State Secretary Thomas Dermine releases 11.5 million for scientific research

This amount has been released within the framework of the "additional researchers" programme which grants budgets to the Federal Scientific Establishments, as well as to the FNRS and its Flemish counterpart, the FWO, to recruit additional researchers to carry out research on federal competences.

Payments to the Federal Scientific Institutes and the FWO have already been made. This left the FNRS. On the basis of the opinion of the Finance Inspectorate, the Secretary of State decided to release these funds, which had been earmarked for the FNRS since 2015, but which had remained blocked until today.

The FNRS will inject these resources into the next 3 or 4 calls for "Scholarships and Mandates", allowing it to finance 238 additional research years.

"I am really pleased to be able to allocate these funds to scientific research. Federal funding for scientific research has come under pressure in recent years and it is essential to ensure that this trend is reversed. This decision is a clear step in that direction. "says State Secretary Thomas Dermine.

"It is essential to support scientific research. The coronavirus crisis shows us the importance of reaffirming the central role of science in our society. Science not only provides the remedy to the health crisis, but science also acts as the foundation of our democracy. At a time when fake news and relativism threaten our life together, science is more than ever a necessary safeguard and a necessity for the harmonious development of our society", Thomas Dermine continues.

"And behind this are passionate men and women. Thousands of researchers work in our universities and scientific institutions. They are passionate and at the forefront of their respective disciplines and play an essential role in our society," concludes the State Secretary for Science Policy.