The Special Research Fund (Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds, BOF) is a research grant funding allocated by the Flemish government to the universities every year. The grant funding is distributed among the various Flemish universities on the basis of a competitive system. The BOF funds are allocated through project or fellowship funding for fundamental scientific research.
BOF internal guidelines BOF eventsDeadline: 1 February 2024 (submission preproposal) - 1 October 2024 (submission full proposal)
The BOF programme Large Research Projects provides funding for interdisciplinary projects for fundamental scientific research. With this programme Hasselt University intends to promote interdisciplinary collaboration through research projects.
Based on the civic character of UHasselt, promoters will be asked to indicate for their project the anticipated social and/or economic impact.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: 9 January 2026 (declaration of intent) - 2 February 2026 (submission application)
The BOF 'Small Research Projects' programme entails projects with a four-year funding period, on which 1 or 2 pre-doctoral researcher's mandates are awarded. This BOF programme is open to both monodisciplinary projects and projects in which 2 researchers with complementary expertise work together.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
CANCELLED CALL
As announced in the September statement, significant cuts are being made to the Flemish budget. This also has an impact on the resources made available by the Government of Flanders for the financing of the Special Research Funds. The precautionary principle requires universities, after consultation with the cabinet of Minister-President Diependaele and the WEWIS department (Work, Economy, Science, Innovation, and Social Economy), to discontinue the current call for iBOF project applications. The October 23 submission date for letters of intent is therefore canceled, and no applications can be submitted. We regret that this decision had to be taken after the call had already been launched, but unfortunately the budgetary reality leaves no other option.
Deadline: 1 October
The BOF programme “Research Collaboration Without Boundaries” should leverage sustainable, multidisciplinary collaborations with disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, where the supervisor is from the Humanities and Social Sciences (including research group ZEET) and co-promoters can come from any UHasselt faculty or be a non-UHasselt partner, with the latter partner providing 50% effective co-funding and adding research expertise from a different research discipline to the consortium. The intent is to provide seed money, with the goal of serving as the start of a sustainable collaboration that can lead to future joint efforts to apply for new external research funding.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: 2 March 2026
The BOF programme ‘Doctoral Scholarship’ involves funding for starting personal mandates with a PhD finality for promising candidate PhDs at the start of a doctoral trajectory.
Applications within the Doctoral Scholarship Programme have the classic form of 2 x 2 years. However, applications for a 2-year funding are possible in case of:
If an application for a joint PhD with another Flemish university is submitted, the requested budget within the BOF doctoral scholarship is limited to a maximum of 2 years funding and the other Flemish university has to cofinance at least 1 year of the doctorate. Otherwise, the application is inadmissible.
These types of applications with cofinancing are only admissible when the PhD at the other institution hasn’t started yet.
Submission
Applicants
*This call is open to candidate PhD students, without restriction to gender, nationality or age. Since this concerns mandates in the scholarship statute, the circular of the Belgian Ministry of Finance regarding the exemption conditions of doctoral scholarships applies. This states, among other things, that employment contracts may not be replaced by a doctoral scholarship.
Submission obligations
Exclusion criteria (check the decision tree (pdf, 411 KB) for eligibility)
Candidates that have simultaneously applied for an FWO fellowship but not with UHasselt as main applicant, are excluded from applying for a BOF scholarship.
Regardless of the type of appointment or financing under which the PhD research is executed, candidate PhDs that already started their PhD research (For example, but not limited to, having started a doctoral file or having an appointment as “doctoraatsbursaal”) are excluded from applying for this call.
However, candidates that have started their doctorate as Voluntary Scientific Researcher could be eligible. Please check the decision tree or contact BOF@uhasselt.be.
In case a candidate has been granted a BOF BILA, they are not allowed to submit a proposal within the doctoral scholarship programme.
A candidate can only be appointed as a PhD fellow (“doctoraatsbursaal”) for a maximum period of 48 months in total across all Belgian universities; should you have been appointed as "doctoraatsbursaal" at a Belgian university in the past, you're are excluded from applying in this call.
In case of a joint PhD with one of the preferred partners of UHasselt (being Maastricht University, ULiège or UNamur) the applicants must be submitted in the call for Euregional doctoral grants when the Euregional call is opened in the domain of the application. In that case, an application within the BOF doctoral scholarship programme, is inadmissible.
Candidates on the list of effective or reserve candidates that will have been appointed as “doctoraatsbursaal” before the start date of the BOF scholarship, will be excluded from the BOF funding. The BOF funding will then be proposed to the following candidate on the list.
Candidates that are appointed as fixed term contract researcher (“navorser”) without having started a PhD, are not eligible to apply if the appointment as researcher has started before 01.11.year X-2 (i.e. the appointment as researcher can’t have started more than 2 years before the start date of the scholarship).
In addition, according to the legislation, a position as researcher can never be terminated to start a position as “doctoraatsbursaal”. As a BOF scholarship needs to start on 01.02.year x+1 at the latest, the foreseen contract of the researcher needs to end, the latest on 31.01.year x+1 (without any intervention to terminate the researcher’s contract in order to start the position as “doctoraatsbursaal”).
Application
Timing
In agreement with the faculty, the start date can be postponed, until February 1st of the same academic year at the latest.
More information
Contact Hasselt University:
E-mail: elke.bos@uhasselt.be
Tel.: +3211269053
Support with regard to the application form will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date.
Hasselt University Intranet: ‘BOF Internal guidelines’
This programme is linked to the BOF doctoral scholarship programme. It provides non renewable 1 year scholarship funding for candidates, who were not selected at the BOF nor at the FWO, to prepare a renewed FWO application or another externally funded mandate.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: 1 March (if this is a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday, the closing date is moved to the next working day at 23h59)
CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2026
The BOF Doctoral Fund and the Fonds spécial de recherche UNamur provide funding for PhD fellowships in the framework of the cooperation between University of Namur and Hasselt University.
Both universities provide funding to cofinance 2 fulltime PhD-fellowships in close collaboration leading to a joint doctoral degree (2 separate diplomas, referring to the collaboration).
The fellowships have an initial duration of two years and are renewable for a second period of two years after a positive evaluation at the end of the second year. This evaluation will be based upon the progress report, produced by the candidate, for the doctoral committee and the doctoral committee’s advice.
The candidate will be appointed at both universities for 50% during the entire PhD.
Submission
Applications
[1] This call is open to candidate PhD students, without restriction to gender, nationality or age. Since this concerns mandates in the scholarship statute, the circular of the Belgian Ministry of Finance regarding the exemption conditions of doctoral scholarships applies. This states, among other things, that employment contracts may not be replaced by a doctoral scholarship.
Exclusion criteria
A person can only be appointed as a PhD fellow (“doctoraatsbursaal”) for a maximum period of 48 months in total across all Belgian universities. Should you have been appointed as "doctoraatsbursaal" at a Belgian university in the past, you're are excluded from applying in this call.
BOF UHasselt only accepts applications from candidates at the start of a doctoral trajectory: candidates that are already appointed as “doctoraatsbursaal” or that have a doctoral file are excluded.
Application
Assessment criteria?
Scientific quality of the candidate:
Scientific quality of the proposal:
Quality of collaboration:
The applications will be assessed by a selection committee appointed for that purpose by both Research Councils. The selection will be based on a scoring grid.
Applications submitted with promoters that do not have an existing collaboration within this programme receive precedence over other applications.
In case of an ex aequo (or very similar) scoring, candidates with promoters from different research groups/faculties receive precedence.
Timing
More information?
Contact UNamur:
E-mail: secretariat.adre@unamur.be
Tel: +32 81 72 50 49
Contact Hasselt University:
E-mail: elke.bos@uhasselt.be
Tel.: +32 11 26 90 53
Support with regard to the application form will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date.
UHasselt intranet: BOF internal guidelines
Deadline: 1 March (if this is a Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday, the closing date is moved to the next working day at 23h59)
CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2026
The UHasselt BOF Doctoral Fund and the ULiège Joint PhD Programme provide funding for PhD fellowships in the framework of the cooperation between University of Liège and Hasselt University.
Both universities provide funding to cofinance 2 fulltime PhD-fellowships in close collaboration leading to a joint doctoral degree (2 separate diplomas, referring to the collaboration).
The fellowships have an initial duration of two years and are renewable for a second period of two years after a positive evaluation at the end of the second year. This evaluation will be based upon the progress report, produced by the candidate, for the doctoral committee and the doctoral committee’s advice. The candidate will be appointed at both universities for 50% during the entire PhD.
The call of 2026 is limited to applications within following faculties, schools or sectorial research:
Submission
Applicants
[1] This call is open to candidate PhD students, without restriction to gender, nationality or age. Since this concerns mandates in the scholarship statute, the circular of the Belgian Ministry of Finance regarding the exemption conditions of doctoral scholarships applies. This states, among other things, that employment contracts may not be replaced by a doctoral scholarship.
Exclusion criteria
Application
Regulations
Cooperation between the University of Liege and Hasselt University (uliege.be)
Assessment criteria
Scientific quality of the candidate:
Scientific quality of the proposal:
Quality of collaboration:
The applications will be assessed by a selection committee appointed for that purpose by both Research Councils.
The evaluation will be based on a scoring grid.
Applications submitted with promoters that do not have an existing collaboration within this programme receive precedence over other applications.
In case of an ex aequo (or very similar) scoring, candidates with promoters from different research groups/faculties receive precedence.
Timing
More information
Contact ULiège:
E-mail: denys.jeandrain@uliege.be
Tel: +32 4 366 52 31
Contact Hasselt University:
E-mail: elke.bos@uhasselt.be
Tel.: +32 11 26 90 53
Support with regard to the application form will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date.
Deadline: 1 March
CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2026
Funding organisation: UHasselt Special Research fund
The main objective of the call is to strengthen collaboration between research partners of Hasselt University and Université de Lorraine within the EURECA-PRO network.
A maximum of 2 PhD projects (each with a maximum duration of 4 years) will be selected.
For each selected project, Hasselt University will provide 4 years of PhD funding, including a yearly bench fee of €5.000.
These are joint doctorate projects, leading to a Double Degree. The project must be carried out in close collaboration between both universities throughout its entire duration. PhD candidates will be expected to actively participate in the research groups at both universities during the four-year PhD trajectory.
A PhD candidate must be appointed within 6 months following approval of the application. The candidate will be employed by Hasselt University for the full duration of the PhD.
Applicants for project funding
Application
Assessment criteria
Scientific quality of the proposal:
Quality of collaboration:
• enhancing the collaboration between both universities
• prospect of more sustainable collaboration
A joint selection committee from UHasselt and Université de Lorraine will review all applications. The UHasselt research council will make a final selection of projects on the basis of the evaluation reports.
Timing
More information
Contact Hasselt University:
E-mail: elke.bos@uhasselt.be
Tel.: +32 11 26 90 53
Support with regard to the application form will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date.
There will be no call within this channel in 2026
Deadline: End of each quarter
This programme provides funding to cofinance the 4the year of a a bursary appointment at UHasselt in following situations:
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: June, linked to the FWO results
Within this programme, funds are earmarked for one-year postdoc mandates for FWO candidate fellows who, following a scientifically favourable ranking, for budgetary reasons, are not offered a fellowship by the FWO and have been listed among the top 50 percent ranked candidates in the panel.
More information can be found on the Intranet mandates (after login)
Deadline: 7 April 2025 (PRECALL)
Every year, Hasselt University reserves part of the BOF funds for the BOF Research Infrastructure Fund, in order to expand its research infrastructure park. By combining these BOF funds with the FWO Research Infrastructure funds for medium-scale infrastructure, Hasselt University is able to launch a BOF Infrastructure call every four years.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: 1 February - 15 May - 1 October
The BOF programme for incoming mobility funds incoming international academic research stays for a short period of time (from 1 to 3 months).
This programme is open for academic researchers from postdoctoral level upwards. The stay of a foreign researcher at our university should have an added value for the UHasselt research.
In certain regions, there is a concern about the involvement of research institutions and universities in human rights violations. Hasselt University urges its staff to exercise particular caution when collaborating with partners from these regions.
Submission
Applicants
The applications must be submitted by a promotor at Hasselt University, who is part of ZAP.
Application
Conditions
Timing
The applications for a short stay can be submitted three times a year: February 1st, May 15th and October 1st. Should the deadline fall on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the deadline is moved to the next working day at 23h59.
Start date of the stay:
More information
Lieve Tulleneers
E-mail: lieve.tulleneers@uhasselt.be
Tel: +3211269041
Support with regard to the application form will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date
Intranet: BOF internal guidelines
Deadline: 1 February - 15 May - 1 October
The BOF programme outgoing mobility funds outgoing international academic research stays for a short period of time (from 1 to 3 months).
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: 1 April - 1 October
The "Bilateral Scientific Cooperation" programme aims to stimulate and strengthen international university cooperation between Flemish researchers and colleagues from partner countries through (joint) PhD projects. In the selection process, the Research Council monitors a good balance between science-sharing projects with developing countries on one hand, and projects seeking connection to large international networks on the other.
In certain regions, there is a concern about the involvement of research institutions and universities in human rights violations. Hasselt University urges its staff to exercise particular caution when collaborating with partners from these regions.
Submission
Applicants
Proposals must meet the following conditions:
Application
Timing
Proposals can be submitted to the Directorate Research, Library and Internationalisation twice a year, on April 1st and October 1st. If this date falls on a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday, the closing date is postponed until the following working day at 23h59.
More information
Contact Hasselt University:
E-mail: elke.bos@uhasselt.be
Tel.: +3211269053
Support with regard to the application form will be guaranteed up to 3 working days before submission date.
Hasselt University Intranet: ‘BOF Internal guidelines’
Deadline: Permanent call (to be submitted no later than 3 months prior to the departure date)
The BOF programme Sabbatical Leave cofinances outgoing international research stays for periods of 3 to 12 months.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: Permanent call (to be submitted no later than 3 months prior to the departure date)
The BOF Sabbatical Light programme (co)finances outgoing international research stays at international universities and/or research institutions for periods of min. 14 weeks to max. 24 weeks to be realised within a time span of 12 months.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: 1 February
The BOF exchange programme for PhD mobility to and from UC Berkeley facilitates outgoing mobility to UC Berkeley and incoming mobility from UC Berkeley for PhD students through a short stay of 1 to 3 months.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
In certain regions, there is a concern about the involvement of research institutions and universities in human rights violations. Hasselt University urges its staff to exercise particular caution when collaborating with partners from these regions.
Deadline: Permanent call
UHasselt provides FWO PhD fellowship grantees that didn’t apply with BOF doctoral fund with the opportunity to apply for additional bench fee once they’ve been granted an FWO fellowship mandate.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: Permanent call
With this programme, Hasselt University wants to facilitate BOF TT (Tenure Track) Assistant Professors and other ZAP members in preparing an ERC application. This funding (max €15.000) can be used to hire consultancy, as a resource to cover for replacement during the preparation of the ERC application, to cover research stays with ERC grantees or top researchers, to fund research activities in order to improve the ERC application, etc. If this incentive is used, no further claim can be made on other initiatives that exist to support an ERC application.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login
Deadline: Permanent call
When a promoter plans to apply for a project within the European Framework programme as a coordinator, the promoter can apply for a budget of maximum € 10.000 to hire consultancy to revise the application, including the impact section.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
Deadline: Permanent call
With this incentive, funding is made available to finance the fourth year of a PhD fellow, when the acquired external funding through an EU Framework programme only provides funding for three years. The incentive fits the advice of the Research Council, stating there must be guarantees for four years of funding at the start of a PhD fellowship.
More information can be found on the Intranet (after login)
More information can be found on the Intranet - BOF internal guidelines (after login)
* If the deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, it is moved to the next working day.
**BOF GDPR