Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique (FNRS)

The National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) is an Institution of public interest devoted to the financial support and promotion of basic scientific research in the French-speaking community of Belgium.

The FNRS was founded in 1928 by King Albert 1 and since 1947 has received public subsidies, currently from the French-speaking Community of Belgium and the Federal Government of Belgium, as well as private funds like TELEVIE whose grants are targeted to leukaemia research.

The FNRS also manages four associated and specialized funds: IISN (nuclear science), FRSM (medicine), FRFC (experimental equipment), FRIA (Ph. D. fellowships).
The annual budget of FNRS is 90,575 million Euros.  It supports individual researchers on the basis of the criterion of excellence by offering temporary or permanent positions, research teams within Belgium, international collaboration and the award of scientific prizes.

For its decisions the FNRS relies on the recommendations of 35 Scientific Committees.
The fields covered by the research supported by the FNRS and by the expertise of the Committees span the range of engineering sciences, basic sciences, earth sciences, humanities and social sciences, life sciences, medical sciences and sciences of the matter.