From left to right :
Mr. Kris Peteers, Minister-President of Flanders, Mrs. Pauline Marois, Québec Premier
Mrs. Élisabeth Monard, general secretary of FWO, Mr. Rémi Quirion, Québec Chief Scientist, Mr. Paul de Knop, board member of FWO and president of Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) are pleased to announce the signing of a collaborative agreement with the Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen (FWO), the Research Foundation – Flanders, in Belgium. The accord will facilitate collaborations between researchers in Québec and Flanders in priority intersectoral areas.
“This initiative is in line with our international positioning strategy for intersectoral research,” said Québec’s chief scientist Rémi Quirion. “The partnership aims to promote closer collaborations between researchers in Flanders and Québec, especially on projects focused on aging, sustainable development, northern research, art, culture and well-being. Québec researchers will gain prominence on the European stage and benefit from a unique collaborative research forum.”
Under the agreement, the FRQ and FWO will launch a joint call for research project proposals and fund an equal share of the initiatives that are selected. Applications will be assessed in a two-fold process, and each organization will evaluate all of the applications. A joint peer committee of international experts will then review the projects selected in the first round of the process.
The FRQ and FWO will announce the date of the call for proposals as soon as it is determined.
The four-year agreement is part of a 2002 accord between the governments of Québec and Flanders in the cultural, science and technologies, economic and health and well-being sectors.
About the FWO
Founded in 1928, the FWO is an independent agency that supports basic research in all scientific disciplines in Flanders, Belgium. The organization grants funding to Flemish universities based solely on scientific excellence.
About the Fonds de recherche du Québec
Reporting to the minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ) aim to ensure the strategic and coherent development of research in Québec as well as provide funding, foster research training, establish partnerships to deliver on their mandate and support knowledge mobilization.
Source
Benoit Sévigny
Director of Communications and Knowledge Mobilization
Fonds de recherche du Québec
514 864-1619
