Obtain a grant for an international research project - Excellence WORLD

This scholarship programme was set up by Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) in 2008 within a context of increased mobility and globalisation.
    
It enables university graduates and researchers to be sent to renowned foreign institutions around the world in support of the competitive clusters determined by the Marshall Plan 4.0 launched by Wallonia.

The scheme is open to universities, higher education institutions and researchers in the field of arts education.

Our support

What is the support?

Wallonia-Brussels International (WBI) supports:

• Graduates with a Master's degree of 120 credits from a higher education institution organised or subsidised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation wishing to undertake a doctoral programme in a university abroad;
• Researchers with a doctorate from a higher education institution organised or subsidised by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation wishing to undertake a postdoctoral programme in a university abroad;
• Candidates with a degree from a foreign university, provided they can prove a (currently active) affiliation with a university in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

Support consists of a monthly scholarship, not a salary, for the duration of the research programme. Return travel expenses are also covered.

What are the objectives of the support?

This support aims to encourage the development of research in Wallonia in the fields covered by the various competitive clusters of the Marshall Plan 4.0. The preferred fields are:

• Transport and logistics;
• Mechanical engineering;
• Life sciences;
• Agri-industry;
• Aeronautics-space;
• Environmental technologies. 

Competitive clusters bringing together businesses around a promising economic field are a major economic asset for Wallonia's development, creating synergies around an innovative economic project stimulated by companies, training centres or research and innovation centres.

All other fields will also be considered, whether human, basic or applied sciences.

If your programme is not part of a Marshall Plan 4.0 competitive cluster, you will be asked to comment on the potential societal impact of your project for Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.

We invite you to visit https://clusters.wallonie.be/federateur/en/les-poles-de-competitivite to find out more about the activities of each cluster, and to check whether your research project could be related to one of them.

What added value can the support provide?

• Encourage networking between research institutions;
• Capture expertise that doesn't exist in Wallonia and then reproduce it;
• Offer existing expertise in Wallonia;
• Support the development of research and innovation.

Your project 

1. Types of scholarships

• Long-term doctoral scholarships (minimum 1 year, renewable 3 times);
• Long-term postdoctoral scholarships (minimum 1 year, renewable once);
• Short-term scholarships (1 to 3 months, can be renewed provided that the holder complies with the time frame of 3 years between each stay).

2. Destination country

Your research project can be carried out anywhere in the world.

Conditions

1. Eligibility requirements

What conditions must the beneficiary meet?

• a maximum of three application attempts will be allowed for each candidate;
• for doctoral scholarships, preference will be given to projects carried out under joint supervision by the origin and host institutions, although this is not a prerequisite for submitting the application;
• for doctorate holders, a maximum period of 5 years is allowed between obtaining the doctorate and applying for an Excellence scholarship. This period is increased by one year for each birth and/or adoption made within this period;
• in the event of a new application, any changes made to the previous application must be justified;
• for long-term scholarships, each candidate will be eligible for a maximum of one scholarship (with possible renewals) for their doctorate, and a maximum of one scholarship (with possible renewals) for their post-doctorate;
• long-term and short-term scholarships can be combined, as can several short-term scholarships, as long as the limit of three attempts is respected and the 3-year period between two stays is observed;
• applications that are incomplete, submitted late or do not meet the eligibility criteria will be deemed inadmissible.

All inquiries and/or applications should be sent to: bourses@wbi.be

2. Selection criteria

How will you be assessed?

WBI will select the applications in collaboration with all the scientific and institutional partners involved in the programme.

The jury is composed of members of:

the Fund for Scientific Research – F.R.S.-FNRS;

• the Operational Directorate General for the Economy, Employment and Research of the Wallonia Public Service (DG06);
• WBI.

They base their selection on the following criteria, among others:

• area related to the Marshall Plan 4.0 competitive clusters;
• letters of recommendation attached to the form;
• academic record;
• interest of the research area for our universities and research centres;
• scientific publications;
• added value of the planned mobility;
• career path.

These criteria allow us to establish a classification in three categories A-B-C. Only applications that have been rated A by at least one of the jury members will be eligible for selection. Please note that subcategories (A- and A+) will be created within the A category. 

Subsidies and insurance

1. Subsidies

What are the subsidies and how much are they worth?

Subsidies awarded to researchers in the form of:

• Coverage by WBI of the expenses for your international return travel in economy class from your home to your place of work, based on a simulation drawn up by WBI;
• Coverage by WBI of a net monthly scholarship of €2,120 → ATTENTION: this scholarship is not a salary;
• Coverage by WBI of any registration fees in the context a doctoral scholarship, up to a maximum of €835 (ONLY on the basis of a request from the recipient submitted BEFORE the subsidy is drawn up);
• Coverage by WBI of any educational fees in the context of a postdoctoral scholarship, up to a maximum of €835 (ONLY on the basis of a request from the recipient submitted BEFORE the subsidy is drawn up);
• Coverage by WBI of the cost of supplementary health insurance (for North America, Canada and Switzerland ONLY).

2. Payment terms

For the scholarship:
→ A monthly payment will be made.

For ALL other expenses:
→ These will be reimbursed ONLY on the basis of the submission of a declaration of claim accompanied by the relevant supporting documents.
 

3. Insurance

What insurance is covered by WBI?

For SHORT-TERM scholarships:
→ Travel assistance abroad: Medical expenses + Repatriation.

For LONG-TERM scholarships:
→ Travel assistance abroad (scholarship holder alone or accompanied): Medical expenses + Repatriation.

Your application

1. How to submit your application

When should you submit your application?

• For LONG-TERM scholarships:

No later than 1 February (UTC/GMT +1) preceding the academic year in which the applicant wishes to travel → departure no later than 1 October.

• For SHORT-TERM scholarships:

→ No later than 1 October (UTC/GMT +2) preceding stays scheduled between March and July;
→ No later than 1 April (UTC/GMT +2) preceding stays scheduled between September and February;

How should you send your application?

You must send your application by email to the International Scholarships Department at the following address: bourses@wbi.be

If your attachments are too large, you must complete your application with an online sharing link (Google Drive, WeTransfer, Dropbox, etc.).

2. Application

Your application must include the following documents:

• Application form: see below;
• Annex 1: Declaration of additional funds;
• Annex 2: At least 2 letters of recommendation from the faculty of an academic institution (Belgian or foreign) able to judge the scientific quality of your work. These must be sent by email directly to WBI and cannot be shared with you. PLEASE NOTE: these letters of recommendation must be written using the framework specified in the appendix to the application form;
• Annex 3: Letter of invitation or agreement from host university and sponsor supervising the research. A demonstration of the mutually beneficial nature of the cooperation will be assessed positively (no framework). Please note that you are responsible for finding your host university, and that WBI is not involved in this process;
• Annex 4: Copies of degrees (Bachelor, Master 120 credits, Doctorate if applicable). 

3. Aspects to be considered

Your application must be complete, signed and dated.

Any application that does not meet the eligibility criteria will be considered ineligible. No further action will be taken.

Our decision

1. Decision-making procedure

The selection process takes place in 5 STEPS:

1. An administrative check of your application based on eligibility requirements;
2. Applications deemed admissible are forwarded to the selection jury for analysis;
3. The jury sends its ranking to WBI;
4. WBI analyses the results and allocates scholarships according to the budget available;
5. WBI communicates the results to candidates.

2. People in charge of selection

Your selection is made by a jury composed of members of:

• the Fund for Scientific Research – F.R.S.-FNRS
• the Operational Directorate General for the Economy, Employment and Research of the Wallonia Public Service (DG06);
• WBI.

3. Communication of the decision

In principle, the decision is made:

• For long-term scholarships: at the beginning of June;
• For short-term scholarships:
  → for stays scheduled between March and July: at the end of December;
  → for stays scheduled between September and February: at the beginning of July.

4. Aspects to be considered

Once the results have been communicated by WBI, the candidate will have 7 calendar days to decide whether or not to accept the scholarship, so as not to disadvantage any substitute candidates.

What happens if you are granted the support?

A practical SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS' guide will be sent to you if you have been selected.

1. How will you receive the subsidy?

Once the competent jury has made the selection and the candidate has accepted the scholarship, WBI draws up the relevant certificates and the subsidy proposal.

Pay close attention to any procedures you may need to complete to gain access to the country and work there, depending on your destination.

2. What are your obligations? 

Acknowledge WBI's support

Any document relating to the subsidised activity that is made public must state:  "With the support of Wallonia-Brussels International" and the WBI logo (www.wbi.be/fr/logos).

Submit periodic reports, as well as an end-of-mission report and your ALUMNI sheet

Periodic reports, as well as an end-of-mission report and your ALUMNI sheet will be requested.

3. What is the final date for submitting your documents? 

If you've been selected, we'll send you all the relevant and compulsory dates in the form of your decree on subsidies and the practical SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS' guide.

Contact

Wallonia-Brussels International
International Scholarships Department

Place Sainctelette, 2
B - 1080 Bruxelles

bourses@wbi.be