise it through feedback
  • strengthen publication plan and academic trajectory sections
  • prepare required administrative documents and references

4. Host institution strategy

Although the FWO fellowship is formally awarded to the researcher, strong institutional support and integration into a Flemish research environment are crucial for competitiveness. Applicants should therefore approach potential hosts well before the deadline and establish a collaborative relationship during the proposal development phase.

Strong hosts are usually research groups with active publication cultures, international networks, and experience supervising postdoctoral researchers or previous FWO fellows. In social sciences and humanities, evaluators often assess not only the quality of the project itself but also whether the proposed host environment can effectively support the applicant’s long-term academic development.

Your first contact with a potential mentor should ideally include:

  • a concise description of the proposed project
  • explanation of why the host institution is a good fit
  • short CV with publications and current affiliation

5. Strategy tips

Success in the FWO fellowship competition depends heavily on demonstrating both academic excellence and a convincing trajectory toward research independence. Reviewers place significant emphasis on the quality of the applicant’s publication record relative to career stage, as well as the originality and feasibility of the proposed research project. In contrast to some mobility-focused European schemes, FWO evaluations often pay particularly close attention to the intellectual coherence and methodological strength of the project itself, especially within the social sciences and humanities.

A strong proposal clearly articulates its theoretical contribution while also presenting a realistic research design and achievable work plan. Applicants should demonstrate how the project advances ongoing debates within the field and why the Flemish host environment is especially suitable for carrying out the research. Even without a strict mobility requirement, applicants benefit from showing evidence of international collaboration, comparative perspectives, conference participation, or broader academic networking.