Health Research

Support research that sets out to find answers to unmet needs and social challenges in healthcare.

Progress in medicine doesn't just appear out of thin air: every stride forward is preceded by long and expensive years of research. Hard work that opens the door to new interventions that stand to benefit both patients and those around them. Thanks to the resources made available by philanthropists, the King Baudouin Foundation is able to support health research at both the Belgian and European level, on top of government investments and in partnership with both public and private actors.

Our actions

  • We support health research and award grants to researchers active in a range of fields: rare illnesses, cancer, neurology, cardiology, rheumatology and much more.
  • We encourage research into rare illnesses, thanks in part to the significant resources made available by the Generet Fund. Every year, this Fund awards a prize of one million euros to a pioneering researcher.
  • We encourage niche research that is not financed by other partes, with a particular focus on innovation and added value.

Health research is part of the programme Health

Calls for projects

Fund for Scientific Research in Rheumatology

Research in rheumatology

Selection announced

Fund Abefradoc-Benevermedex - Assure your future

Support for scientific research in the field of insurance medicine and medical expertise within the framework of private insurance.

Ongoing

Generet (Fund)

A prestigious award of 1 Million euros to encourage groundbreaking research in rare diseases in Belgium for a better quality of life of patients.

Selection announced

Grantees

Université Libre de Bruxelles

Functional role of miR-1179 and miR-873-5p in thyroid tumorigenesis

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)

EORTC Medical Oncology Fellowship 2025-2026

Universiteit Hasselt

Coronary plaque progression and the relationship with lipoprotein (a) and endurance exercise training

Events

Award ceremony - laureates 2022 Funds for health research

05/10/2023 10:30 until 05/10/2023 12:30

Award ceremony - Laureates 2022 of the Funds for health research

GENeHOPE - Award ceremony 'Laureates 2025'

23/06/2025 18:00 until 23/06/2025 20:00

The Fund GENeHOPE supports biomedical research on genetic diseases by encouraging collaboration between expert centers in Belgium and abroad

Funds and philanthropic tools

Serneels-Franken Los Pinguinos (Fonds)

Support for research on rare diseases or rare variants of more common diseases.

Fight Kids Cancer (Filantropische Actie)

This philanthropic action aims to facilitate the implementation of a European funding programme for innovative research projects in the field of paediatric cancers.

Alice Copette (Fund)

Support to research in the field of neurosciences

Press Releases

1 Million Euros for Research into Early-Onset Dementia. Prof. Dr. Patrik Verstreken Receives Generet Prize for Rare Diseases

28 02 2025

The second Rousseeuw Prize for Statistics awarded

30 07 2024

The international and independent jury, appointed by the King Baudouin Foundation, has selected the pioneering work on the False Discovery Rate (FDR) as the recipient of the pres…

Mental Health Research Mapping

KBF releases 4 million euro for mental health research

16 02 2024

The KBF is setting up the Fund for Mental Health Research to map mental health research in Belgium.

Stories

From asthma research to better treatment for cystic fibrosis complications?

Health Research

"When we see a patient whose cystic fibrosis is deteriorating, it is often hard to identify the cause. There is a need for better diagnosis of allergic reactions to fungi."
Dr Eva Van Braeckel
Pulmonologist (UGent and UZ Gent)

Pancreatic cancer: gradually untangling a complex knot

Health Research

“In families where there are more cases of pancreatic cancer, we are also seeing an association with colon and breast cancer.”
Prof. Kathleen Claes
UGent, Lab for Cancer Predisposition and Precision Oncology

New perspective on DNA variations leads to explanation for rare disease

Health Research

“We have shown that it is also worthwhile to look at the variants just before and just after genes.”
Prof. Eric Legius
Head of Centre for Human Genetics UZ Leuven