DIENST VOOR WETENSCHAPPELIJKE EN TECHNISCHE INFORMATIE- SERVICE D'INFORMATION SCIENTIFIQUE ET TECHNIQUE

Their core work

STIS/BELSPO is Belgium's federal scientific information service, operating as the National Contact Point (NCP) for multiple Horizon 2020 programme areas. They help Belgian researchers and companies navigate EU funding programmes by providing guidance, training, and support services across Space, Security, Environment, Research Infrastructures, and Science with and for Society. Their core work is bridging national research communities with European funding opportunities — they don't do research themselves but enable others to access and succeed in EU programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2014–2016), STIS/BELSPO focused heavily on establishing NCP networks and promoting Responsible Research and Innovation themes — ethics, open access, and gender in science. From 2015 onward, the emphasis shifted toward practical support activities: communication, international cooperation, best practices sharing, SME involvement, and capacity building. This evolution reflects a move from policy-oriented awareness-raising to hands-on advisory services designed to improve participation rates in EU programmes.

STIS/BELSPO is moving from passive information provision toward active engagement services — training, consulting, and international matchmaking — suggesting they could be a strong partner for dissemination and widening participation activities in future programmes.

How they like to work

STIS/BELSPO always participates as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a national support body rather than a research performer. They work in relatively large consortia (46 unique partners across 6 projects, averaging ~15 partners per consortium) with broad geographic diversity across 32 countries. This makes them a reliable, low-risk consortium partner who brings network access and national-level policy connections rather than technical research capacity.

With 46 unique consortium partners spread across 32 countries, STIS/BELSPO has one of the broadest geographic networks possible for an NCP body — essentially connecting to peer organisations across nearly all EU member states and associated countries.

What sets them apart

STIS/BELSPO covers more Horizon 2020 programme areas as NCP than most national counterparts — spanning Space, Security, Environment, Research Infrastructures, and Science with Society simultaneously. This multi-sector NCP experience makes them valuable for projects that need a Belgian entry point or dissemination channel across multiple thematic areas. For consortium builders, they offer institutional credibility, pan-European NCP network access, and proven experience in communication and outreach work packages.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RICH
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 91,500) — focused on Research Infrastructures, an area where NCP guidance is especially critical for newcomers.
• NCPs CaRE
  Longest-running project (2015–2021) and the most operationally diverse, covering international cooperation, SME involvement, and policy dialogue across climate, raw materials, and environment.