Odysseus programme

FWO launched a new call in the Odysseus programme. This programme supports outstanding researchers, who have built up a career outside Flanders, in developing or setting up a research line or research group within a Flemish university.

Details

Nominated researchers receive from FWO a start-up funding for five years. Ghent University accounts for the employment of these researchers.

The Odysseus programme is open to two types of candidates:

Type I: Researchers who are internationally recognised as pioneers in their field and who have an appointment of minimum 80 % at a foreign institution. Research funding amounts to 400.000 euro to 1.000.000 euro per year (2.000.000 euro to 5.000.000 euro for five years).

Type II: Postdoctoral researchers who have the potential to develop a leading international position and who have a minimum of three years postdoctoral experience in a foreign institution. Research funding amounts to 100.000 euro to 200.000 euro per year (500.000 euro tot 1.000.000 euro for five years).

More information on eligibility can be found in the FWO regulations for the Odysseus programme.

Successful UGent candidates benefit from a ZAP-appointment at Ghent University:

  • The first ten years, mandate holders type I are appointed as full professor or senior full professor, according to their seniority. 
  • The first five years, mandate holders type II take up a BOF Tenure Track-mandate. Afterwards, in case of positive evaluation, they take up a non-renewable BOF Associate Professor mandate.

Internal selection procedure

The dean of your faculty must submit a dossier at no later than Thursday 1 September 2022. Only candidates nominated by the deans will be considered for selection. Please make sure to check the internal application deadline at your faculty’s Dean’s Office.

For each researcher (both type I and type II), the dossier (in English) consists of the following elements:

  • Curriculum Vitae of the researcher; including a bibliography (the researcher should update this information in the FWO e-loket as well);
  • A written confirmation in which the applicant states his/her intention to come over to Ghent University to continue his/her research career;
  • A research plan (maximum of 12 pages, see FWO-template) and a detailed budget proposal for five years ;
  • A binding declaration of commitment to appoint the candidate in case he/she is nominated by FWO, signed by the dean (see FWO guidelines). You can use this text template on a letter with faculty header.

Ghent University can nominate an unlimited number of candidates to FWO, but has to take into account a gender balance. Maximum two-thirds of the candidates can be of the same gender. Given this requirement, a preselection of the candidates might be necessary. An eventual preselection will be carried out by the Research Council.

The Research Coordination Office will send the candidates who may submit a full proposal, a unique web link to access the online application file. Besides this, they will receive the binding declaration of commitment, signed by the rector. The deadline to submit at FWO is 30 September 2022 (5 PM Belgian time).

More information can be found on the FWO website.

Contact

Research Coordination Office