The aim of this programme is to carry out cross-thematic research into societal issues that are among the priorities of the FPSs and the Federal Government, including research in the domain of HASS (Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences).
Through this programme, BELSPO will provide support and methodological expertise to the aforementioned institutions in the selection and follow-up of research projects, but also wants to encourage policymakers to formulate research priorities and release additional research budgets at political level for their implementation. The type of project(s) and theme(s) proposed will have to align with these research priorities.
BELSPO is responsible for the implementation and management of the programme, assisted by a S4Policy Programme Committee composed of:
The committee also acts as an institutional memory of accomplished research to avoid repetition and/or overlap of topics. To perform this task, FPS representatives will ensure that they are aware of research conducted in their own departments. The Programme Committee has a balanced composition in terms of language and gender.
The Programme Committee is mandated to advise on:
For the implementation of the ‘Flash’ research, BELSPO will consult with the relevant FPS(s).
Within policy-driven and policy-oriented research, there is a possibility for bilateral cooperation with specific partner countries or areas at the request of the FPS(s) concerned, for example based on existing diplomatic agreements for R&D&I cooperation. The regular bilateral dialogue via joint committee meetings (organised approximately every three years) where agreements are made around focus areas of common interest and applied cooperation instruments will also continue if the FPS(s) concerned wish/want to.
At the beginning and mid-term of each legislature, BELSPO and the strategic policy cell for Science Policy will identify priority research needs and questions for policy-driven and policy-oriented research together with the FPSs and the Federal strategic policy cells. Based on these, a call agenda will be established, and the information will be submitted to the government as part of the budget cycle. The long-term strategic research calendar can/will be reviewed annually by BELSPO and the Programme Committee and adapted where necessary to ensure the pertinence of the research actions in function of an evolving societal framework. Priorities for ‘Flash’ research will be made ad hoc by the FPS(s) concerned.
There are three different types of projects in the S4Policy Programme:
1. ‘Flash’ research
A Flash project is a tool to provide a rapid response to urgent, time-limited (3-12 months) research needs expressed by one or more FPSs or their competent Minister(s) in support of political decision-making. The aim is to rapidly mobilise expertise or existing scientific knowledge and issue 'Rapid Reviews' for decision-making purposes. These reviews are a form of evidence synthesis that provide more timely information for decision-making than standard systematic ones, and often serve to get a picture of new or emerging research topics. They are therefore not new research - i.e. unpublished and new to Belgium or relating to the state of scientific knowledge. Consequently, curiosity-driven research is excluded.
Flash project results should provide a scientific basis for the execution of federal policy through the implementation of a federal measure, decision, etc. For instance, the study on the impact of advertising in sports context on the normalisation of gambling and gambling behaviour conducted last year on behalf of the FPS Justice.
Flash projects related to a field of expertise of a given federal institution such as the Federal Planning Bureau or the Health Care Knowledge Centre, will aim to make a maximum use of their own internal expertise in close collaboration with external institution(s) implementing the project. External scientific institutions may only be called upon if there appears to be insufficient expertise or capacity internally (subsidiarity principle). For the purposes of knowledge building, cooperation between a federal and external institution is also a possibility.
To respond as flexibly as possible to requests from the FPSs, this instrument will be open to applications throughout the year, independently of the calls for ‘policy-driven’ and ‘policy-oriented projects’.
Requests for Flash research should be submitted via the ad-hoc form by an FPS and/or a strategic policy cell via: flash@belspo.be.
Towards the 2024-2025 Flash Projects calls for proposals.
2. Policy-driven research
The research priorities within these types of projects are proposed by and respond to the specific needs of FPSs. Policy-driven research has a narrow scope and aims to support the concerned department(s) and/or government in the implementation and management of their public policies. The scientific results of the projects will be used and implemented specifically by the FPS(s) concerned. Examples include the co-funded projects resulting from the last
BRAIN-be 2.0 - Pillar 3 
call.
3. ‘Policy-Oriented’research
This type of research aims to fund a set of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research projects of a strategic nature around broad generic policy themes – possibly across several FPSs – to support long-term decision-making by creating or ensuring critical research mass capacity and international recognition through collaboration.
This type of research also includes:
Examples of this type of research are the DRUGS , POST-COVID en DEFRA programmes.
