FWO - EUP AH&W: 2nd co-funded call for research projects 2026

Research

What?

A second co-funded call for project funding was launched within the framework of the Horizon Europe ‘Animal Health and Welfare’ partnership (EUP AH&W). This partnership aims to establish a European research and innovation ecosystem to provide society with sustainable livestock, poultry, and aquaculture production.

This transnational call forms part of a broader strategic effort to accelerate the transition towards sustainable, resilient, and ethically responsible livestock and aquaculture systems across Europe. The call supports twelve priority research actions identified in the EUP AH&W Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).

Research activities supported under this call aim to:

• Develop effective, scalable solutions to prevent and control animal infectious disease, including zoonoses focusing on interventions such as improved biosecurity, vaccines, and therapeutics.
• Advance the understanding and implementation of improved welfare practices across the full lifecycle of farmed terrestrial and aquatic animals.
• Address the socio-economic dimensions of animal health and welfare, including trade-offs within sustainable production systems.

Funding will come via FWO through the fundamental (FO) or Strategic Basic Research (SBO) channel. The type and scope of the proposed research project will determine the choice of funding channel for the research performed within Flanders (more fundamental in nature, or more aimed at economical/societal valorisation). Non-compliance with the specific requirements per funding channel might lead to non-eligibility.

The FWO can support 2 projects for a 36 months duration, with an available maximum applicable budget of 350.000 EUR (overhead included) per project/consortium.
  

Who?

Research consortia must be comprised of a minimum of three partners from a minimum of three different countries being eligible and requesting funding from funding organisations participating in this call.

Universities and Universities of applied sciences, research institutes, non-profit legal entities, small and medium sized enterprises and large enterprises and public bodies, subject to the national/regional funding regulations and eligibility criteria. 

Application?

The FWO requires pre-registration on a national/regional level as well by filling in an application form on the FWO e-portal before the deadline for submission of the pre-proposals (30 March, 2026 (12:00, CET). When you're logged on to the e-portal, you can find it under "Researcher".
It is strongly recommended to contact the FWO administration about your pre-registration at the latest one week before submission in order to verify admissibility.

For the fundamental funding channel the respective regulation applies. For the SBO channel the SBO regulation has to be taken into account: these imply projects with a primarily economic and/or societal finality, of which ‘valorisation’ is a key - and mandatory - aspect.

Given the pre-proposal already has to be OK in terms of budget, OBI has an internal deadline to check your proposal.
Internal deadline: 23 March 2026

In case the consortium includes more than one partner requesting funding from FWO, a single online form should be submitted containing all relevant information from the different Flemish partners.

June 2026: Communication of eligibility checks and evaluation outcomes to the research project coordinators
June 2026: Period for the redress procedure
July 2026: Communication of the selection decision and re-opening of submission Tool
16th September 2026: Deadline for full-proposal submission (12:00 CEST)
October 2026: Communication of the evaluation outcomes and the funding recommendation to the research project coordinators
November 2026: Period for the redress procedure
December 2026: Communication of the funding decision to the research project coordinators
January - April 2027: Start of research projects

More information?

You can find more information, like the call text, the Guidelines for Applicants, the submission platform and the proposal application form on the EUP AH&W website.

Concerning the FWO regulations, you can consult the FWO website:
for the fundamental funding channel
for the SBO channel

Please contact research@uhasselt.be if you want to apply.

Deadline intern

23.03.2026, 30.03.2026

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail sarah.szyr@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211269052