Study in Belgium: 2016 BELSPO Postdoctoral Fellowships for Non-EU Researchers

Fellowship Description:

BELSPO Postdoctoral Fellowship application is open for non-EU researchers to work during 6 to 18 months in a Belgian research team. For this call, the list of target countries is limited to the
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), all the African countries and Vietnam.

The stimulation of international mobility and the attraction of researchers from abroad is one of the priorities of the European Research Area.

The Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) is contributing to this objective by granting post-doc fellowships to non-EU researchers allowing them to work in a Belgian research team during a given period of time. The ultimate aim is to promote sustainable S&T collaborations between the research institutions and support the research networks.

Course Level:

Postdoctoral Research Programme.

Field(s) of Study:

Postdoctoral fellowships are offered in Chemistry, Economic Sciences, Information Science and Engineering, Environmental and Geosciences, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Social Sciences and Humanities. Applicants are responsible for the choice of the discipline. The experts in charge of the evaluation of the research project will rise from this choice.

Duration of the stay:

From 6 to 18 months. This duration will be mentioned in the application form and cannot be extended.

Eligibility criteria

Qualifications required to be eligible. The candidate will...

• hold a doctor’s degree at the date of entry the Fellowship,
• hold the doctor's degree for less than 6 years on January 1st, 2016,
• not have been domiciled in Belgium for more than 12 months during the last 36 months preceding January 1st, 2016,
• not have already benefitted from a Postdoc Fellowship to non-EU researchers funded by BELSPO,
• have the nationality of a target country,
• be associated to research in one of the target countries.

Target Nationalities:

For this Call, the list of target countries is limited to

• the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa)
• all the African countries
•  Vietnam.

All applications implying a candidate or a home lab from another country will be dismissed.

Scholarship Value:

• The fellowship comprises:
• a net monthly allowance of 2,430 EUR;
• a single payment of 1,500 EUR for the travel expenses from and to the country of origin;
• the personal liability insurance costs;
• the contribution to the National Office of Social Security (NOSS), as foreseen by Royal Decree of 26.03.2003 in relation to foreign workers (M. B. of 28.04.2003).

Remark: The Royal Decree of 07.01.1989 foresees that fellowships to scientists are free of taxation when paid by the Belgian authorities or institutions such as universities.

The host institution will, to the account of the Federal Science Policy Office, be responsible for the (monthly) payments of the invited scientists as well as for the subscription of the insurances. The Federal Science Policy Office will reimburse the institution every three months, after having received a debit note with proofs of the expenses.

How to apply:

The application form is introduced both in hard and electronic copy (bernard.delhausse@belspo.be) to the Federal Science Policy Office by the Belgian promoter and have to be accompanied by:

• a description of the research project to be performed during the stay;
• a recommendation letter, in English, from the director of the candidate's home institute confirming the possibility that the fellowship holder will be able to resume his/her activities after his/her stay in Belgium;
• a motivation/reference letter from the Belgian promoter, in English.

Only complete applications, introduced via the application form 2016, will be taken into consideration. The candidate is free to produce more than one recommendation letter. Each motivation or recommendation letter should be written in English.

Evaluation and Selection:

The selection will take place by an external multidisciplinary jury under the presidency of BELSPO.

The evaluation criteria concern:

• the scientific merits of the candidate (curriculum vitae, publications, field experience...);
• the content of the proposed research project (novelty, feasibility, timeliness, gender...);
• the linkage with the on-going BELSPO project in the host unit;
• the relevance of the proposal with the expertise of the candidate and the domains of the host unit;
• the knowledge transfer;
• the prospects for further cooperation between institutions;
• the added value for all actors.

Application dealine: April 30th, 2016 at 17:00 hour

Visit the BELSPO Fellowship official Website to apply and learn more

 LINKS AFRIK WISHES YOU GOOD LUCK!!!