Call for proposals

Call for proposals 2026 Science4Policy programme: policy-driven projects

Announcement

Attention: the call for proposals in context of the S4Policy Programme is currently in the approval stage.
In the meantime, the information on the content of this call is already available (see documents: “Information file S4P). Read more on the use of the platform below, and already have a look at our platform via this link!

Deadline for submitting

Expressions of Interest (EoI): 13 July 2026 @ 14:00 CEST
Full Proposals: 11 September 2026 @ 14:00 CEST

Research Priorities

A full description can be found in the information file

Inclusion for persons with disabilities within Federal Governmental Organisations
Potential, competences, skills and capacity to learn, as an alternative to diploma & experience as criteria in hiring processes and career & salary development
Government Resilience with regards to Operational Upkeep & Nature based Design (GROUND)
Analysis of the societal consequences of biodiversity loss (degradation) in Belgian soil
The competitiveness of Belgian SMEs in the transition to a decarbonised and circular economy
Economic Cost of Climate Change & benefits of alternative adaptation strategies for Public investment at sectoral level: Development of an Operational Assessment Framework at sectoral level and for the Belgian Defence sector
The decarbonisation of Belgian industry: long-term potential for negative greenhouse gas emissions through BECCS
Sustainable Raw Materials in Belgium: ESG risks assessment and priority actions for the circular economy
Data Infrastructure for Monitoring Labour Market and Social Protection Transitions
Towards a new assessment scale for self-reliance among persons with disabilities
Labour migration flows & channels for third country nationals in Belgium
Towards a scientific research agenda for the Federal administration

Calendar

Activity	Deadline
Launch of the call	June 2026
Information session	23 June 2026 @ 10:00 CEST
Deadline submission EoI	13 July 2026 @ 14:00 CEST
Eligibility check by BELSPO	13 - 22 July 2026
Opening of the platform for submission Full Proposal	22 July 2026 @ 14:00 CEST
Deadline submission Full Proposal	11 September 2026 @ 14:00 CEST
Evaluation	September - October 2026
Communication of results	December
Signing contracts	December
Start of the projects	Early 2027

Info session

23 June 2026 @ 10:00 CEST via Teams (ENG)
Register via mail S4Policy@belspo.be to obtain the team link a few days in advance
FAQ will be added later on this page

Deadlines

Submission EoI: 13 July 2026 @ 14:00 CEST
Submission Full Proposals: 11 September 2026 @ 14:00 CEST

The completed EoI and Full Proposals need to be submitted via our platform.

Information documents

Budget rules
Ethics Code of Conduct
Submission - Evaluation criteria -coming soon-
Evaluation matrix -coming soon-

Personal data protection statement
Terms of Reference of the Program Committee
(including Annex in Dutch | French )
Pre-Announcement & Announcement of the Call

Templates for submission of the proposals
These templates are for information. The submission of the EoI & Full Proposal must be done via the platform!

Template for the Expression of Interest:
- Expression of Interest
Templates for the Full Proposal -coming soon-:
- Full Proposal
- Budget table
- Gantt chart

Online Submission Platform

Here you find the link to the platform and further documentation.

Platform
BELSPO Platform User Guidelines/manual -will be updated soon!-

You have to register on the platform using the email address of your institution and link yourself to your institution. Only after you have registered, you will be able to open and submit an Expression of Interest form. It is in your best interest to do this well before the deadline.

Any problems with the platform?
Send us an e-mail at platform.support@belspo.be.

Read more...

Registration in the platform
The promotor of the Coordinating institution is expected to submit the Expression of Interest & Full Proposal. Please use the email of your organisation to register.

Linking yourself to your organsation in the platform
If you cannot find your institution: please e-mail us at S4Policy@belspo.be with the Institution request form attached (see Information Documentation above).

! Please take the following into account when submitting the Expression of Interest or the Full Proposal on the platform:

Submit the Expression of Interest, Full Proposal, Gantt Chart and Budget Table via the BELSPO Platform. We do not accept applications via e-mail.

The PDF templates for the Expression of Interest and Full Proposal will soon be available on this page. These templates follow the structure of the online form on the platform. Please use these templates to prepare your research proposal

Please do not underestimate the time you need to complete the online forms and submit your proposal on the platform.

Specific questions
If you have specific questions about the Research Priorities of the call, please send an e-mail to S4Policy@belspo.be until 22.07.2026.

We will provide an answer to your question as soon as possible. Questions that may lead to unequal information between the interested researchers will not be answered. All clarifications are shared both via email and publicly on the website. It is not allowed to contact the relevant federal departments for questions, all questions must be asked via Belspo.

Contact: S4Policy@belspo.be