Luxembourg National Research Fund

The RM Roadmap project co-creation process will see research managers from 40 nations across Europe discussing their countries’ current research management landscapes. Join the RM Roadmap demonstration session Monday, September 25, 14:00 – 15:30 CEST (online)

The FNR is pleased to announce the Call for talented young researchers to participate as Luxembourg delegates at the 73rd edition of the renowned Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau, Germany. The meeting takes place from 30 June to 5 July 2024, and is dedicated to Physics. Deadline to apply is Friday, 20 October 2023. The meeting will see … Continued

The FNR is pleased to open the registration for the 15th edition of FNR Awards Ceremony, taking place on Thursday, 19 October at 18:30 in Belval. The 2023 FNR Awards Ceremony will be hosted by Lisa Burke and the FNR’s Michèle Weber, in the presence of Minister for Higher Education & Research, Claude Meisch. Register … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 7 projects were retained for funding in the first HPC-BRIDGES Call, a joint call between the FNR, the Ministry of the Economy and Luxinnovation, an FNR commitment of 1.59 MEUR. The second HPC-BRIDGES Call is now open, with deadlines of 15 November 2023 (Phase 1) and 29 February 2024 (Phase 2).

10 seedling proposals have been selected for funding in the framework of first pilot LuxAid-BRIDGES call, as part of which the FNR, the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA) and the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency LuxDev have joined forces to support Research Luxembourg actors in initiating transdisciplinary research projects … Continued

Four of five submitted proposals were retained for funding in the 2022 PSP Flagship Call, an FNR commitment of 1.52 MEUR. Through PSP-Flagship, the FNR supports longer-term promoting science to the public projects. The next PSP-Flagship deadline is 1 March 2024, 14:00 CET.

13 of 18 submitted proposals were recommended for funding in the 2023-1 PSP Classic Call, with one project retracted after being retained for funding. The FNR commits 265,069 EUR to 12 PSP-Classic projects. The FNR’s PSP programme provides support for promoting science to the public. Deadline for the 2023-2 Call is 20 October 2023, 14:00 … Continued

On 15 September it’s once again time for science on stage. At 7 pm in the Salle Robert Krieps in the Abbey Neimënster, young scientists from Luxembourg will compete for the favor of the audience. In 10 minutes, they will present their scientific work in an entertaining way. At the end, the audience decides which presentation was the best and is awarded the Science Slam trophy. The topics originate from the entire spectrum of Luxembourg’s research landscape: from chemistry and biology, but also from social sciences and finance.  

Mark your calendars! We are thrilled to announce that the fifth edition of SciCom Luxembourg will take place on Thursday, 28 September 2023, at ChouChou Luxembourg for a day of insightful interactions and meaningful discussions. SciCom Luxembourg is an annual networking event for science communicators from Luxembourg and surroundings with the goal to keep in … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate that in 2022, 37 projects were retained for funding across 15 INTER Calls, representing an FNR commitment of 13.7 MEUR. In the framework of the INTER programme, the FNR supports researchers in Luxembourg in international bi- and multilateral projects. The FNR also supports international collaboration via AFR Bilateral and … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate the launch of the 2024 ATTRACT Call. Pre-proposal deadline is 15 November 2023, full proposal deadline is 8 February 2024. Through ATTRACT, the FNR offers promising junior researchers the opportunity to set up their own research team within one of the Luxembourg’s research institutions, supported by a 5-year grant … Continued

Every two years, the FNR commissions a survey study to understand the level of notoriety and the perception of the Luxembourg research community among the general public. Discover the latest findings! The FNR has been repeating this survey at regular intervals since 2007. A statistically representative sample of the local population is asked, among other … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate the opening of the promoting science to the public call PSP Flagship, with a deadline of 1 March 2024, 14:00 CET. Through PSP Flagship, the FNR aims to support set up long-term science outreach activities with a sustainable and lasting impact on the promotion of science to the public … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate the 2023 BRIDGES Call is now open. Deadline is 5 October 2023, 14:00 CET. Through BRIDGES, the FNR supports industry partnerships between public research institutions in Luxembourg and national or international companies.

The Ministry of the Economy, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) (“granting authorities”) and Luxinnovation have again joined forces to offer companies and research institutions a funding opportunity that supports consortia to take advantage of high-performance computing (HPC) capacities in their research field.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the opening of the 2023-2 PSP-Classic Call for proposals. Through the Promoting Science to the Public (PSP) programme, the FNR supports projects and activities that allow the target audience – the public – to come into contact with science and research in an interactive way. Deadline is 20 October, … Continued

The FNR is pleased to announce the opening of the 2024 PEARL Call for proposals. PEARL projects have a lifespan of five years with a financial contribution of between 3-4 MEUR by the FNR. The financial contribution can be used flexibly to implement the research programme at the host institution. Pre-proposal deadline is 10 October … Continued

The FNR is pleased to announce the opening of the 2023 PRIDE call. Through PRIDE, the FNR awards a block of PhD grants to a consortium of researchers united around a coherent research and training programme. PRIDE is open to all domains of research and technological development. Deadline (full proposal) is 8 November 2023, 14:00 … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate the publication of the FNR Gender Equality Plan: The plan aims to foster transparency, accountability, and progress towards achieving gender equity and inclusion within the Luxembourg research landscape. The FNR believes in equal opportunities for all members of the Luxembourg research community and beyond, and thus supports all activities … Continued

We are thrilled to announce the revamping of the FNR brand, symbolising our unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence in research.

The Science Section of the Institut Grand-Ducal de Luxembourg is organising a new series of interdisciplinary science lectures in Luxembourg (Belval), with the aim to bring the dynamic research and science scene in Luxembourg closer together and expose it to a wider audience. The next lecture takes place on 11 July and features Camille Perchoux from the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).

Catalyst Europe is a fellowship programme focused on creating impact from biomedical technology research. The programme supports talented researchers, clinicians and professionals working in healthcare organisations to identify and evaluate unmet medical needs, build multi-professional teams to design solutions, and plan research projects that show strong potential for healthcare impact, in collaboration with industry, clinical settings and academia. The programme runs from September 2023 until March 2024, register by 16 July!

No less than four efforts for the promotion of research were recognised at the 2023 Luxembourg Design Awards: Three projects from the University of Luxembourg’s C²DH received a total of four prizes, while the FNR’s 2021 Digital Annual Report, for which the FNR worked with agency Lola was also recognised. The design (StudioPolenta) created for … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate the Green ERA-Hub (GEH) Call is now open. The Green ERA-Hub (GEH) officially started in September 2022 as a Coordination and Support Action of the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme. The objective of this call will be to support projects that contribute to the development of more sustainable and resilient food and farming systems. Deadline is 20 July (pre-proposals) and 7 September (full proposals).

Prof Jordi Cabot, who leads the Software Engineering RDI unit at LIST, has been awarded an FNR PEARL Chair endowed with 3 MEUR to set up and coordinate the BESSER (BEtter Smart Software fastER) project in collaboration with SnT (the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust). The BESSER (BEtter Smart Software fastER) research project is aimed at empowering both developers and non-technical individuals to leverage AI advancements and low- code/no-code techniques to boost the development of complex software.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features FNR ATTRACT Fellow Dr Sophie Pilleron from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) speaking about cancer in older adults.

As a TRANSCAN-3 partner, the FNR is pleased to share the announcement for the launch of the Joint Transnational Call (JTC 2023) on the topic: “Translational research on cancer epigenetics”. The FNR supports this call with 350,000 EUR as part of the INTER programme to foster international cooperation. The Call has a pre-proposal deadline of 21 July and a full proposal deadline of 15 December 2023.

A delegation from the University of Luxembourg (UL) and the FNR participated at the 2023 Annual Conference of the PRIDE network (Professionals in Doctoral Education) at the University of Porto. This network, founded in 2017, brings together academics and administrative staff active in all fields of doctoral education, from 15 different countries. 

On 27 April, Clinnova, an international project involving clinicians and researchers from Luxembourg, France, Germany and Switzerland was officially launched at a kick-off ceremony attended by the Ministers of Higher Education & Research and Health.

The FNR and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs have joined forces to support research projects in the field of international development cooperation and announce the launch of the “SEEDLING” call for projects in the framework of the new funding instrument “LuxAid BRIDGES”. The call is structured in two phases: a pre-call open until 10 May 2023 followed by a full call which will open in autumn 2023.

The FNR is proud to announce its new show ‘Take Off’! The science game challenge show will have 13 episodes, in which 12 resourceful youngsters face tricky science challenges.

In 2021, the FNR introduced a narrative-style CV template as a requirement for applicants to all funding schemes. A feedback survey was launched simultaneously to gather feedback on the new CV, from applicants, panel members and reviewers. Following the 2022 report about implementation & feedback, the 2023 report is now available.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features Dr. Alexandru-Adrian Tantar from LIST share his opinion about whether AI can be trustworthy.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features Stefano Pozzi Mucelli (Luxinnovation), talking about Horizon Europe, and Alberto Noronha, CEO of NIUM, talks about starting a spin-off.

Science meets Politics: The conference “Megatrends – Shaping the future with scientific foresight” offers the opportunity for politics, science and society to think together about the important global trends that affect us all. Organised by the Scientific Service of the Luxembourg Parliament (Chambre des Députés) and the FNR, the conference takes place on 4 and 5 May at the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg City. Topics will include: Does digitalisation unite or divide our society? What challenges and opportunities does demographic change bring? What are the global and regional consequences of climate change, for Luxembourg, for Europe, for the world?

On 29 March 2023, the University of Luxembourg inaugurated the National Centre of Excellence in Financial Technologies (NCER-FT), with significant co-funding from the FNR and support from the ministries of Higher Education & Research, and Finance. The NCER-FT is an interdisciplinary initiative that focuses on the financial industry’s technological challenges and opportunities.

The FNR and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs have joined forces to support research projects in the field of international development cooperation and announce the launch of the “SEEDLING” call for projects in the framework of the new funding instrument “LuxAid BRIDGES”. The call is structured in two phases: a pre-call open until 10 May 2023 followed by a full call which will open in autumn 2023.

The 2022 Science for Society Prize, an initiative of the Science for Society Foundation, under the aegis of Fondation de Luxembourg and with support from the FNR, has been awarded to the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 Task Force, represented by Prof. Paul Wilmes from the University of Luxembourg.

The FNR is pleased to invite you to an informative webinar on 31 March 2023, about policy updates concerning Open Access for publications.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features Prof Markus Ollert from the Luxembourg Institute Health (LIH) speaking about allergies and our immune system.

How to present scientific evidence to politicians: The FNR’s training for researchers takes place on the 19 and 20 of April 2023.  *Registration now closed*

The FNR is pleased to announce its participation in the M-ERA.NET Call 2023, open as of 1 March. Pre-proposal deadline is 16 May, full proposal deadline is 21 November 2023.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features Carole Blond Hanten from the Luxembourg Institute of Socio Economic Research (LISER) speaking about tackling stereotypes at a young age through the Gender Game.

Fernand Etgen, President of the Chambre des Députés Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, and several MPs visited Belval on Friday, 21 February as part of the third edition of the FNR Pairing Scheme. Aim of the Pairing Scheme is to strengthen the links between the political and scientific worlds.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast episode in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. The ‘Mäin Element’ podcast series features people in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 17th episode features paleontologist Ben Thuy.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features Emmanuel Defay from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) speaking about nanotechnology.

The 2023 Industrial Fellowships call is now open, with a deadline of 21 April 2023, 14:00 CET. Please note there is only one Industrial Fellowships call in 2023.

To showcase the many paths of women in science in Luxembourg, and to inspire young girls to pursue their passion for science, the institutions that form Research Luxembourg have joined forces again for the second season of the video series “Women [& Girls] in Science”, in collaboration with MEGA, the Ministry for Equality in Luxembourg. The series launches on 11 February – International Day of Women & Girls in Science – and runs until 8 March – International Women’s Day.

The Alpbach Summer School 2023 (11 – 20 July) is now open for Master and PhD candidates with a scientific or an engineering background to apply. The Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA), with the support of the FNR and GLAE, is encouraging candidates from Luxembourg to participate in this unique programme. The 2023 topic is ‘Exoplanets: Understanding alien worlds in diverse environments’. Deadline to apply is 28 February 2023.

The FNR would like to thank everyone who participated in the Narrative CV workshop on February 9th. For those who could not attend, or anyone who would like further support for preparing a narrative-style CV, the workshop slides and pre-workshop survey results are available on the website. In addition, the participants created a resource during the workshop outlining a broader range of outputs and achievements that could be highlighted on a narrative-style CV. Information from the workshop is now available.

In cooperation with the FNR and several private sponsors, the ‘Section des Sciences Naturelles, physiques et mathématiques de l’Institut Grand-ducal’ is now accepting applications for the 2023 Grand Prix en Sciences de l’Institut Grand Ducal / Prix Cactus, this year being awarded in the domain of biology. Deadline to apply is Friday, 31 March 2023.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the final results of the 2022 CORE Call. Out of 174 eligible proposals submitted in the Call, a total of 48 research projects have been retained for funding, representing a financial commitment of around 32.5 MEUR.

The Call documents for the 2023 INTER Mobility Call are now available. Please note, there will only be one INTER Mobility Call in 2023, with a deadline of 1 April (or first working day thereafter), 14:00 CET.

Starting in 2023, the FNR shifts to a new reporting process, the goal of reducing the burden of reporting for all sides, allowing space for a broader range of research outputs to be recognised, and building trust with everyone in the research and science communication ecosystem. This new reporting process was built through an inclusive process with the research institutions, with useful feedback on both our current processes as well as potential improvements received from researchers and administrative staff with reporting experience. The slides from the webinar on 1 February are now available!

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features FNR Paypal-PEARL Chair Prof Gilbert Friedgen (SnT University of Luxembourg), speaking about blockchain.

Did you have a JUMP project accepted in 2022? Join ‘JUMP IN’, a JUMP Initiation and Networking event that serves as a forum for those whose JUMP projects were accepted in 2022. Meet fellow JUMP grantees and listen to some of inspiring stories! The event takes place on 28 February 2023 at the University of Luxembourg Incubator.

On 24 January 2023, the FNR and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research officially presented the FNR funding instrument NCER – National Centres of Excellence in Research. Integrating the experiences of NCER-PD, the NCER pilot launched in 2015 in the area of Parkinson’s Disease. Two new NCER’s that will officially be launched in March 2023 were also outlined.  

The closing event of the Esch2022 project “The sound of data – Science meets music” attracted some 600 visitors at Belval’s Rockhal on 3 December. Throughout 2022, scientists and musicians had worked together to create story-telling music using scientific and statistical data.

Anouk Hilger, a member of the FNR Board for some years, has been appointed to Vice Chair of the FNR Board, following the departure of former Vice Chair Thierry Wolter, who served on the Board of the FNR for a number of years.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features guest Prof Christophe Ley (University of Luxembourg), speaking about his interdisciplinary research work dealing with statistics, data science and sports.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 projects have been retained for funding in the 2022-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 198,901 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 12 of 14 projects have been selected for funding in the 2022-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 354,700 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 7 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2022-2 Call, an FNR commitment of 712,000 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 11 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2022-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 1.98 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast episode in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. The ‘Mäin Element’ podcast series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 16th episode features Sébastien Faye.

The second call for projects in the field of health technologies, launched by the Ministry of the Economy, jointly with the FNR and supported by Luxinnovation has been presented. Submissions are possible from 1 February with a project outline deadline of 31 March 2023, 14:00 CET. 

The FNR is pleased to announce the launch of the 2023-1 PSP-Classic Call for proposals. Deadline is 1 March 2023, 14:00 CET.

The newest episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features guest Dr. Inna Ganschow (C2DH. University of Luxembourg), speaking about the Luxembourg Ukrainian Researcher Network (LURN) and her current research on Soviet forced labourers and prisoners of war.

Download the 2023 calls overview as an A5 flyer with short descriptions or A3 poster with deadlines only.

The FNR is pleased to launch the 2023 AFR Individual and Bilateral call. New for 2023: AFR Individual and AFR Bilateral share the same, single deadline: 8 March 2023, 14:00 CET. 

The FNR is pleased to announce that applications for the 2023 FNR Awards are now being accepted. Deadline is 10 February 2023, 14:00 CET. Since 2009, the FNR has held the annual FNR Awards, where researchers and science communicators are recognised for outstanding efforts.

The FNR hereby launches the 2023 CORE Call for proposals. Deadline for submission is 20 April 2023, 14:00 CET. CORE is the central programme of the FNR. A multi-annual thematic research programme, the prime objective of CORE is to strengthen the scientific quality of Luxembourg’s public research in the country’s research priorities.

The FNR is pleased to announce the 8th edition of Spotlight on Young Researchers, where we shine a spotlight on people  across the globe with a connection to Luxembourg, who are early in their research careers. Through Spotlight on Young Researchers, you have the chance to draw attention to your field of research, a question or issue and share the work you are doing, and why it is important. Stories will be published as a feature, photo series or video. Deadline to participate is Monday, 27 February 2023. New: Spotlight on Young Researchers is now also open to lab assistants and technicians.

The podcast series ‘Mäin Element’, a collaboration between FNR and Lëtzebuerger Journal has been awarded Gold in the category Corporate Podcast at the inaugural RTL Podcast Awards. The series, which has aired 15 episodes so far, features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science.

The FNR has awarded an FNR PEARL Chair to the director of the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg for a research project focusing on Alzheimer’s disease. Endowed with 3.9 MEUR, this new project aims to bridge from fundamental research to clinical applications for diagnostics and therapy, contributing to improving care for dementia patients in Luxembourg and beyond.

The fourth episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features guest Dr. Robin White, a hydrogen researcher from the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast episode in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. The ‘Mäin Element’ podcast series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 15th episode features virologist Leslie Ogorzaly.

The fourth episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series features guest Christoph Purschke (University of Luxembourg), talking about computational linguistics and researching the Luxembourgish language.

In the framework of the second joint FNR-MAVDR call on Sustainable & Resilient Agriculture & Food Systems FNR-MAVDR, a matchmaking event will take place on Thursday, 10 November, 15:00 – 18:00 at the Lycée Technique Agricole in Gilsdorf (1, 9374 Kréiwénkel). Registration is now closed.

To raise awareness of FNR-supported research in Luxembourg, the FNR returns with letzSCIENCE, the app where Luxembourg research topics can be discovered in augmented reality! The app now features 8 different AR experiences, each on a different topic. Get the free letzSCIENCE AR app now and start discovering science in augmented reality.

The FNR, in cooperation with the Parliament of Luxembourg, is organising the third edition of the exchange programme “Pairing Scheme”, where researchers and members of the Parliament of Luxembourg meet in their respective working environments, between November 2022 and May 2023. If you are a Principal Investigator and want to take part in this exceptional experience, respond to our call for participation by Thursday, 15 September 2022, 10:00. Registration is now closed.

The third episode in the SciLux-Research Luxembourg-RTL Today series focusses on Parkinson’s disease thanks to an d features guest Ibrahim Boussaad from LCSB at the University of Luxembourg, who recently won an FNR Award together with Rejko Krüger.

Do you want to hear what scientific data sounds like? Eager to discover the fascinating links between science and music? Then Rockhal on Saturday, 3 December, is the place to be for the final event of the Esch2022 project “The Sound of Data – Science meets Music”.
For the Sound of Data project, Luxembourg researchers collected scientific data, which was then used by local and international musicians and composers to produce music during an artist residency under the supervision of Valery Vermeulen. You can discover the outcome of this creative and innovative process and see the musicians perform live on stage on December 3, along with Valery Vermeulen and headliner Max Cooper, a leading figure in electronica, who will present his new album in an immersive live show!

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2022 OPEN Call for proposals: 3 of 6 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.5 MEUR. 1 additional project is on the reserve list.

The FNR is happy to be able to host the 2022 Researchers’ Days after the 2020 edition had to be cancelled. As with the previous editions, the 2022 edition takes place in the Rockhal in Esch/Belval on Friday, 25 November (school & uni students only) and on Saturday, 26 November (10 – 19h – open for everyone). Come discover dozens of workshops and science cafés!

Research Luxembourg team players, RTL Today and SciLux have teamed up to launch a new series of podcasts showcasing science in Luxembourg and beyond. With a new episode every 2 weeks published on RTL Play, ‘SciLux powered by Research Luxembourg’ will showcase research activities and scientific cooperation in the Grand Duchy. The second episode focusses on urban health and stress research with guest Dr. Camille Perchoux from Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).

On Thursday, 20 October, the FNR held the 14th edition of the FNR Awards: 6 researchers/research groups were awarded for their outstanding efforts, across four categories. Discover the winners, photos, videos and the shortlist series ‘Science in Colours’!

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast episode in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. The ‘Mäin Element’ podcast series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 14th episode features epidemiologist Claudine Backes.

Research Luxembourg team players, RTL Today and SciLux have teamed up to launch a new series of podcasts showcasing science in Luxembourg and beyond. With a new episode every 2 weeks published on RTL Play, ‘SciLux powered by Research Luxembourg’ will showcase research activities and scientific cooperation in the Grand Duchy. The first episode features FNR PEARL Chair Dr Kathryn Hadler from the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC). 

The FNR is proud to share that two FNR communication / science outreach activities were recognised at the 2022 Leo Awards (formerly Media Awards) on 6 October 2022: House of Frankenstein, the 2019 event to celebrate the FNR’s 20 years won Gold (1st place) in the Event/Live Experience category, while the video campaign ‘Look Closer’ took home silver (2nd place) in the category Non-profit Campaign.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the final results of the AFR 2022 Call: The five projects on the reserve list are now funded. There have also been two dropouts. Of the 87 eligible proposals submitted, 29 are funded, representing an FNR commitment of over 5 MEUR. 

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Raymond Bausch (1962 – 2022). Raymond Bausch was the first Secretary General of the FNR and held this position from the creation of the FNR in 1999 until 2010. His actions allowed the FNR to develop, grow and lay the foundations for making it one of the most important players in Luxembourg research. 

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has published its annual report for 2021, marked by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, but which also saw the funding of 226 research projects for a committed amount of 74.08 million euros. In 2021, the FNR also developed its Strategy and Action Plan for the years 2022-25. Discover the 2021 FNR Annual Report now!

The Sound of Data Collective  (an Esch2022 project) has teamed up with Luxembourg’s National Institute of statistics and economic studies (STATEC) to organise a conference on 13 October 2022 where experts and practitioners will discuss the challenges and opportunities around innovation in data modelling and popularisation, data journalism and data-driven communication. And in this context investigate what data sonification and data visualisation can bring to the table. 

Dr Sophie Pilleron, cancer epidemiologist, has been awarded a 2-MEUR FNR ATTRACT Fellowship, based at the Luxembourg Institute of Health’s (LIH) Department of Precision Health, for a project focussing on cancer in older people. Dr Pilleron will embark on her ATTRACT Fellowship in early 2023.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 13th episode features social scientist Raphaël Kies.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the launch of the 2023 ATTRACT Call. Pre-proposal deadline is 15 November 2022, 14:00 CET, full proposal deadline is 21 February 2022. The ATTRACT programme offers promising junior researchers from abroad up to 2 MEUR of funding over five years to set up their own research group in Luxembourg.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 projects have been retained for funding in the 2022 AFR Bilateral Call, an FNR commitment of 1.7 MEUR. Two projects are on the reserve list.

The innovation programmes BRIDGES and Industrial Fellowships are now open for proposals. Deadline for submission is 6 October 2022, 14:00 CET.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 3 of 4 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2022-1 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 686,000 EUR. The next JUMP deadline is 30 September 2022.

The JUMP programme is now open for proposals. Deadline for the 2022-2 Call is 30 September 2022, 14:00 CET.

Following a pilot call in 2021, the FNR and the Luxembourg Ministry of Agriculture, Viticulture and Rural Development (MAVDR) are again joining forces to put forward a 2nd call for proposals to support policy making and to help the decision-making process. The Call deadline is 27 February 2023.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 11 Industrial Fellowship projects (6 PhD, 1 Postdoc) have been selected for funding in the 2022-1 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.35 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 13 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2022-1 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2.2 MEUR.

The Ministry of the Economy has announced the launch of a pilot of a new joint call for projects, in partnership with the FNR and Luxinnovation, in the field of high-performance computing. It is open to companies and research institutions that want to take advantage of high-performance computing (HPC) capacities in their research field. Like the previous joint calls, launched in the fields of health technologies and defense, the call is aimed at encouraging close and interactive collaboration between private companies and public research institutes (PPP – public-private partnerships) to carry out innovative research projects on HPC infrastructures.

COST’s governing board, the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO), have confirmed the funding of 70 new COST Actions, that will officially start in Autumn 2022. COST Actions are networks of researchers all over Europe and abroad and Luxembourg researchers are strongly encouraged to participate, especially early-career researchers. 

Associate Prof Dr Thomas Cauvin has been appointed to Head of the Department of Public History at University of Luxembourg’s Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH). Prof Dr Cauvin joined the C2DH in 2020 in the framework of his 2 MEUR FNR ATTRACT Fellowship.

The FNR is pleased to announce the ‘awarded’ and ‘distinction’ images of the 2022 FNR Science Image Competition, including the first ever ‘Prix du Public’! The FNR Science Image Competition has multiple aims: to show the growing role of images in scientific research, to reveal how scientific work is conducted, to give a face to the researchers conducting it and to present various ways to engage the public with science. Discover the exhibition at Luxembourg Science Center until late September 2022 and in Luxembourg City until the end of the year!

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 12th episode features epidemiologist Guy Fagherazzi.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 4 INTER projects have been retained for funding in the AUDACE Call with Quebec FRQ, with an FNR contribution of 100,000 EUR. Webinars for the 2022 Call will take place in late July and mid-August.

The FNR is pleased to announce the fourth Call for the PSP-Flagship scheme, a strand of the Promoting Science to the Public (PSP) programme, specifically aimed at supporting long-term science outreach activities with lasting impact. Deadline for applications is Thursday, 20 September 2022, 14:00 CET. Interested institutions are invited to contact the FNR well before the submission deadline to discuss their proposal idea and verify that they are eligible for the scheme. 

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The 11th episode features law expert Bianca Nalbandian.

In 2021, the FNR committed 12.1 MEUR of funding to 31 bi- and multilateral projects across 15 Calls via its INTER scheme to foster international cooperation. 

In June 2021, the FNR and the Luxembourg Ministry of Agriculture (MAVDR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), announcing the launch of a joint Call on “Sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems”. Following the Call for proposals, 1 of 8 projects has been retained for funding. The funded project aims to support farmers and policy makers through a smart-cropping management solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and protect soil carbon. 

On Sunday, 1 May, the “Science Meets Music” – the launch event of the Esch22 Sound of Data project – took place, featuring interactive workshops for adults and children, a cyborg that can hear colours, a musician who converts data into a music and more. 

This measure serves to provide support for researchers who have fled the war in Ukraine. These persons should be employed at Luxembourg public research institutions in ongoing FNR projects for a maximum of 6 months based on requests for additional funding. Requests for additional funding are accepted continuously until 28 November 2022.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 projects have been retained for funding in the 2022-1 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 203,802 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to announce the 2022-2 RESCOM Call for proposals. Deadline to submit proposals is 30 June 2022, 14:00 CET.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 5 projects have been selected for funding in the 2022-1 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 141,200 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 5 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2022-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 433,000 EUR.

Dr Hannah Rana has been named by Forbes on the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list in the Science and Healthcare category. This year, the lists received tens of thousands of nominations and were carefully reviewed by an international judging panel of experts. Hannah, a space cryogenics researcher, has been selected amongst the final 30 to be awarded in the Science and Healthcare category. The young scientist has also been awarded a prestigious Schmidt Science Fellowship.

Following the FNR’s online workshop on the ‘Narrative-style CV’ implemented by the FNR in 2021, the information presented and gathered at the workshop is now available.

100 features have now been published in the ongoing FNR article series Spotlight On Young Researchers. Launched in 2016, the series highlights early career researchers in Luxembourg and Luxembourgish researchers abroad. Of the 121 researchers featured, 61 were female and 60 were male. The series has covered over 85 research topics. 

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The ninth episode features maths professor Hugo Parlier.

The layout of the FNR’s website fnr.lu is now 6 years old – time for an update. In order to improve the website in line with your needs, help us by taking our anonymous 5-minute survey to help us understand why and how you use our website, and let us know what you feel might be missing. 

When Science morphs into Music: As part of the Esch2022 project “The Sound of Data”, various sets of data collected by scientists are being transformed into music. Discover the researchers of the University of Luxembourg and of LIST, who collected the data for this project, and learn more about both their data sets and their motivation.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 6 of 9 full proposals for Doctoral Training Units (DTU) in the 2021 PRIDE Call have been retained for funding, corresponding to 71 PhD grants, an FNR commitment of 14.7 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to announce that three young promising researchers from Luxembourg are among the 600 young scientists selected by the Lindau Selection Committee to attend the annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. The 2022 Meeting, dedicated to chemistry, takes place from 26 June – 1 July in Lindau, Germany.

Four of eight projects submitted have been retained for funding following the first Joint Call for HealthTech projects launched in April 2021. The overall contribution of the FNR is 2.8 MEUR and that of the Ministry of the Economy 1.75 MEUR. The remaining costs are covered by the companies’ or research organisations’ own funds.

Join us on Sunday 1 May 2022 from 14h00-19h30 at Rockhal for the “Science meets Music” event. This is the official launch event of the Esch2022 project “The Sound of Data – science meets music”, which is a collaboration between Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), Centre de Musiques Amplifiées Rockhal, University of Luxembourg and Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). The project aims to create bridges between the worlds of science, technology, music and art.

Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) is looking for a Support Manager to provide technical and administrative support to LARI, its Board and Secretary General, as well as the Commission for Research Integrity. 1 year fixed-term contract, 20 hours/week. Deadline to apply: 30 April 2022.

Cindy Lopes-Bento, the FNR’s Head of Science of Science and Professor at the University of Leuven, has secured a prestigious Marie Curie grant for the project “Engaging the citizen. The impact of crowd knowledge on science”, set to launch in Spring 2022, in collaboration with members of the FNR’s Science in Society team. 

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The eighth episode features child poverty researcher Anne-Catherien Guio.

Ever tried to make music out of traffic data? If not, now is your chance! Including a live performance at the Rockhal. The FNR & partners in The Sound of Data are launching an artist-in-residency programme at the Rocklab of the Escher Rockhal. Deadline to apply is 6 May 2022.

On Tuesday, 8 March, the inaugural edition of the annual Science for Society Prize came to a close at a ceremony celebrating this year’s laureate, the Luxembourg Science Center. The recently created Prize is an initiative of the Science for Society Foundation – under the aegis of Fondation de Luxembourg, and organised with the FNR – that rewards effective communication of credible scientific information to the general public.

The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has joined other European Research organizations associated within Science Europe to condemn the Russian aggression and occupation of Ukraine and to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine as well as with Russian scientists and science journalists that openly speak out against the invasion.

Deadline to submit has been extended to Sunday, 13 March.

You have a passion for science and a knack for communication? You want to combine the two, but are not sure where to start? Then join us for a thrilling two-day hackathon on how to produce your own science web video! Organised by the Fast Forward Science contest in cooperation with the FNR, this workshop provides you with all the insights and tools you need to produce your own science web video. Get together, create and communicate your research visually!

In the framework of the FNR’s collaboration with RTL in the PISA science show on TV, the FNR has developed a new format: the science.lu check “Ziel mir keng!”. In each episode, members of the science.lu team answer one main question on a particular topic, while giving background information about the scientific method and explaining the current status of scientific evidence around the topic.

A joint project of FNR, Rockhal, LIST and University of Luxembourg transforms scientific data into music in an innovative and experimental approach with the help of data sonification. The aim of the Esch2022 project is to bring the worlds of music and science together at Belval.

Aurélia Chenu, who joined the University of Luxembourg in January 2021, recently was awarded a ATTRACT fellowship from the FNR to create her own group in quantum physics. She is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Materials Science and leads the group on quantum dynamics and control. The ATTRACT grant is doted with 2 MEUR over five years.

The FNR has awarded a FNR ATTRACT Fellowship to Dr Alexandros Gerakis for an innovative laser technology project at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST). Dr Gerakis’ ATTRACT grant is doted with 2 MEUR over five years.

In 2021, the FNR introduced a narrative-style CV template as a requirement for applicants to all funding schemes. A feedback survey was launched simultaneously to gather feedback on the new CV, from applicants, panel members and reviewers. The report is now available.

To showcase the many paths of women in science in Luxembourg, and to inspire young girls to pursue their passion for science, the institutions that form Research Luxembourg are launching a video series, in collaboration with MEGA, the Ministry for Equality in Luxembourg. The videos are produced by FNR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 15 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2021-2 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2.57 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 6 of 9 Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2021-2 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.27 MEUR. 

PRIMA, the Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area has launched its 2022 transnational Call for pre-proposals to 22 March 2022, 17:00 CET. 

Backed by a PEARL Chair from the FNR with an endowment of 3.7 MEUR over five years, Dr Kathryn Hadler, an internationally renowned scientist in mineral processing and beneficiation, has been appointed Director of the European Space Resources Innovation Centre (ESRIC) as of 1 April 2022. Dr Hadler will join ESRIC to lead the further development of the Centre, advancing scientific discovery and technology development in In situ Resources Utilisation (ISRU) and asserting ESRIC and Luxembourg’s position in space resources.

The Calls for the FNR funding instruments RESCOM: Scientific Events and INTER Mobility will only have one Call in 2023. Call launch is foreseen in January 2023. The 2023 Call documents are now available!

Esch-sur-Alzette, 14 January 2022 – The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) yesterday signed its multi-annual agreement[1] with the Government for the period 2022-2025. For the implementation of the activities covered by this agreement, the Government authorises the FNR[2] to make commitments up to an overall ceiling of 445 MEUR over the next four years.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the final results of the 2021 CORE Call. Out of 157 proposals submitted in the 2021 CORE Call, a total of 51 research projects have been retained for funding, representing a financial commitment of 31,4 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 5 of 5 projects have been retained for funding in the 2021-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 105,657 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The seventh episode features law expert Habiba Abubaker.

The FNR is pleased to announce the 2022 AFR Individual and bilateral Call for proposals. Deadlines for all AFR strands are in March 2022.

The FNR is pleased to announce the launch of the 2022 OPEN Call for proposals. Deadline for submission is 21 April 2022, 14:00 CET. The OPEN 2022 call is linked to the revised National Research Priorities for Luxembourg.

The Researchers’ Days will return for its 8th edition on Friday, 25 and Saturday, 26 November 2022 at the Rockhal in Esch/Belval. Don’t miss the chance to interact and motivate future generations of scientists and share the passion that got you into research by offering them a hands-on science workshop or a Science Café!    

How many vaccinated people in Luxembourg want to get a booster? How many parents want to have their children vaccinated? Answers to these and other questions on the topic of vaccination are provided by a current representative survey conducted by FNR/science.lu in cooperation with researchers from Luxembourg.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The sixth episode features photovoltaics researcher Prof Phillip Dale.

Nanotechnology scientist Dr César Pascual García, who joined the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) in 2013 supported by an FNR ATTRACT Fellowship, has been appointed to EIC Ambassador by the European Innovation Council (EIC), helping to put Luxembourg on the map regarding European research projects.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 12 of 15 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2021 JUMP21 Call, an FNR commitment of 3 MEUR.

On 25 November 2021, Science Europe released a vision for Research Culture in the European Research Area (ERA), committing to collective actions that enable a thriving research system.

On 25 November 2021, Marc Schiltz, Secretary General of the FNR, was re-elected as President of the Governing Board of Science Europe, the European association of research and research funding organisations in Europe, marking the beginning of his third term in the role.

On Wednesday 24 November 2021, the Minister for Higher Education and Research, Claude Meisch, opened a European seminar in Luxembourg-Kirchberg, attended by the heads of national research funds, representatives of national research ministries and the European Commission gathered to discuss topics such as research culture.

The FNR’s 2020 Annual Report has received the ‘Gold’ distinction at the German Design Awards. The FNR worked with long-term partner lola strategy&design to make the report, which is available both as an interactive digital version as well as a traditional PDF.

The FNR’s communication campaign ‘letzSCIENCE’ is shortlisted at the 2021 European Excellence Awards. The campaign centres around the letzSCIENCE AR app – a free app 100% made in Luxembourg, through which the beauty of science can be discovered in augmented reality. The campaign and app were developed with the goal to raise awareness of FNR-supported research.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 12 of 22 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2021-1 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 3.3 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 12 Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2021-1 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.54 MEUR. 

On Thursday, 4 November 2021, Joseph Rodesch, aka Mr Science, was awarded the 2021 Lions Club Prize at a ceremony held in Luxembourg City. Joseph Rodesch received the prize to recognise his 10+ years of efforts to bring science closer the public as Mr Science.

The Science Festival returns on Saturday, 13 and Sunday, 14 November 2021, offering a range of of science shows and workshops to fascinate every curious spirit from 3-99 years old. Please note, at this year’s Science Festival prior registration is required. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2021 OPEN Call for proposals: 3 of 9 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.3 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 5 of 5 projects have been selected for funding in the 2021-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 117,700 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The sixth episode features eating disorder researcher Dr Annika Lutz.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 6 of 7 eligible INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2021-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 482,700 EUR.

Starting with the 2017 FNR Awards Ceremony, the FNR said goodbye to the ‘ecosphere’ trophies that were previously given out and instead chose a completely new design that embodies the history of Belval, the FNR, innovation and research in Luxembourg.

On Thursday, 21 October, the FNR held the 13th edition of the FNR Awards: 7 researchers/research groups were awarded for their outstanding efforts, across four categories. Discover the winners! Full coverage now available.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 5 eligible projects submitted to the  2021 PSP Flagship Call have been selected for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.67 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the final results of the AFR 2021 Call: The four projects on the waiting list have now been funded, bringing the total funded projects up to 29 of 108 eligible. This represents an FNR commitment of 5.2 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The fifth episode features deep learning researcher Prof Djamila Aouada.

The FNR and DORA have released a jointly crafted resource for research assessment: ‘Balanced, broad, responsible: A practical guide for research evaluators’ is a short, educational video that provides a ‘checklist’ of six concrete suggestions for research funders seeking to improve responsible assessment of funding applications. These recommendations have been summarised in an accompanying briefing document.

The FNR is pleased to announce the launch of the 2023 PEARL Call. Pre-proposal deadline is 24 October 2022, 14:00 CET. PEARL projects have a lifespan of five years with a financial contribution of between 3-4 MEUR by the FNR. The financial contribution can be used flexibly to implement the research programme at the host institution.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The fourth episode features microbiology researcher Prof Dr Paul Wilmes (LCSB). Paul Wilmes … Continued

We understand that researchers and research teams may go through a difficult period triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic During 2020 and 2021, research projects have temporarily been suspended or delayed and key parts of projects may have to be postponed for a significant amount of time. Therefore, the FNR wishes to offer flexibility in the handling of grants and grant proposals for projects affected by the pandemic. *last update 8 February 2022*

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The third episode features hydrology researcher Dr Laurent Pfister (Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).

Prof Dr Klucken joins the movement to make digitalisation part of every-day patient care Digitalisation is moving forward fast in every field, including medicine. But how can digital tools be integrated into healthcare processes, and how should data be visualised to personalise patient care? These are only two of many questions that Professor Dr Jochen … Continued

On 3 June 2021, the FNR and the Luxembourg Ministry of Agriculture signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), announcing the launch of a joint Call on “Sustainable and resilient agriculture and food systems”, which will open on 15 June 2021.

Science Europe has published a Practical Guide to Sustainable Research Data, which provides guidance on how to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of research data.

The FNR is pleased to share the newest podcast in the collaboration with Lëtzebuerger Journal. Titled ‘Mäin Element’, the series features researchers in Luxembourg talking about their lives and their passion for science, showing a glimpse of the people behind the science. The second episode features Computational Mechanics researcher Prof Stéphane Bordas (University of Luxembourg).

The FNR has published its annual report for 2020, a year which was obviously marked by the COVID-19 crisis, but which also saw the funding of 299 research projects for a committed amount of 97.06 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the final results of the 2020 CORE Call. Out of 157 proposals submitted in the 2020 CORE Call, a total of 47 research projects have been retained for funding, representing a financial commitment of 30,2 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 3 of 6 projects have been retained for funding in the 2021-1 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 87,870 EUR.

Every two years, the FNR commissions a survey study to understand the level of notoriety and the perception of the Luxembourg research community among the general public. Discover the findings!

The second call for projects in the field of health technologies, launched by the Ministry of the Economy, jointly with the FNR and supported by Luxinnovation has been presented. Submissions are possible from 1 February with a project outline deadline of 31 March 2023, 14:00 CET. 

The FNR is pleased to announce that five eligible projects submitted to the 2021 KITS Call have been retained for funding, representing an FNR commitment of 1.32 MEUR.

Science.lu, the FNR-run science website for all, has launched the video ‘Look closer: What does it mean to be a researcher?’ to promote research in Luxembourg and highlight that researchers are often very different from what people might expect! The video was entirely created in Luxembourg featuring local researchers and science communicators.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 2 of 2 projects have been selected for funding in the 2021-1 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 63,417 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 3 of 9 eligible INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2021-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 169,588 EUR.

The FNR’s INITIATE programme supports the initiation and development of strategic research and innovation project ideas that will help make Luxembourg internationally competitive in priority domains. Five INITIATE projects have been granted so far.

The FNR and Fondation Cancer have signed a multi-year collaboration agreement from 2020 to 2023, aimed at developing and intensifying cooperation. In this context, four cancer research projects were selected for funding in 2020, a total commitment of 2.8 MEUR.

Neuroscientist Anne Grünewald has been appointed Full Professor at the University of Luxembourg’s LCSB as of 1 January 2021. Prof Dr Grünewald came to Luxembourg in 2016 with an FNR ATTRACT Fellowship, in the framework of which she set up the Molecular & Functional Neurobiology Group at the LCSB at the University of Luxembourg.

The FNR and the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) has signed a cooperation agreement, based on the WEAVE initiative. A call for Luxembourg-based researchers to apply for mutual projects with collaborators in the Czech Republic is now open with a deadline of 22 April 2021.

The FNR has awarded two new ATTRACT Fellowships: Ass. Prof Dr Lindsay Flynn is awarded 2 MEUR for a project investigating the relationship between housing policies and inequality. Ass. Prof Dr Etienne Fodor is awarded 1.5 MEUR for a project on the topic of active matter. Both projects will be conducted at the University of Luxembourg over five years.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 14 Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2020-2 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.35 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 12 of 23 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2020-2 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 4.1 MEUR.

In 2020, the FNR committed 17.4 MEUR of funding to 39 bi- and multilateral projects via its INTER scheme to foster international cooperation. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 11 of 13 projects have been retained for funding in the 2020-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 342,376 EUR.

Research Data Management (RDM) is a general term covering how to organise, structure, store, and care for research data used or generated during the lifetime and after completion of a research project. This means planning how data is collected, stored, and cared for before the start of the project, through to how it will be ensured that it is maintained in the longer-term and shared with the research community and beyond.

With the support of Science Europe, 12 national research funding organisations, including the FNR, have launched the cross-European initiative Weave. The aim is to fund and support excellent international research projects. It is the first time a large network of this scale has developed an initiative of this kind to enable bilateral and trilateral scientific cooperation in Europe. Further information for Luxembourg-based researchers is now available.

cOAlition S, an international consortium of research funders has developed the Journal Checker Tool (JCT), a web-based tool which provides clear advice to researchers on how they can comply with their funder’s Plan S-aligned Open Access policy when seeking to publish in their chosen journal.

The NORFACE and HERA networks are pleased to announce that the new CHANSE (Collaboration of Humanities and Social Sciences in Europe) consortium will soon announce a call for international research projects on ‘Transformations: social and cultural dynamics in the digital age’. The programme will be implemented by 27 research funding organisations from 24 countries, coordinated by the National Science Centre, Poland (NCN).

FNR coordinates Luxembourg’s €800,000 participation in the philanthropic initiative COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 1 of 3 eligible INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2020-2 Call, an FNR commitment of 5,120 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 9 projects have been selected for funding in the 2020-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 230,823 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

For the 12th time, the FNR held the FNR Awards – the annual celebration of science and research in Luxembourg. For obvious reasons, the normal physical event was simply not possible this year, but this did not stop the celebration from taking place! A solution was found and the event was shifted to 100% digital for the first time. Seven FNR Awards were presented across four categories.

In 2021, there will be a number of changes coming to FNR funding policies, affecting most of our diverse selection of programmes. These changes represent a forward evolution for the FNR, as they align with international best practices meant to improve the quality of science and research on a systemic level. A recording and the … Continued

The 2020 FNR Awards Ceremony will take place in a 100% digital format. Join us in our annual celebration of science and research in Luxembourg, via a stream on Thursday, 19 November 2020 from 19:00 CET. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2020 OPEN Call for proposals: 2 of 6 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.3 MEUR. 

Following the huge success of the ‘letzSCIENCE – the beauty of science meets augmented reality’ campaign in Luxembourg City over the summer, the campaign can now be experienced in Belval, the heart of Luxembourg’s research ecosystem. Triggered by scanning a QR code, three images transform into an augmented reality (AR) experience, followed by a story about a piece of research in Luxembourg.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 25 of 105 eligible PhD projects have been selected for funding in the 2020 AFR Call. This represents an FNR commitment of 4.5 MEUR. 6 additional projects are on the reserve list. *Update October 2020: the six projects on the reserve list have been funded, bringing the total funded PhD projects to 31 and the total FNR commitment to 5.4 MEUR.*

Following a pilot phase that started in 2019, the FNR has consolidated its INITIATE funding instrument. The INITIATE instrument is designed to support the initiation and development of strategic research and innovation project ideas that will help make Luxembourg internationally competitive in priority domains.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 of 16 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2020 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 1.83 MEUR. The FNR JUMP programme (formerly PoC) is a competitive funding programme, open to all research domains, that is designed to help bridge the technical and funding … Continued

Following the FNR Science Image Competition, first organised in 2019 on the occasion of the FNR’s 20th anniversary, the awarded photos can now be discovered at an exhibition in Luxembourg City! The campaign has multiple aims: to show the growing role of images in scientific research, to reveal how scientific work is conducted, to give a face to the researchers conducting it and to present various ways to engage the public with science.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 13 of 17 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2020-1 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 of 21 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2020-1 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 3 MEUR.

Luxembourg has jumped from ‘Strong Innovator’ to ‘Innovation Leader’ in the EU Commission’s 2020 European Innovation Scoreboard. For the third year running, Luxembourg ranks 1st for ‘Attractive research systems’. This underlines the considerable development of the young Luxembourgish research and innovation ecosystem, and is an important recognition of the country’s continuous efforts to develop a world-class R&I landscape.

Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) is calling on Luxembourg to participate in a major online survey. Aimed at all residents aged 16 and over (all categories: workers, students, pensioners, high school students, etc.) because all opinions count and all information is valuable.  The survey is also accessible to cross-border workers, who have also been affected by this crisis.

Following the second deadline of the FNR’s COVID-19 Fast Track Call, 21 of 55 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.12 MEUR.

In an international project with pharma company Sprint Bioscience, scientists at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), led by Dr Bassam Janji, have developed an approach that turns “cold” tumours “hot”, making them responsive to immunotherapy.

CON-VINCE, a national research project aiming to evaluate the prevalence and dynamics of the spread of the COVID-19 disease within the Luxembourgish population, was launched at the beginning of April under the umbrella of the Research Luxembourg COVID-19 Task Force. Following the successful recruitment and first testing effort of more than 1800 participants over the age of 18, a first publication has now been uploaded on the preprint server medRxiv (Reference: MEDRXIV/2020/092916) and will be soon submitted for peer-reviewed scientific publication.

A team of scientists at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dirk Brenner, have discovered a novel mechanism through which the immune system can control autoimmunity and cancer. The findings hold important implications for the development of personalised treatment options for autoimmune disorders. In a nod to the importance of the findings, the research graces the cover of the journal ‘Cell Metabolism’.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 13 of 17 projects have been retained for funding in the 2020-1 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 213,981 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 2 of 3 projects have been selected for funding in the 2020-1 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 69,600 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that all 10 eligible INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2020-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 693,470 EUR.

14 transnational and multi-disciplinary consortia have received funding from the European NORFACE network within the Call ‘Democratic governance in a turbulent age’. The total budget of the call was 17.3 MEUR. One project is led by a Luxembourg-based team at the University of Luxembourg.

FNR communication regarding allegations of research misconduct related to the project Po17/11757260 « LALA – Lauter lëschteg Lauter », that was funded within the FNR Proof-of-Concept (PoC) programme and related projects. The National Commission for Research Integrity (CRI) of the Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity (LARI) has conducted a confidential investigation into anonymous allegation of research misconduct in connection … Continued

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 15 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2020 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 343,430 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 5 of 9 full proposals for Doctoral Training Units (DTU) in the third PRIDE Call have been retained for funding, corresponding to 61 PhD grants, an FNR commitment of 12.4 MEUR.

The FNR Science Image Competition was organised for the first time in 2019 on the occasion of the FNR’s 20th anniversary. The project has multiple aims: to show the growing role of images in scientific research, to reveal how scientific work is conducted, to give a face to the researchers conducting it and to present various ways to engage the public with science.

Research Luxembourg, a joint initiative of the main players in Luxembourg’s public research sector, is mobilising its knowledge and its human and material resources to help address the challenge of COVID-19. A task force has been set up in order to offer the health system the combined expertise available within the Luxembourg public research sector (LIH, LISER, LIST, LNS, University, FNR, under the coordination of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research).

The FNR is pleased to communicate that four eligible full proposals involving Luxembourg partners have been retained for funding in the 2019 M-ERA.NET Call, an FNR commitment of 1.77 MEUR.

Due to the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the FNR offers flexibility in the handling of grants and grant proposals.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 2 of 3 projects submitted to the 2019/20 PSP Flagship Call have been selected for funding, an FNR commitment of 830,200 EUR.

The French national Thomas Cauvin, currently Professor of History at the University of Colorado and President of the International Federation for Public History, will join the Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) at the University of Luxembourg thanks to an FNR ATTRACT fellowship endowed with 2 million euros (over five years). Thomas Cauvin’s project aims to develop public history as a new participatory model for interpreting the past. Inspired by the evolution of digital participatory sciences, the project will facilitate interactions between academics, cultural institutions, and the general public to contribute to a democratisation not only of access but also of the production of history.

Claude Meisch, Minister of Higher Education and Research, has presented the Government’s research and innovation strategy for Luxembourg and the associated new national research priorities. This is the first time that Luxembourg has drawn up a formal national research strategy. The two documents define how Luxembourg’s scientific ecosystem should develop over the next 10 years and in which areas investment should be concentrated.

The FNR is pleased to communicate it has retained 40 research projects for funding in the 2019 CORE Call, an FNR commitment of 22.63 MEUR. Three bilateral projects where decisions were pending can now be communicated. Abstracts are now also available.

The FNR took home silver (2nd place) and the ‘prix du public’ in the category TV/Cinema at the 2020 Media Awards, for a promotional video for the science website science.lu, created for the FNR by the creative studio Moast.

“The outbreak of the novel coronavirus in China (2019-nCoV) represents a significant and urgent threat to global health. We call on researchers, journals and funders to ensure that research findings and data relevant to this outbreak are shared rapidly and openly to inform the public health response and help save lives.”

Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) researchers Dr Anna Golebiewska, and FNR ATTRACT Fellow Dr Johannes Meiser have been awarded the Legs Kanning Prize for their work on cancer research in Luxembourg, presented by the association Action Lions Vaincre le Cancer. 

Patrick Glauner, whose PhD was funded by an FNR Industrial Fellowship is to start a Full Professorship in AI at the Deggendorf Institute of Technology in Germany in February 2020.

In 2019, the FNR committed 7 MEUR of funding to 19 bi- and multilateral projects via its INTER scheme to foster international cooperation.

On 20 December 2019, the Conseil de gouvernement approved the “National Research and Innovation Strategy for Luxembourg” as well as the annexed document of the “National Research Priorities for Luxembourg”. The inclusive process that led to these revised priorities took two years and involved multiple stakeholders: the national and international research community, public and private stakeholders as well as the various ministries.

FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dr Paul Wilmes from the University of Luxembourg’s LCSB has secured a Consolidator grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his ExpoBiome project. Wilmes is the third FNR ATTRACT Fellow to secure a prestigious ERC grant since 2015.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 8 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2019-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 857.900 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 18 of 25 projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 431,090 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 of 16 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-2 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2.97 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 13 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-2 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.31 MEUR. 

Marc Schiltz, Secretary General and Executive Head of the FNR, has been re-elected President of Science Europe, an association of major European research funding and research performing organisations. The FNR has been an active member and a strong supporter of Science Europe since its creation in 2011.

There’s a legend about a place… a secret and mysterious place. A place between science and fiction… where you can meet Frankenstein and other mysterious scientists…Curious? Eager to discover science during a special and slightly offbeat evening? Experience an evening between science and fiction, at a place where something special will happen – join us on Friday, 29 November 2019.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 4 of 8 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2019-2 Call, an FNR commitment of 343,600 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 12 projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 295,900 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 13 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2019-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 293,040 EUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2019 OPEN Call for proposals: 4 of 12 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 2.3 MEUR. 

On Friday, 25 October 2019, the FNR held the 11th edition of the FNR Awards Ceremony, where around 150 people, including Claude Meisch, Minister for Higher Education & Research, gathered in the halle des poches à fonte in Belval, to reward Luxembourg’s best research and science communication efforts. Six FNR Awards were presented across three categories. Discover the winners!

Every two years, the FNR commissions a survey study to understand the level of notoriety and the perception of the Luxembourg research community among the general public. Discover the findings!

On the occasion of the Royal Visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, UCLouvain announces that the University of Luxembourg, the FNR and the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) have signed a letter of interest to establish partnerships in the framework of the launch of the new ‘VIVES Inter-University Fund’.

The FNR has signed two bilateral agreements with the FWO and the F.R.S-FNRS to strengthen and intensify the excellent research cooperation with Belgium.

Professor Gilbert Fridgen has been appointed the inaugural PayPal-FNR PEARL Chair in Digital Financial Services which will allow him to conduct scientific research at the digital transformation of financial services and the intersection of finance and technology. The partnership supports the Luxembourg Government’s aim of making the country a world leader in innovative financial services.

The FNR is pleased to be able to communicate that 4 of 31 proposals involving Luxembourg partners have been retained for funding in the ANR-FNR Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.57 MEUR. 

The Luxembourg Digital Innovation Hub (L-DIH) has been officially launched in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy Étienne Schneider. As a key element of the national strategy for a data-driven economy, L-DIH is a platform hosted and managed by Luxinnovation, with the FNR among the partners. It is part of a European initiative aimed at bringing together supply and demand in the context of the digitisation of industry, in particular SMEs.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 32 of 119 eligible PhD projects have been selected for funding in the 2019 AFR Call. This represents an FNR commitment of 5.72 MEUR. Of the 32 projects, 7 projects were previously on the reserve list, but have now also been accommodated funding.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announces it is the first of the United Nations agencies to join the growing coalition of research funders and charitable foundations who implement Plan S. This commitment will ensure that all WHO supported health research will be free to read online on the day it is published. 

In spring 2015, the National Centre for Excellence in Research on Parkinson’s Disease (NCER-PD) was created as the very first inter-institutional research programme of its kind in Luxembourg. It represents a joint effort between five partners that unite their complementary expertise for Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has committed 8.3 million euros to this collaborative research programme for the past four years. At the end of this first funding period, the programme has been evaluated with outstanding scores by an international jury of experts. This paved the way for its second phase until May 2023, funded with an additional 6 MEUR.

Professor Dr Sean Takats, an internationally renowned expert on digital history, will start his research work in Luxembourg in October 2019. Backed by an FNR PEARL Chair from the FNR, Sean Takats joins the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH), one of the interdisciplinary research centres of the University of Luxembourg. The PEARL programme, funded by the FNR, provides competitive funding to attract top researchers in strategic research areas for Luxembourg.

‘Der Spiegel’, a widely read news magazine generally considered one the most influential of continental Europe in June published a cover story focussed on human gut microbiome research. The elaborate, seven-page article by the German weekly magazine features the recognised research work of Prof Mahesh Desai from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

The FNR has the pleasure to publish the final report of the external assessment exercise of the implementation of the National Quality Framework for Doctoral Training (NQFDT).

The JUMP programme is now accepting proposals, with a deadline of Friday, 27 September 2019, 14:00 CET.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 12 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-1 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.38 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 8 of 11 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-1 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 2.76 MEUR.

On Friday, 24 May 2019, around 150 people gathered in Belval to hear from famous scientist and edutrainer Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim about why science and Youtube are a perfect fit. The talk also kicked off an intense two-day workshop in which 30 participants learned how to communicate science through the medium of video.

Today, Friday, 24 May 2019, Véronique Hoffeld – Chair of the FNR Board – and Marc Schiltz, FNR Secretary General, presented the FNR’s Annual Report for 2018.
The year 2018 was marked by the new multi-year agreement 2018-21 signed between the FNR and the Government, but also by the work of redefining national research priorities for which the FNR was mandated by its supervisory ministry. In 2018, the FNR evaluated 735 proposals submitted under its various instruments and granted funding to 260 research projects. The FNR committed 72.1 MEUR to finance the selected projects. 

The FNR and the French Agence National de la Recherche (ANR) have renewed their collaboration agreement in the framework of the FNR’s INTER programme. The agreement enables Luxembourg-based researchers to collaborate with partners in France on bilateral projects.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 6 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2019-1 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 818.100 EUR.

In its multi-annual contract with the Government, the FNR has been mandated to review the national research priorities for Luxembourg, in close collaboration with the Ministry of Higher Education and Research. This follows a recommendation stated in the 2016 OECD report on the Luxembourg innovation system.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 11 projects have been retained for funding in the 2019-1 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 120,592 EUR. The aim of the funding programme “Promoting Science to the Public” is to bring science closer to society, in particular Luxembourg’s society. The scheme funds projects that … Continued

On Friday, 26 April 2019 the 2nd edition of the Pairing Scheme was launched, which saw Luxembourg MPs visit the Belval research campus. The second edition of the scheme features 13 MPs paired with 13 researchers.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 6 of 7 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2019-1 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 222,300 EUR.

From 25 to 29 March 2019, the FNR organised the 9th edition of Chercheurs à l’école, which saw 101 researchers speak to 75 classes in 30 schools across the country.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 4 of 5 projects have been selected for funding in the 2019-1 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 137,000 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 3 of 8 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2019-1 Call, an FNR commitment of 181,000 EUR.

FNR ATTRACT Fellow Associate Prof Paul Wilmes from the LCSB at the University of Luxembourg has been elected as full member of the Institut Grand-Ducal, Section des Sciences Naturelles, Physiques et Mathématiques. 

On Thursday, 31 January, the FNR and Sense about Science hosted a workshop on the topic ‘How (scientific) evidence should be used in the political decision-making process’, more concretely by Members of the European Parliament.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 14 of 17 projects have been retained for funding in the 2018-2 PSP-Classic Call, representing an FNR Commitment of 247,800 EUR.

The FNR and Fondation Cancer have concluded a collaboration agreement to develop and intensify their cooperation in order to support high-level cancer research projects. In the scope of the FNR’s CORE programme, the FNR and Fondation Cancer are jointly funding a cancer immunotherapy research project at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

In 2018, the FNR committed 10.07 MEUR of funding to 25 bi- and multilateral projects via its INTER scheme to foster international cooperation.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 9 of 16 eligible Industrial Fellowship projects have been selected for funding in the 2018-2 Call, representing an FNR commitment of 1.7 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate it has retained 36 of 137 eligible research projects for funding in the 2018 CORE Call, an FNR commitment of 21.61 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 13 eligible projects have been retained for funding in the 2018-2 BRIDGES Call, representing an FNR commitment of 3.08 MEUR.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 7 of 8 eligible Proof of Concept projects have been accepted in the 2018-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 1.62 MEUR.

As of December 2018, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) has signed the DORA declaration, which consists of a set of recommendations to improve the assessment of scientific output. As a signatory of DORA, the FNR fully supports the declaration’s practices in research assessment, and has updated its own peer review guidelines accordingly.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that both eligible projects submitted to the  2018 PSP Flagship Call have been selected for funding, an FNR commitment of 697,000 EUR.

Following the announcement of Plan S in September 2018, cOAlition S has approved the implementation guidance on making full and immediate Open Access a reality by 2020. The guidance is open for public feedback until 1 February 2019.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that all 14 projects have been selected for funding in the 2018-2 RESCOM Call, an FNR commitment of 417,000 EUR. Through RESCOM, the FNR supports communication between researchers to promote scientific outcomes.

The FNR is pleased to announce that 5 of 7 INTER Mobility projects have been selected for funding from the 2018-2 Call, an FNR commitment of of 327,000 EUR.

As part of a research project to better understand the human mind, a research group at the University of Luxembourg, led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow and experimental psychologist Prof Pedro Cardoso-Leite, has developed a game to help children learn to count. The game is a research tool in itself: the goal is to help children learn by understanding how they learn.

The FNR is pleased to communicate the results of the 2018 OPEN Call for proposals: 3 of 6 eligible projects have been retained for funding, an FNR commitment of 1.29 MEUR. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 10 of 15 eligible Pathfinder projects have been accepted in the 2018-2 JUMP Call, an FNR commitment of 351,600 EUR.

Following the 2017/18 FNR ATTRACT Call, Dr Johannes Meiser has been awarded a 1.5 MEUR FNR ATTRACT Starting Grant to set up his own research line in the area of cancer metabolism at the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH).

Following the 2017/18 ATTRACT Call, Associate Prof. Dr. Emma Schymanski has been awarded a 2 MEUR ATTRACT Consolidator Grant for a project aiming to develop methods to identify unknown chemicals and their effects on health and disease at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg.

Representatives of the renowned Japanese RIKEN Centre for Integrative Medical Sciences (RIKEN-IMS) recently visited Luxembourg to meet government representatives and the directors of the local biomedical research institutions. They presented current and future joint research projects and discussed on how to secure a long-term scientific collaboration between the two countries.

As of 12 September 2018, the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) has officially launched. The goal of the LSA is to promote the further economic development of the Grand Duchy’s space industry by attracting businesses, developing human resources, providing innovative financial solutions and supporting educational and research infrastructure.

FNR Secretary General Marc Schiltz and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy Etienne Schneider have signed an agreement to develop a programme to support research for the commercial space industry in Luxembourg.

On 4 September, the FNR and 10 other national research funding organisations, with the support of the European Commission (EC) and the European Research Council (ERC), have launched cOAlition S, a joint initiative to make full and immediate Open Access to research publications a reality by 2020. The initiative is promoted by Science Europe, the association of national research funding and research performing organisations in Europe.

A few weeks prior the general elections, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) sent all political parties in Luxembourg a seven-question catalogue on research and innovation. Almost all parties contacted have answered our questions – ADR, CSV, déi gréng, déi Lénk, DP, LSAP, PiD.

The European Commission has published data on trends for open access to publications, with Luxembourg ranking in 5th place, ahead of countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 28 of 100 eligible PhD projects have been selected for funding in the 2018 AFR Call. This represents an FNR commitment of 4.87 MEUR.

In late May 2018, the FNR held a workshop to launch a new network for science communicators in Luxembourg, attended by more than 40 animators, teachers, science communicators from research and other institutions, as well as representatives from asbls.

The Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado held the Ninth Joint Meeting of the Space Resources Roundtable and the Planetary & Terrestrial Mining Sciences Symposium on 12-15 June. For the first time, representatives from the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy and FNR participated in the annual conference.

An international jury has selected FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dr Paul Wilmes as the recipient of the 2018 Grand Prize in Biology (Le Grand Prix en sciences biologiques de l’Institut Grand-ducal / Prix CACTUS).

Prof Dr Mahesh Desai, currently visiting the RIKEN institute in Yokohama (Japan) as part of an INTER Mobility project, has been presented with the ‘Tissier’s medal’ for his excellent contributions to the field of intestinal microbiology.

New York / Luxembourg – On 21 May 2018, the Leir Charitable Foundations (LCF) and the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) signed an agreement on the joint funding of a bilateral research project between the University of Luxembourg and Columbia University on the topic of Parkinson’s disease research. Subject to the favourable outcome of a scientific evaluation conducted by the FNR, the LCF and FNR intend to jointly fund the Luxembourg-based part of this research project.

A team led by FNR ATTRACT Fellow Prof Dr Paul Wilmes has discovered the contamination of a widely used RNA extraction kit, which could have implications for a significant number of published studies. The findings, along with how the team worked with the manufacturer to find a solution, have been published in the journal BMC Biology.

Today, Friday 18 May 2018, the FNR presented its annual report for the year 2017, as well as its Strategy & Action Plan for the years 2018-21. The FNR reflects positively on 2017. A pivotal year for the FNR, as it marked both the end of the 2014-17 multiannual contract with the Government and paved the way for the new 2018-21 strategy. Over the last four years, it committed a total of 240 MEUR for the financing of 892 projects and grants. 

Two lectures from the series ‘Inequality and..’ lecture series have been published in the Journal of Income Distribution. The lecture series, which has been running since 2013 and features prominent speakers on various aspects of inequality, is co-organised by FNR PEARL Chairs Professors Conchita D’Ambrosio and Louis Chauvel. 

The FNR is pleased to communicate that 6 of the 17 full proposals for Doctoral Training Units (DTU) in the second PRIDE Call have been retained for funding, corresponding to 75 PhD grants, an FNR commitment of 13.24 MEUR.

The Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg and the Ministry of Health on 23 March 2018 announced the launch of ParkinsonNet – a network that will enable the exchange between Parkinson’s physicians, researchers and therapists, with the aim of improving the overall patient experience of people with Parkinson’s disease.

FNR Secretary General Marc Schiltz this week joined a Luxembourg state visit to France, which included meeting with the leadership of French research agencies CNRS and ANR.

Prof Jens Kreisel, FNR PEARL Chair and Director of the Materials Research and Technology (MRT) department at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), has been elected a fellow of the Division Materials Science of the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc).

Marc Schiltz, Secretary General and Executive Head of the FNR, has been elected President of Science Europe, an association of major European research funding and research performing organisations. The FNR has been an active member and a strong supporter of Science Europe since its creation in 2011.

On Friday, 17 November 2017, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange between Belgium, Luxembourg, and the United States of America. The MoU was signed at the United States (US) Embassy in Luxembourg in the presence of representatives from the organisations and governments of both countries.

For the first time, the FNR has committed funding to two space related projects contributing to the development of the SpaceResources.lu initiative. Two public research institutions each receive funding for collaborative projects with the lunar exploration company ispace, representing an FNR commitment of around 700,000 EUR.

Anna Monzel, AFR PhD candidate at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg has received a ‘Young Researcher Prize’ from UK company Lush. The researcher, funded by the FNR’s AFR scheme, was awarded the prize for the development of a three-dimensional cell culture model of the human midbrain.

Prof Ines Thiele, FNR ATTRACT Fellow and researcher at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) at the University of Luxembourg, has secured a prestigious ERC Starting Grant in the sum of 1.6 MEUR for her project ‘Bug the Drug’. About the project FNR ATTRACT Fellow Dr Ines Thiele The aim of the project is … Continued

The Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique – FNRS (F.R.S.-FNRS) will grant, in 2018, the triennial and international Gagna A. & Ch. Van Heck, amounting to 75.000 EUR, to a scientist or a medical doctor, in recognition of a research work which has contributed to the treatment of a disease currently incurable, or which has raised hopes for curing the disease. Application deadline is Monday, 15 January 2018.

On Friday, 27 October, the FNR held the 9th edition of the FNR Awards, presenting 7 awards for excellence in research, innovation and science communication. In presence of the Luxembourg research community, awards endowed with a 5000 EUR prize were presented in the categories Outstanding Scientific Publication, Outstanding PhD Thesis, and Outstanding Promotion of Science … Continued

Prof Lionel Briand, FNR PEARL Chair and Vice Director of the SnT at the University of Luxembourg, has been included on the ‘AMiner Most Influential Scholar Annual List’ as one of the 10 most influential Software Engineering scholars of 2016.

Luxembourg now has a national agency for research integrity. LARI – the Luxembourg Agency for Research Integrity – was formally created in 2016 and as of late September also has a committee of international experts on the topic. This week, the committee was in Luxembourg to meet Marc Hansen, Luxembourg’s Minister for Higher Education and Research.

A Luxembourg delegation accompanied Minister of Health Lydia Mutsch on a three-day official trip to Japan in early October to strengthen and promote scientific cooperation between the two countries.

In a follow up from the FNR Pairing Scheme, the FNR organised for a delegation from the Luxembourg Parliament to visit Belval, where they were welcomed by several research leaders and had the opportunity to discover Belval’s research environment.

The FNR has contributed to a report titled ‘Providing researchers with the skills and competencies they need to practice Open Science’. The report was put together by a working group, set up by the EU to give recommendations to the Open Science Policy Platform OSPP.

The FNR is pleased to communicate that its operations are now certified in accordance with the ISO 9001:2015 standard.  What does this mean? A quality management system is a way of defining how an organisation can meet the requirements of the stakeholders affected by its work. ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard related to quality … Continued

Dr Mahesh Desai, Principal Investigator at the Luxembourg Institute of Health, has been interviewed by German magazine Der Spiegel about his research looking into the gut and how a lack of fibre can make gut bacteria aggressive.

Timed with the recently-launched ATTRACT Call, the FNR has conducted an interview with the only two female ATTRACT Fellows, where they talk about what challenges they face and what the FNR can do to make the programme more attractive to female scientists. Starting with the 2016/17 Call, the FNR introduced a quota for the ATTRACT … Continued

The FNR has compiled a report following the colloquium WiSE (Women in Science and Engineering), held in the beginning of the 2017 in conjunction with the exhibition of the same name. The event brought together 100 scientists, engineers, influencers and decision makers from the Luxembourg public and private research sector and beyond. What is the current situation for women in science and engineering in Luxembourg and how can we do better?

On Tuesday, 27 June 2017, the Dutch Ambassador to Luxembourg Peter Kok invited representatives of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and the FNR, as well as high-calibre researchers in Luxembourg to a joint information workshop. This meeting followed the signature, back in March, of a Statement of Intent between the national agencies that aims to strengthen the research collaborations between the two countries.

Excellence and impact in research are two values to which the FNR attributes particular importance. These are values which the FNR applies not only in its evaluation and selection procedures but equally in its management methods. Facts confirmed by the external evaluations conducted in 2016 by the Evaluation Center of the University of Western Michigan and INTERFACE.

This week, the FNR joins Etienne Schneider on the Luxembourg economic mission to the US. Also present on the trip is Crown Prince Guillaume and Crown Princess Stephanie. The trip includes visits to Planetary Resources, SSL and the NASA Ames Research Center.

On Wednesday, 5 April 2017, the FNR signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The signature was witnessed by the Prime Ministers of both countries, Mr. António Costa and Mr. Xavier Bettel.

The FNR has approved a total of 18.3 MEUR for 32 research projects of the 2016 CORE call. The projects retained for funding are located at the University of Luxembourg, LIST, LIH and LISER.

“Connections have been made and this is only the beginning”, said Mars Di Bartolomeo, President of the Chamber of Deputies, when he opened the closing event of the first edition of the ‘Pairing Scheme – Politics meets Research’. The closing event was attended by the FNR’s Secretary General Marc Schiltz, along with many of the … Continued

The Luxembourg public research system employs approximately 2870 researchers (full time equivalent = FTE), based on the statistics provided for 2015 by the Government. Around 1 in 4 researchers are female – putting Luxembourg below the EU average of 1 in 3. These statistics stem from the so-called SHE Figures from 2015 – an EU … Continued

28 February 2017 marks the tenth international ‘Rare Disease Day’. The day serves to raise awareness around the research taking place on rare diseases. Luxembourg is active in the field of rare diseases, specifically with a newly-launched project at the LIH, researching Good’s Syndrome, a rare disease with only a few hundred described cases worldwide. … Continued

The FNR commissioned ‘Interface Policy studies Research Consulting’ from Switzerland to evaluate the impact of FNR’s four major funding schemes: the project funding programmes CORE and INTER (in the fields of materials and physical sciences) and the strategic funding instruments ATTRACT and PEARL. The main objective was to evaluate and compare the impact of the … Continued

Last week, the FNR’s Secretary General Dr Marc Schiltz volunteered as a control subject in the Luxembourg Parkinson Study, within the National Centre for Excellence in Research (NCER-PD), together with Prof Dr Rainer Klump, the President of the University of Luxembourg and Prof Dr Rudi Balling, the Director of the LCSB. This was done to … Continued

Science Europe has released a new practical guide to further address gender inequality in the European research ecosystem. This new publication sets out good practice examples and guides the further development of context specific approaches including how to avoid unconscious bias in peer review processes, how to monitor gender equality, and how to improve grant … Continued

Science Europe has released a new survey report which highlights the efforts made by public research organisations in Europe to develop and implement intersectoral mobility schemes, also looking at what is being done to support researchers. The FNR is highlighted as one of 9 Science Europe member organisations where intersectoral mobility is a strong strategic … Continued

Following the exhibition WiSE Women – Women in Science and Engineering in Luxembourg, a colloquium will take place on Monday, 13 February 2017, where three panels of researchers and specialists will discuss questions surrounding women in science in Luxembourg and how the country can do better.  Luxembourg has the opportunity to welcome a large number of … Continued

Just over one year after the FNR and partners in the area of research and education signed a cooperation agreement to support the natural sciences education of primary school teachers in the country, the new SciTeach Center at the University of Luxembourg has officially opened its doors. The Center was opened in the presence of … Continued

At the beginning of January 2017, renowned neuropathologist Professor Dr. Michel Mittelbronn joined the Laboratoire national de santé (LNS) in a joint appointment with the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH) and the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg. Endowed with a 2,6 million euro FNR PEARL Chair, Professor. Michel Mittelbronn … Continued

This Friday 20 January 2017 is the opening of the exhibition “WiSE Women – Women in Science and Engineering in Luxembourg” at the Cité bibliothèque in Luxembourg City. The exhibition is organised by the Ville de Luxembourg in collaboration with the FNR and the Fondation Jeunes Scientifiques Luxembourg. Open to the public from 20 January to … Continued

As the organiser of the 2015 edition of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Conference, the FNR is pleased to announce the finalization of the conference multimedia report at a time that coincides with the 20th anniversary of MSCA. The report is released as an interactive document including both video and audio recordings of key conference sessions. … Continued

On Friday, 14 October 2016, the FNR held the 8th edition of the FNR Awards, presenting four awards for excellence in science and research communication. In presence of the Luxembourg research community, awards endowed with a 5000 EUR prize were presented in the categories Outstanding Scientific Publication, Outstanding PhD Thesis, and Outstanding Promotion of Science to the Public.

The FNR’s new initiative ‘Pairing Scheme’, which sees 17 MPs meet 17 researchers in their respective work environments, launched in the Luxembourg Parliament yesterday. Over the past years, Luxembourg established itself as an internationally recognised research and innovation destination. It is now of the essence to maximise the impact of this scientific knowledge in society … Continued

The first Call in the FNR’s PRIDE programme has generated 135 FNR-funded PhD positions in Luxembourg, spread over 11 doctoral training units and six of the country’s research domains. In addition to the 135 FNR-funded doctoral candidate positions, around 20 further PhD positions are to be funded by the Luxembourg host institutions.

The FNR this week joins global research funders to address interdisciplinarity and issues concerning women in research. The FNR is debating global approaches to interdisciplinarity and the equality and status of women in research with funding leaders from across the world at the Global Research Council (GRC) 2016 Annual Meeting. The GRC promotes international research … Continued

The FNR today presented its annual report for 2015 at a press conference in the Maison du Savoir. The report was presented by FNR Secretary General Marc Schiltz and Chair of the Board of the FNR, Yves Elsen. In 2015, the FNR committed 33.9 MEUR and funded 187 projects, while also signing 3 new international … Continued

Thanks to a generous donation from the André et Henriette Losch Foundation, in future it will be easier for Parkinson’s patients to participate in the Luxembourg Parkinson’s study. The study is part of the NCER programme, launched by the FNR in 2015. André Losch, Chairman of the foundation, handed the keys of the new “NCER-PD Flying … Continued

Over the last year, the prestigious Evaluation Centre of the Western Michigan University has evaluated the CORE selection procedure.

On Thursday, 21 January 2016, the FNR and partners in the area of research and education signed a cooperation agreement to support the natural sciences education of primary school teachers in Luxembourg, in the form of a ‘SciTeach Center’. The overall aim of the project is to increase the status of natural sciences across primary … Continued