VLAG Calls

For secondments at international institutes/universities

Deadline:

1 November 2025 for activities starting in 2026.

International experience is a vital ingredient for a successful academic career. To support this, VLAG provides grants which allow VLAG PhD candidates and Postdocs to visit a top research institute/university abroad.
These grants cover expenses up to €1000 per month, with a maximum of €3000 for a visit of three months or longer. The grant covers essential economy class travel (one return ticket) including visa and accommodation, based on actual costs. The chair group is expected to provide the necessary means upfront. The VLAG grant will be transferred upon return to Wageningen, and it will be administered via the chair group. The grant does not cover living expenses, such as food, local transportation, personal expenses, etc.
The secondment can be combined with an international course or conference, but it needs to include a research work visit to an international research group for at least 2 weeks (min 10 working days).
Applications for fellowships outside Europe are only eligible if they last at least one month (4 full working weeks, not including travel).
The chair group is expected to provide the necessary means upfront. The VLAG grant will be transferred upon return to Wageningen, and it will be administered via the chair group.

Conditions:

• For PhD candidates: positive Go/No-Go evaluation (Go-decision)
• Substantiated and clear added value of the secondment to the research project of the candidate
• Fieldwork or other activities already covered in the original project are not eligible for this grant.
• Expected results in terms of establishing international networks or longer lasting work relations
• Consent of the supervisor(s)
• Letter of acceptance by the host institution
• Within 4 weeks after the visit, a short ‘back to office report’ (1 A4) should be sent to VLAG

Selection of fellows is done by the VLAG Office taking into account all information provided, given the available budget, and the number and quality of all applications. No a priori selection criteria are set, but they might include the fair distribution of funds over VLAG Research Themes, chair groups, individual researchers (over time). Also, projects with limited funds, like VLAG Open round and bursary PhD candidates, might be prioritized.

Please use the application form.

For sabbaticals and scientific events

Continuous application

The research groups participating in VLAG Graduate School can request a subsidy for visiting guest researchers. These visits can vary from:
a. Incoming sabbatical (lasting several months),
b. Visits lasting between one week and one month.

In all cases, the visiting guest researcher will contribute to a scientific event (e.g., PhD course, master class, symposium, conference) targeting the VLAG (PhD) community .
PhD thesis committee members who only provide a lecture in a symposium linked to a PhD thesis defence are not eligible for this grant.

Applications for visitors from outside Europe are only eligible if they last at least one month (min 4 full working weeks, not including travel).

The VLAG grant for category (a) covers expenses up to € 1500 per month, with a maximum of € 5000 for sabbaticals longer than three months.
The VLAG grant for category (b) covers expenses up to €500 per week.

The grant only covers actual costs of essential economy class travel and accommodation (substantiated by receipts). It will be administered after the visit via the chair group.
The grant does not cover living expenses, such as food, local transportation, personal expenses, etc.

Conditions:

• The visiting researcher is an expert in the field (Assistant Professor or more senior)
• The duration of the stay in Wageningen is in line with the aim of the visit
• In case of sabbaticals the candidate has not spent a research period longer than a week in Wageningen in the last 3 years
• Active contribution to the VLAG PhD programme as an expert adviser, keynote speaker, or lecturer in a PhD education activity (e.g., PhD course, workshop, master class, symposium, conference) is mandatory
• The involved chair group hosting or co-organising the scientific event is expected to discuss the event setup with the VLAG office prior to applying for the grant
• Sabbatical guest researcher should contribute to the research of the hosting chair group
• The application for a visiting guest researcher fellowship needs to be supported by a senior tenured researcher from the hosting chair group
• Within 4 weeks after the visit, a short report (1 A4) is sent to VLAG

Please use the application form.

Deadline:

1 November 2025 for activities starting in 2026.

International collaboration is a vital part of a successful scientific CV. Assessment committees often advise Assistant Professors to broaden their horizon and spend some time abroad. A sabbatical may not always be feasible, while a shorter visit (e.g. 2 - 3 weeks) to a leading international research organisation may be easier to plan. These VLAG grants are intended for VLAG Assistant Professors to set up and maintain international collaborations. This is expected to contribute to their personal development and to have clear added value for the research of the chair group.
The visit to a leading international research organisation can be combined with an international course or conference but it needs to include a visit to an international research group for at least 2 weeks (min 10 working days). Applications for fellowships outside Europe are only eligible if they last at least one month (4 full working weeks, not including travel).
This VLAG grant covers expenses up to €500 per week, with a maximum of €3000 for a visit of six weeks or longer. The grant covers essential economy class travel (one return ticket) including visa and accommodation, based on actual costs. The grant does not cover living expenses, such as food, local transportation, personal expenses, etc.
The chair group is expected to provide the necessary means upfront. The VLAG grant will be transferred upon return to Wageningen, and it will be administered via the chair group.

Conditions:

• VLAG Assistant Professor at the time of submission and during the visit
• Added value of the visit to both personal/professional development of the candidate and the research of the chair group
• Consent of the chair holder
• Letter of acceptance by the host institution
• Within 4 weeks after the visit, a short ‘back to office report’ (1 A4) should be sent to VLAG

Selection of fellows is done by the VLAG Office taking into account all information provided, given the available budget, and the number and quality of all applications. No a priori selection criteria are set, but they might include the fair distribution of funds over VLAG Research Themes and chair groups over time.

Please use the application form.

Continuous application

VLAG stimulates PhD candidates to organise group excursions to research facilities abroad (Europe only) or in the Netherlands. These excursions contribute to broadening PhD candidates’ horizons, both from scientific and organizational points of view.
The PhD excursions are organised by a committee of PhD candidates.

For more information visit the webpage PhD excursions