The secretary-general of the Research Foundation — Flanders (FWO) in Brussels, which is responsible for much of the region's science funding, discusses its scientific research prospects.

What is the FWO's budget?

Since the mid-1990s, the Flemish government's budget for science has doubled. The FWO's budget for this year is almost €195 million (US$268 million). For 2011 there could be a 5% cut, but we are optimistic, because the government has said that it has a plan for 2012 onwards, to invest more in science.

Is Belgium a good place for young scientists?

I think so. At the FWO we have fellowships for PhD students and postdocs. Only those with a master's from a European university can apply for the PhD fellowship. Our postdoc fellowships are open to all nationalities. We get more applications each year.

What opportunities exist in Belgium for foreign researchers?

We have a programme, Odysseus, to attract top senior and mid-career researchers. A university offers a position, and we offer funding, up to €1.5 million a year for five years. From 2011 onwards we will start a new programme, co-funded with the European Commission's Marie Curie Actions scheme, to attract more postdocs from other countries.

How international are Belgian scientists?

We have programmes to help our researchers move to other research groups all over the world. FWO fellows get a bench fee, which gives them mobility. And researchers can apply for grants to go abroad for up to a year. We are a bit afraid that our good researchers will go elsewhere because of the shrinking budget. I'm not worried that they are leaving, rather that they won't come back.