SBO Strategic Basic Research — Security and Defence

FWO's SBO Strategic Basic Research - Security and Defence call is the first dedicated security and defence channel under the Flemish Innovation and Security Defence framework. It uses the same basic SBO model as the broader programme, but narrows the field to security and defence topics and keeps the call bottom-up rather than assigning predefined themes. The 2026 call offers €4.5 million in total budget and runs for four years with the same cost structure as SBO: 100% funding of eligible costs, up to €500,000 a year including overhead per participating legal entity with at least a 15% share, and a 17% overhead supplement. Consortia of two or more applying legal entities are required. Non-Flemish partners may account for no more than 20% of the budget and must be based in EU, EFTA, or NATO countries. Newly recruited staff must hold EU, EFTA, or NATO nationality, and advisory committee companies must be wholly owned by entities from those same blocs. This route is aimed at teams that can work across an ecosystem while meeting a stricter security posture than the general SBO call. Strong applications will present a credible risk analysis for technology transfer, align with the VISD roadmap families, and show that collaboration, nationality restrictions, and governance have been built into the consortium from the start.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.