Postdoctoral Fellowships

VLAIO is a Flemish organisation stimulating and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship.

VLAIO Postdoctoral Fellowships focus on research with a strong technology transfer component and are available to researchers who intend to commercialise their research findings through valorisation agreements with industry or through the creation of a spin-off company.

Timing

There are two deadlines: one in March, one in September. 

Duration

  • Spin-off mandate: max. 24 months
  • Fase 1 - Fase 2 mandate: max. 12 months + 24 months
  • Fase 2 mandate: max. 24 months

Who can apply?

  • Everyone with a PhD degree
  • At least one industrial promoter from a Flemish company
  • At least one scientific promoter from a Flemish university or other knowledge center

Researchers from outside Ghent University who wish to apply, first have to find a professor at Ghent University that will accept them as a candidate. You can look for a professor in your research domain through our research directory.

How does it work?

Your application can be in English or in Dutch. The rest of the procedure will be in the language of your application.

  1. Contact Ghent University for help with your budget. The only information we need is the number of years of work experience you have.
    If you will be an employer of the company in Fase 2, they will make your budget.
  2. You will also need  a letter of intent. Give us the following information at
  • Title of the project
  • Name of the applicant
  • Promoter at Ghent University
  • Company: name + address
  • Legal representative of the company
  • Industrial promoter: name + function
  • Other partners (if applicable)
  • Fase 1, Fase 2 or spin-off mandate
  • Duration of the mandate
  • The letter of intent must be signed by:
    • Rector Ghent University
    • Applicant
    • Promoter Ghent University
    • Industrial promoter
  • Hand in you application (including the budget, signed letter of intent and all other necessary documents) at (max. 15 MB).
  • A signed term sheet or mutual cooperation agreement between Ghent University and the company must be submitted with VLAIO within 6 weeks after the application deadline. Contact our TechTransfer (Karen.Cure@UGent.be) office.
  • Evaluation. In May or November there will be an oral defense. You will have to expound your project and the economic value of the results to a jury of experts.

    • The granted projects are known at the end of July or December.

      How much funding is involved?

      • Salary as a post-doc, depending on the Ghent University wage scales
      • Consumables, calculated according to the cost model of VLAIO

      More information

      Research Co-ordination Office: