2025: BOF INCENTIVE FUND - Bridging grant - DL: 30/06/25

Research

Funding organisation:

Bijzonder OnderzoeksFonds

What?

Within this programme 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, can apply for 50% personnel costs and € 2,500 operational budget for the last year of appointment. The bridging grant is therefore only accessible for the appointment of a bursary student for 4 years on the UHasselt payroll.

The BOF funding is granted to cofinance 50% of the last year of the PhD appointment. The granted BOF budget is cancelled in case of a negative report from the doctoral committee after the mid-term evaluation.

This programme is aligned with the BOF budget and takes effect as of 2022. There is no retroactive adjustment of acquired past grants.

Each quarter, the eligible applications will be short-listed. In execution of the decision by the Research Council, selection will be done based on a lottery system and communicated to the Research Council.

Applications related to co-financing of external mandate funding have priority over project funding applications.

Who?

This programme is open to:

• Promoters who:
  • have acquired competitive external funding through selection procedure under their UHasselt affiliation

• • are affiliated with Hasselt University and thus can act, in accordance with the doctoral regulations, as promoter at Hasselt University.

• The promoter seeks funding for appointing a specific PhD candidate as a 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).
• The PhD candidate will be appointed for 4 years on the UHasselt payroll as a bursary student.

Exclusion criteria

• Applications for a PhD candidate 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 more than once every two years, counting from the quarter in which the bridging grant was selected.

Application?

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

Financial
The BOF funding is granted to cofinance 50% of the last year of the PhD appointment. The granted BOF budget is cancelled in case of a negative report from the doctoral committee after the mid-term evaluation.
The grants can be used up to 12 months after the end date of the mandate, unless the grant mail states otherwise. After this date the cost centre is closed and the remaining funds flow back to BOF.
This programme is aligned with the BOF budget and takes effect as of 2022. There is no retroactive adjustment of acquired past grants.

Timing
The selection of candidates 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

30.06.2025

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail elke.bos@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211269053