Funding for applied PhDs to move from theory to practice
Do you want to combine theory and practice? Then take advantage of a partnership between our region’s academic sector and its private, public, not-for-profit sectors. Receive 100% funding for your doctoral project carried out in collaboration with a company, a public institution or a not-for-profit organisation.
Are you eligible?
- Your research organisation, which must apply for the research funding on your behalf (university, Higher education institution or collective research centre), has at least one research site in the Brussels-Capital Region.
- The partner entity (company, public institution, not-for-profit organisation, ..) has a legal personality and at least one exploitation site in the territory of the Brussels-Capital Region
- The candidate's degree allows him/her to carry out a PhD. He/she must not have already enrolled for a PhD prior to the project’s submission.
- While conducting the PhD, the researcher must spend at least 50% of his/her time at the partner entity. He/she shall be supervised by a professor or researcher (promotor) of the research organisation, and a supervisor of the partner entity.
Find out more about the criteria for eligibility in the guidelines (Rules) of the Applied PhD program available at the bottom of this page.
The procedure in 3 steps
- Applications must be drawn up using the form available in the bottom of this webpage. Note that the appendices are only available in Dutch (see associated web page) or French but can be filled in English.
The applications are submitted by the applicant research organisation via its Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO). They can be submitted until November 17 2025 at 12:00. They are sent to the following e-mail addresses: funding-request@innoviris.brussels and jverstraeten@innoviris.brussels - After confirmation by Innoviris of the admissibility of the application, a jury of scientific experts will evaluate the application, based on the submitted documents, an interview and according to the criteria defined in the guidelines (Reglement).
- If your application is evaluated positively, the grant will be awarded and paid in several tranches during the project.
The procedure is explained in the guidelines (Reglement), available hereunder.
Other information
The research funding covers 100% of the researcher’s grant or salary, as well as operating, equipment and possibly subcontracting expenses relating to the work conducted within the research organisation as well as general expenses. The researcher is thus hired (100%) by the beneficiary research organisation for the whole period of the PhD project.
The PhD project may last no more than four years.
The Interface Department (TTO/KTO) of your research organisation can assist with the project set-up and the partners relations. It coordinates also the submission of funding applications to Innoviris. Therefore, we encourage you to contact this department as soon as possible.
Looking for a candidate researcher in a specific domain? Research2B helps you to find the Brussels-based research team you need for your project!
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