Interdisciplinary collaborations go outside the boundaries of traditional collaborations among ‘basic’ scientists. Collaborations with clinical groups, applied agronomists, technology development specialists, engineers, … are considered interdisciplinary. Projects strive for transdisciplinarity by taking actors from civil society on board (patients/patient organisations, farmers/farming organisations, consumers,...).

Knowledgeable stakeholder involvement and engagement is mandatory, e.g. with patient group representatives, investors, developing world experts, health economists and/or policy experts. Maximum 50% of the funding is to be allocated to VIB groups and min 50% to non-VIB groups.

The intention of the program is to team up with non-VIB research groups which have complementary expertise, knowledge and technology required for the successful execution of a VIB Grand Challenges project. Projects start from an unmet societal need, for which solutions are identified during the project's lifetime. These results are further developed into outcomes to generate long-term societal impact. 

VIB Grand Challenges projects beyond proof-of-principle might fit within the Program if they can balance out short-term deliverables with longer term societal impact. A minimum of proof-of-principle data is required, demonstrating the feasibility of the project.​ If no data is available, a proof-of-principle phase must be introduced in the research work plan.

Projects strive to identify, engage and involve different stakeholders during the project's lifetime. These stakeholders provide valuable insights that contribute to the project results. The VIB-GCP support team is dedicated to supporting the project's stakeholder interaction activities in collaboration with the project partners.

VIB-GCP can only fund projects that have no alternative funding options, and should as such be considered as 'gap funding'. 

Achieving additional (leverage) funding during the project's lifetime is key for a successful project, including but certainly not limited to spill-over to both classical and more dedicated funding applications.