INTER

PROGRAMME SUMMARY

Luxembourg is increasingly establishing itself as a research destination and putting itself on the international research map, and in 2006, we launched the INTER programme – our umbrella for our international cooperation opportunities.

The INTER programme is our instrument to provide co-funding for international research collaborations between scientists in Luxembourg and abroad.

The INTER Programme is the FNR’s main funding instrument to foster international collaboration.

It aims to give Luxembourg’s public research a higher profile in the international context by providing funding for international collaboration. INTER enables the FNR to initiate bi or multilateral arrangements for project calls in conjunction with other national or international funding bodies.

FNR has entered a number of cooperation agreements with foreign funding agencies to provide funding opportunities for bilateral projects. Furthermore, FNR has joined several international consortia which provide funding opportunities for multilateral projects.

INTER projects need to be submitted to a specific INTER call. Calls may target bi- or multilateral projects. Researchers wishing to submit joint proposals should consult information within individual call documents for details.

All INTER Calls are announced in the FNR’s newsletter FNR Info.

It is highly recommended to read the INTER application guidelines

FNR WEAVE partner agencies (INTER or CORE)

The FNR is one of 12 funding agencies in 11 European countries to sign WEAVE, a bottom-up, cross-European initiative developed by European research funders to support excellent collaborative research projects across borders.

WEAVE aims to simplify the submission and selection procedures of collaborative research proposals that involve researchers from up to three European countries or regions. It does this by making proposals go through a single evaluation procedure.

Find out more on the WEAVE website as well as in the WEAVE document for Luxembourg-based researchers.

With whom can you collaborate?

• Bi- and trilateral projects possible (*NWO-ENW bilateral only)
• Higher research effort (in PM) could be abroad
• 1 proposal per LU-PI per agency/year only

Country	Weave partner agency	Call deadline abroad (INTER)
Austria	FWF	Ongoing call
Belgium	FWO	01 April 2026
	FRS-FNRS	May/June 2026
Czech Republic	GACR	Early April 2026
Germany	DFG	Ongoing call
Poland	NCN	15 December 2025
Slovenia	ARIS	12 February 2026
Sweden	Formas	Late Summer 2026
Switzerland	SNSF	01 April /01 October 2026
The Netherlands	NWO-ENW (domain Science)*	Ongoing call (but check)

Bilateral agreements where the FNR always acts as Lead Agency 2026 (CORE)

In some cooperation, the FNR always acts as Lead Agency and joint bilateral proposals have to be submitted to the FNR CORE programme. Please refer to the FNR CORE Programme Description and FNR CORE application guidelines for more details.

Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol,

Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ): FRQ will not participate in the CORE call 2026 but is planning to join the CORE call 2027.

With whom can you collaborate?

• Bilateral projects only
• Higher research effort (in person*months) must be in Luxembourg

FNR partner agencies where Lead Agency is always abroad (INTER)

With whom can you collaborate?

• Bilateral proposals only!
• Higher research effort (in PM) always in the country of the Lead Agency!
• 1 proposal per LU-PI per agency/year only

* Pre- and Full-Proposals must be submitted to FNR INTER
** Submitting a proposal is only allowed upon prior approval of the FNR

Bilateral proposals only!
Higher research effort (in PM) always in the country of the Lead Agency!
1 proposal per LU-PI per agency/year only

Multilateral Funding Opportunities – European Programmes (INTER)

The FNR participates in several European Funding Programmes in 2026. Each Programme has its own call description and guidelines, the links are available in the list below.

The dates of the deadlines are indicative! Please refer to the respective European programme call websites as well as to the FNR info (Newsletter) for potential updates.

Thematic calls, no bottom-up funding

Budget cap per call and/or proposal

INTER application required at pre-proposal and full proposal stage!

APPLICATION INFORMATION

• The Luxembourg project partner needs to be eligible for FNR funding, while the foreign project partner needs to be eligible for funding from the foreign funding agency(-ies) participating in the call.

• For each call, a lead agency is defined which manages the complete selection process from reception of the applications to the peer review procedure. In most cases the foreign funding agency is the lead agency (and not the FNR).

• Additionally to submitting to the lead agency abroad, all applications have to be submitted through the FNR Online Grant Management System by the Luxembourg partner, including the FNR INTER documents.
• Proposals must be submitted to the FNR at latest 7 working days after the lead-agency’s deadline. Applicants will need to provide basic information and attach the proposal (including all further relevant documents) based on the form provided by the lead agency.