Since its establishment, VLIZ has aimed to enhance the international profile of the Flemish marine research landscape. Early on, VLIZ invested in securing European projects to position Flanders as a central player in the European marine research arena. The first steps were taken in the Sixth Framework Program for Research and Technological Development (FP6) of the European Commission (2002 - 2006). For instance, VLIZ participated in the iconic MarBEF project on marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, which laid the foundation for its international reputation in managing marine biological databases.
Since then, VLIZ has built an impressive track record in numerous European projects and gained a strong international reputation as a reliable project partner. Additionally, there has been a clear acceleration in the generation of these projects, creating a snowball effect.
Looking at the last three framework programs (FP7, 2007-2013; Horizon 2020, 2014-2020; Horizon Europe, 2021-2027; including other European funding channels during these periods), there has been a strong increase in the number of submitted project proposals: from 24 in FP7 to 108 in the most recent – still ongoing – program period. Of these 108 proposals, the requested funding now exceeds 46 million euros, more than three times the amount during Horizon 2020 (less than 15 million euros). Furthermore, the institute has tapped into new European funding channels, such as the European Defense Fund (EDF) and Digital Europe.
The increase in submitted proposals demonstrates that the institute's efforts to secure European project funding have significantly risen. Equally important is the increase in the number of approved projects. Since 2021, VLIZ has secured no fewer than 40 projects, worth nearly 21 million euros. This represents a five-fold increase in the approved project budget compared to the previous program period. Moreover, there are currently project proposals worth more than 15 million euros still in the pipeline for evaluation.
The success rate of the institute in Horizon Europe has risen to nearly 55% (excluding proposals still under review), compared to 40% in the previous program period (2014-2020). This exceptional score is largely attributed to the projects secured in 2022 and 2023, when the institute’s success rate reached approximately 75%. During that period, VLIZ was, by a significant margin, the European leader in awarded project funding within the ‘Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ mission.
Finally, in the current program period, VLIZ is, for the first time, acting as the project coordinator for large European projects. In previous periods, the institute often led work packages but never the project itself. This has changed in Horizon Europe with two approved projects where VLIZ is the coordinator – Inspire and DTO-Bioflow – and one more proposal currently in the pipeline.