Trans-disciplinary collaborations go outside the boundaries of traditional collaborations among ‘basic’ scientists. Collaborations with clinical groups, applied agronomics, technology development, engineering, … are considered trans-disciplinary.

Knowledgeable stakeholder involvement is mandatory, e.g. with patient group representatives, investors, developing world experts, health economists and 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.

VIB Grand Challenges projects beyond proof-of-concept might fit within the VIB-GCP if they can balance out short-term deliverables with longer term societal impact. 

A minimum of proof-of-concept (POC) data is required, demonstrating the feasibility of the project.​ If no POC data is available, a POC phase must be introduced in the research work plan. The full research budget for the project is only released after obtaining POC.

Achieving leveraging funding is key for a successful project, including but certainly not limited to spill-over to both classical and more dedicated funding applications.