The Foundation awards postdoctoral grants of minimum 12, maximum 24 months to researchers without a permanent position:

  • who have obtained their Doctorate from Cambridge or from Oxford and wish to carry out research at the ULB;
  • who have obtained their Doctorate from the ULB and wish to carry out research at the University of Cambridge or Oxford.

These fellowships are granted in line with the Foundation’s objective, which is to promote and strengthen the ties between the Université libre de Bruxelles and the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.

They are open to researchers in all fields of research.

The 2025-2027 call for applications is now closed. The 2026-2028 call for applications will be launched in December 2025, but you will find below some preliminary information.

If you have any questions, please contact Andréanne Lafrance (0032 2 650 27 16 / fwa@ulb.be).

To be eligible, applicants will have to:

  • Not have resided, worked or studied in Belgium for more than 24 months in the 3 years prior to the beginning of the grant period (this is a condition required by Belgian authorities for granting a “bourse de mobilité”).
  • Have fully completed all requirements for a PhD or DPhil no later than 15 October 2026 and not before 1 October 2021.

The fellowship is for minimum 12, maximum 24 months, and can be granted only once.

It will have to start between 1 October 2026 and 1 January 2027, and it will have to end by 30 September 2028 at the latest.

Fellows are selected by the Scientific Committee of the Foundation.

HOW TO APPLY

The call for 2026-2028 will be published on our website at in December 2025. Applications will have to be received by Monday 9 March 2026 (noon Belgian time).

Applicants will be required to submit:

  1. A personal statement
  2. A summary of your research project
  3. A description of your research project
  4. A detailed CV
  5. A copy of the PhD/DPhil Examination report (if already available)
  6. A copy of your university transcripts and of your diplomas

Letters of reference will also be requested.

FUNDING

The fellowship is a “bourse postdoctorale de mobilité” (currently 2,900 euros net/month), which entitles the recipient to social and medical security in Belgium.

VISAS

If you are a non-EU national and you are granted a Wiener-Anspach Fellowship, you will need to apply for a visa. The Foundation reimburses the cost of the visa procedure.

To be eligible, applicants will have to have fully completed all requirements for a PhD from the Université libre de Bruxelles no later than 15 October 2026 and not before 1 October 2021.

The fellowship is for minimum 12, maximum 24 months, and can be granted only once.

It will have to start between 1 October 2026 and 1 January 2027, and it will have to end by 30 September 2028 at the latest.

Fellows are selected by the Scientific Committee of the Foundation.

HOW TO APPLY

The call for 2026-2028 will be published on our website at in December 2025. Applications will have to be received by Monday 9 March 2026 (noon Belgian time).

Applicants will be required to submit:

  1. A personal statement
  2. An acceptance letter from your host department in Cambridge/Oxford
  3. A summary of your research project
  4. A description of your research project
  5. A detailed CV
  6. A copy of the PhD Examination report (if already available)
  7. A copy of your university transcripts and of your diplomas

Letters of reference will also be requested.

FUNDING

Fellows working at the University of Cambridge or Oxford receive a “subside à savant” (currently £2,450/month).

Please note that a “subside à savant” is a non-taxable research grant which does not provide for social or medical cover in Belgium (no contributions are paid for by the Foundation).

VISAS

Following Brexit, a visa is required to reside legally in the United Kingdom. The Foundation reimburses the cost of the visa procedure.