VLAIO - Baekeland Mandates

Research

Funding organisation:

Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen

What?

Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO) launched a new call for the Baekeland mandates. Deadline for submission of applications is 11/03/2025 at 12:00

The Baekeland programme offers researchers the opportunity to perform doctoral research and to obtain a PhD degree in close cooperation with the business/industrial sector. A Baekeland consortium consists of 3 partners: a company with activities in Flanders, a Flemish university and a doctoral candidate. The company that will act as the main applicant will appoint an industrial mentor to monitor the strategic orientation of the project and will be responsible for co-financing the project. The university will appoint a supervisor responsible for the supervision of the doctorate and will assign the doctoral degree according to the accepted quality norms/standards. The doctoral candidate can be an employee of the university or the company.

Who?

Baekeland mandates are projects that are assigned to a ‘consortium’ involving a Flemish company and a Flemish university. Other types of knowledge centres (or research institutes, strategic research centres, higher education institutions/university colleges, etc.) can also act as host organisations in so far as they cooperate with an academic promotor affiliated with a Flemish university.

At least five partners are involved in a Baekeland mandate:

• VLAIO which grants the mandate;
• a company with activities in Flanders, that acts as the main applicant, and is responsible for co-financing. The company appoints an industrial mentor;
• the mandate holder;
• the knowledge centre with which the mandate holder is affiliated (a university, research centre, strategic research centre, higher education institution/university college, etc.);
• the academic promotor,  responsible for the doctoral supervision and who is affiliated with a Flemish university. 

The mandate holder can be an employee of the company or an employee of a knowledge centre (university or research centre).  The programme is open to all candidates who are admitted into a PhD programme by a Flemish university. VLAIO does not impose any additional restrictions. Therefore, this funding programme is open to all nationalities and to all academic disciplines.

Application?

Applications need to be submitted online. To start an application you need to register with your e-ID via the VLAIO website. After registration you will receive a link to your application via email. Access to the application can be shared by forwarding this link to other parties involved. Each of the partners needs to complete a form in the application. The completion of this form can be done by anyone but the submission of the completed form needs to be done by a legal or authorized representative.

VLAIO warns on the call page that all applications need to be completed following the guidelines otherwise applications will not be evaluated. Make sure to contact DOC to support you with your application.

More information?

More information on these mandates can be found on the VLAIO website and the intranet website of the Research Coordination Office.

Additional support for applicants:

VLAIO

Potential candidates can request for an online exploratory meeting with advisors from VLAIO on 6 and 18 February via the VLAIO call page. This meeting takes approximately 1 hour. You will receive a confirmation with all details no later than one week before the scheduled date.

Research Coordination Office

Please contact the Research Coordination Office (research@uhasselt.be) as soon as possible if you intend to submit an application. 

The Research Coordination office:

• Helps with process-related questions (e.g. questions about the application template, submission procedure etc.)
• Acts as an intermediary between the researchers and VLAIO
• Acts as an intermediary when internal (TTO, PER, FIN) or external consultation is necessary
• Helps with preparing the project budget
• Checks the final project budget
• Helps with administrative formalities relating to Hasselt University
• has the mandate to submit the application for Hasselt University

Deadline intern

04.03.2025, 11.03.2025

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail annelies.stockmans@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211268070