Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS)

The National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR) (Dutch: NFWO, French: FNRS) was once a government institution in Belgium for supporting scientific research until it was split into two separate organizations: The Dutch-speaking Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek - Vlaanderen (FWO) for Flanders and the French-speaking Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS (F.R.S.–FNRS) for the French-speaking part of Belgium.

The task of the FWO and F.R.S.–FNRS is to stimulate the development of new knowledge in all scientific disciplines. The means to achieve this, is to finance excellent scientists and research projects after an inter-University competition and with an evaluation by foreign experts. The criterion for support is the scientific quality of the scientist and the research proposal, irrespective of scientific discipline.

Both institutions, the FWO (Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek – Vlaanderen) and the F.R.S.–FNRS (Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique - FNRS) are located in the same building at Egmontstraat 5 rue d'Egmont in B-1000 Brussels.