FRS-FNRS Postdoctoral Mandates (CR / CSPD / SPD)

FRS-FNRS Postdoctoral Mandates (CR / CSPD / SPD)

Funds postdoctoral mandates supporting independent research at French-speaking Belgian universities.

FRS-FNRS funds postdoctoral researchers at French-speaking Belgian universities through an annual Grants and Fellowships call, offering four mandate types across standard postdoctoral and clinical specialist tracks. The CR (Chargé de Recherches) is the primary postdoctoral mandate, awarded for three years with the possibility of extension to six years when external co-funding supports work conducted partly outside the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. All fundamental research disciplines are eligible; no thematic restriction applies. The CSPD (Postdoctoral Specialist Candidate) is designed for clinical doctors who are simultaneously pursuing a specialised master's degree alongside research, structured as a part-time mandate of up to two years, renewable twice for a maximum total of six years, and must conclude within four years of completing specialisation.

The SPD (Postdoctoral Specialist) targets established medical specialists who balance hospital responsibilities with fundamental research on a part-time basis. The SPD runs an initial six-year probation period built from three successive two-year mandates, after which it converts to renewable four-year mandates (known as the CCL, Clinical Researcher designation) without a stated renewal limit. Télévie postdoctoral positions form a fourth category but are requested by the promoter of a Télévie funding application rather than applied for independently, and follow the separate Télévie call cycle. All postdoctoral positions must be hosted at a French-speaking Belgian public university: ULB, UCLouvain, ULiège, UMons, or UNamur.

Applications are submitted through the e-space portal at e-space.frs-fnrs.be under the annual Grants and Fellowships call. Exact salary scales are published in regulation PDFs on the portal rather than on public web pages. No explicit nationality restriction is stated, but host institution affiliation is required, meaning researchers must secure an academic sponsor before applying. The annual call typically opens in the first half of the calendar year, consistent with FRS-FNRS's published fiscal year calendar. Researchers interested in the SPD or CSPD tracks should expect part-time arrangements and should confirm institutional scheduling flexibility with their proposed host department.