Objective

The Belgian Industrial Research and Development Board (BiR&D) attaches great importance to industrial valorisation and societal relevance. With the patronage of BiR&D, the FWO and the Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique – FNRS annually awards the BiR&D Cross-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award, in recognition of a PhD thesis that presents an original and cross-disciplinary contribution with potential industrial valorisation and societal relevance. In 2020 four prizes will be awarded, two in the domain of “Life & Health Sciences” and two in the domain of “Science & Technology”. The winners of these prizes will also have the chance to give a presentation to the board members of BiR&D.

Features

  • Four prizes to the amount of €5,000 each. Two in the domain of “Life & Health Sciences” and two in the domain of “Science & Technology”.
  • In recognition of a PhD thesis with societal relevance that presents an original and cross-disciplinary contribution with potential industrial valorisation.

 Profile and conditions

  • You are a young, promising researcher.
  • You have obtained your PhD at a Belgian university between 1 November 2018 and 31 October 2019. The PhD degree is obtained following the successful (public) defense of a thesis.

Procedure

  • Submit the application FWO or the application FNRS, filled in correctly and completely in English, to prijzen@fwo.be or to  prix@frs-fnrs.be by January 15, 2020 at the latest.
  • Attach your CV (including a publication list)
  • Attach an electronic copy of the PhD thesis.
  • Your application is submitted to a jury.
  • The jury selects the winner of each prize.
  • The Board of Trustees decides on the allocation.

Regulations and downloads

  • Regulations FWOFNRS
  • The regulations detail all aspects of the application procedure for the BiR&D Cross-disciplinary PhD Award 2020.

Winners from former editions

2019 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Life and Health Sciences
Amount: 10.000 EUR
Laureate : LIETART Stéphanie, UC Louvain
PhD Thesis: Blocking Immunosuppression by human Tregs with antibodies agaisnt GARP/latent TGF-ß1 complexes

2019 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Science and Technology
Amount: 10.000 EUR
Laureate: VAN DEN BOSCH, KU Leuven
PhD Thesis: Reductive Catalytic Fractionation in the Lignocellulosic Biorefinery

2018 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Life and Health Sciences
Amount: 10.000 EUR
Laureate : XIONG Ranua, UGent,
PhD thesis : “Intracellular delivery of biopharmaceuticals and contrast agents by Vapor Nano-Bubble photoporation and sizing nanomaterials in bio-fluids by Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching”

2018 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Science and Technology
Amount : 10.000 EUR
Laureate : SMEESTERS Lien, VUB,
PhD thesis: “Improving food safety with optical screening”

2017 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Life and Health Sciences
Amount; 10.000 EUR
Laureate: LI  Jiaqi , KU Leuven/Imec
PhD thesis : “Engineered Plamsonic and All-DielectricNanostructures for Improved Optical Biomolecular Sensing”

2017 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Science and Technology
Amount : 10.000 EUR
Laureate: STASSEN Ivo, KU Leuven
PhD thesis: “Synthesis of immobilized metal-organic frameworks for integrated applications”

2016 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Life & Health Sciences
Amount : 10.000 EUR
Laureate: SCHOORS Sandra, Dr. Biomedical sciences – KU Leuven Master Biomedische wetenschappen
PhD Thesis : “The role of endothelial cell metabolism during vessel sprouting.”

2016 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Science & Technology
Amount : 10.000 EUR
Laureate: SNOECK Didier, UGent Master in civil engineering construction design
PhD Thesis : “Self-Healing and Microstructure of Cementitious Materials with Microfibres and Superabsorbent Polymers.”

2015 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Life & Health Sciences
Amount: 10.000 EUR
Laureate: EVERARD Amandine, PhD in biomedical and pharmaceutical science – UCL
PhD Thesis: “Interactions between gut microbiota and intestinal epithelium functions in metabolic disorders.”

2015 – BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award – Science & Technology
Amount: 10.000 EUR
Laureate: VERBRUGGEN Sammy, Dr. Bio-ingenieurswetenschappen – UAntwerpen
PhD Thesis: “TiO2 gas phase photocatalysis : from morphological design to plasmonic enhancement.”

2014: BiR&D Multi-Disciplinary PhD Thesis Award
Amount : 20.000 EUR
Laureate: WITTERS Daan, PhD in bioscience engineering – KU Leuven, Postdoctoral researcher – Caltech (USA)
PhD Thesis: “Micropatterning of digital microfluidic chips: applications in bio-assay development and materials
synthesis.”