2025: BOF INCENTIVE FUND - Bridging grant - DL: 31/12/25

Research

Funding organisation:

Bijzonder OnderzoeksFonds

What?

This programme provides funding to cofinance a bursary appointment at UHasselt in following situations:

• For promoters who have acquired competitive external funding for a minimum of 3 years, but need additional funding to complete the 4-year budget requirements to appoint a PhD student in a bursary statute. The cofunding foresees 50% personnel costs (for the last year) and € 2,500 operational budget. This implies that the bursary student will be appointed on the UHasselt payroll for 4 years of which 50% of the last year is cofunded by the bridging grant.
• For promoters who will be supervising a joint PhD with another university that provides partial funding of the PhD student, but need additional funding to finance a full PhD trajectory. The cofunding foresees 50% personnel costs (for the last year) and € 2,500 operational budget. The bridging grant can only be used to appoint the PhD student as a bursary student on the UHasselt payroll.
• For promoters who have secured funding through a research institution (incl. JRC) for an UHasselt PhD, but need additional funding to finance a full PhD trajectory. The cofunding foresees 50% personnel costs (for the last year) and € 2,500 operational budget. The bridging grant can only be used to appoint the PhD student as a bursary student on the UHasselt payroll.

Who?

Promoters who:

• have acquired competitive external funding through selection procedure under their UHasselt affiliation;
• have a research collaboration with a partner university, leading to a joint PhD, in which the PhD candidate is appointed partially at the partner university and partially at UHasselt. The funding applied for can only be used for the appointment at UHasselt;
• have secured partial funding for a PhD from a research institution that cannot issue a PhD diploma, leading to an UHasselt PhD. The funding applied for can only be used for the appointment at UHasselt.

The promoter seeks funding for appointing a specific PhD candidate as a 4-year bursary PhD student (“doctoraatsbursaal”) at the start of a PhD trajectory (the PhD can start at the earliest within the quarter in which the application is submitted) or in case of a joint PhD with a partner university, for appointing the PhD candidate as a bursary PhD student following the appointment at the partner university.

The PhD candidate will be appointed for 4 years on the UHasselt payroll as a bursary student or in case of a joint PhD partially on the UHasselt payroll and partially on the payroll of the partner university.

Exclusion criteria

• This programme is open to promoters that seek funding for appointing candidate PhDs at the start of their PhD trajectory (the PhD can start at the earliest within the quarter in which the application has been submitted). Applications regarding a PhD that has already started the PhD research before the start of the quarter the call applies to, are excluded from this call.
• A promoter cannot receive a bridging grant in two consecutive years.

Application?

• The promoter must send a motivated request to BOF@uhasselt.be.
• Proof of the externally acquired funding through a selection procedure must be added.

Timing

The selection will take place at the beginning of every quarter. If this is a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday, the selection date is moved to the next working day.

Regulations?

• BOF Bridging Grant (intranet)
• BOF internal guidelines (intranet)

Deadline

31.12.2025

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail elke.bos@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211269053