FAQ Basic Research Funding

Application and duration of the funding

When will the administration invite ZAP members to apply and how much time will the ZAP members have to submit the application for Basic Research Funding?

The BOF administration will invite all ZAP members belonging to the target group for Basic Research Funding twice a year. This will happen a first time at the start of the academic year for applications for the next calendar year and again before the summer recess for applications for the current calendar year (so that those who only become part of the ZAP target group during the course of a calendar year also receive an invitation). ZAP members have until December 31 of the calendar year for which they are applying for Basic Research Funding to submit the application in GISMO. They only need to meet the criteria for research activity at the time of submission and not necessarily on January 1 of the calendar year.

Exception: for the very first calendar year of the introduction of Basic Research Funding (2024), invitations will be sent out in the summer of 2024 (so not in the autumn of 2023).
It is not possible to retroactively apply for Basic Research Funding for a past calendar year.

Basic Research Funding is granted in consecutive terms of up to 4 years until retirement (as long as the conditions regarding ZAP appointment and research activity are met). ZAP members will be invited by the BOF administration to submit an application for each new term.

If a ZAP member applies for Basic Research Funding for a calendar year during the course of that year, will they receive the full or partial Basic Research Funding for that year?

Pro rata amounts are not used. Therefore, the ZAP member receives the full amount for that calendar year.

Basic Research Funding for 2024 can be applied for no earlier than summer 2024 but the budget will be opened from January 1, 2024 on. Can expenses incurred from January 1, 2024, on another project or kas be reassigned to the Basic Research Funding?

Yes, as long as they are research-related expenses.

Will the allocated budget (if allocated for several years: 2-3-4 years) be available to the ZAP member all at once, or will the Basic Research Funding be made available per year? How long will the budget be available?

The budget will be available all at once at the start of the allocated period. By default, the budget remains open in SAP for the duration of the allocated period + 1 additional year (if the ZAP member holds a ZAP appointment in that additional year).

Can one ask to extend the end date of a Basic Research Funding?

Budgets are by default available for 1 extra year in SAP if the applicant has a ZAP appointment during that year. Further extensions of Basic Research Funding are in principle not possible and can only be granted after motivated request and for very exceptional reasons (such as long-term illness).

Amount of the Basic Research Funding

Will the Basic Research Funding granted for the year n differ, for example if one can only apply for it later?

No, the amount of Basic Research Funding for a specific year (n) will be fixed. For example, ZAP members applying in 2024 for Basic Research Funding for 2024-2025-2026 and 2027 will get the same amount for the year 2026 as ZAP members applying in 2025 for Basic Research Funding for 2026.

Starting grants

Will the BOF Starting Grants be continued for starting ZAP members after implementation the of Basic Research Funding? And will it be possible for ZAP members to apply for both fundings (Starting Grants & Basic Research Funding)?

The BOF Starting grants will be maintained. ZAP members who qualify for a BOF Starting Grant cannot at the same time also qualify for the allocation of Basic Research Funding. ZAP members eligible for a Starting Grant must first take up their Starting Grant before they can apply for Basic Research funding.

Only when the Starting Grant has already expired or is about to expire one can apply for Basic Research Funding (ZAP members can have up to 6 months funding from a Starting Grant in the calendar year for which the Basic Research Funding is requested). Also see next question.

Can ZAP members qualify for Basic Research Funding in the year their Starting Grants expires?

Yes, in order to qualify for Basic Research Funding for year n, you can have a maximum of 6 months of funding from a Starting Grant in year n.

Only the official end date (= start date of Starting Grant + 4 years) of the Starting Grant is taken into account. In SAP the budget is open longer but we do not take the SAP end date into account. ZAP members in this situation will also be invited by the administration to submit an application for Basic Research Funding.

For example, if the Starting Grant expires on 31 May 2025, the ZAP member is entitled to the 2025 Basic Research Funding, as this ZAP member receives only 5 months of BOF Starting Grant funding in 2025. So this ZAP member will be invited to apply for Basic Research Funding for 2025. With that application, the ZAP member will be able to apply for the 2025 Basic Research Funding and any subsequent years for which the ZAP member continues to hold a ZAP appointment (maximum 4 years in total).

Requirements ZAP target group

If a ZAP member is not invited, can one still apply for Basic Research Funding (without invitation)?

No, if ZAP members do not belong to the target group they will not be invited by the administration and they cannot submit an admissible application online.

However, if ZAP-members are of the opinion to be eligible (see ZAP target group) and did not receive an invitation, they can contact the administration via e-mail to BOF@UGent.be. Please note: ZAP members who do not belong to the defined ZAP target group are not eligible.

Can ZAP members who retire still apply for Basic Research Funding?

ZAP members can receive Basic Research Funding until retirement, provided that they are ZAP member for at least 6 months in the calendar year of retirement. For example: a ZAP member retiring on October 1, 2026, will still be able to apply for Basic Research Funding for the years 2024, 2025, and 2026.

Criteria regarding research activity: applied for or awarded external funding

Which funding is considered internal? (non-exhaustive list)

BOF, IOF, and GMF funding are considered internal funding and therefore are not eligible to be included as "applied for or awarded external research funding".

Which funding is considered external and competitive? (non-exhaustive list)

External refers to a call that is also open to applicants from outside the funding institution.

FWO funding, both projects and fellowships, including clinical investigator fellowships
VLAIO funding
Belspo funding
Equivalents of the FWO in other countries
EU funding: ERC, Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, EIT, EIC, research infrastructure, EU projects
Funding from a university/research institution is external if it is awarded through a competitive call where individuals from outside that university/research institution can also compete and be the budget holder of the acquired funds. However, funding awarded by external institutions (e.g. SCK, VITO), governments and organizations (e.g. ECOOM), industrial/economic partners, etc., specifically providing a budget to a UGent promoter for hiring a PhD student or carrying out a research project, is not considered competitively acquired funding since it does not involve a competitive call accessible to external (e.g. UGent) promoters.

What is considered 'externally competitive' acquired funding when one holds a dual affiliation/position?

For ZAP members who have a dual status (UGent/imec or UGent/VIB or UGent/Vlerick), it is important to consider in which capacity the project funding is acquired.
For funding awarded by imec/VIB/Vlerick:

If these funds can be competitively applied for by ZAP members from their UGent-ZAP capacity (and are, in principle, accessible to UGent-ZAP members who do not have a dual status with imec/VIB/Vlerick): for UGent, this qualifies as external, competitive funding and is therefore eligible.
If these funds can only be competitively applied for within imec/VIB/Vlerick by imec/VIB/Vlerick personnel: for UGent, this does not count as external, competitive funding (even if the funding is subsequently transferred to UGent, as this happens on a non-competitive basis).
For example: UGent ZAP members with a dual affiliation (UGent + Vlerick Business School) who have acquired funds (competitively) at Vlerick Business School through a call that is only open to Vlerick researchers cannot count this funding as 'externally acquired funds'. Since the Vlerick call is only accessible to Vlerick researchers, not to UGent researchers who are not also active within Vlerick. From UGent's perspective, this is not an external, competitive call accessible to UGent researchers and therefore does not qualify as externally acquired research funding. This is also the case when these funds will later be used, for example, to finance a PhD student at UGent.

If ZAP members with a dual status UGent/imec and UGent/VIB apply for/acquire competitive funding from an external funder (= external to imec/VIB) through imec/VIB, then this counts towards the criterion of external, competitive funding (these institutions can also act as host institutions for the funding in accordance with the provisions of the framework agreement UGent has with these institutions).

For example: someone with a combined UGent ZAP appointment and imec postdoc appointment who acquires external, competitive research funding through the imec appointment with imec as the host institution for the funds → this counts as competitive, external funding.

Do Joint PhD fellowships also count as personal research mandates with a duration of at least 3 years?

Yes, externally financed joint PhD mandates (acquired/applied for via a competitive call), in which funding is provided for 3 years but the execution and financing will not entirely take place at UGent, are considered equivalent to 3-year research mandates and can therefore be included as 'externally acquired or applied for research funding'.

Does the outcome of the externally applied for funding need to be known before it can be mentioned in the application for Basic Research Funding?

No. If the evaluation of the applied funding is not yet known, it can still be listed as funding applied for. Both applied for research funding for which the outcome is not yet known and applied for research funding that was not granted count towards the criterion of 'external research funding' (provided, of course, that the time frame is respected).

However, the ZAP member must be the promoter of the application, and it must be intended that if the application is granted or would have been granted, this ZAP member would also be the budget holder of the funds. If the budget would be divided among multiple (co-)promoters, it is the amount that the ZAP member would receive that is taken into account (and not the total requested amount).

Do projects need to be registered in GISMO to be considered for Basic Research Funding?

No, this is not necessary for applying for Basic Research Funding. ZAP members will need to fill in a free-text field in the GISMO application for Basic Research Funding, where they can demonstrate their externally applied for or acquired funding.

Expenses that cannot be charged to BOF funds

Costs for the construction of buildings/rooms and/or renovation works cannot be charged to BOF funds. Research equipment can be purchased.