As part of our mission to support Parkinson’s research in the long term, the Demoucelle Parkinson Charity aims to encourage young Belgian scientists to put their energy, knowledge and talent into addressing the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease

To that end we created a four-year PhD grant programme and selected our first laureate – Maaike Goris – last year.

Our second grant will be awarded in 2025 and we are excited to have secured significant funding from the National Bank of Belgium.

However, we now have a good kind of challenge: we need to raise the remaining 15 000 euros for each of the four years i.e. 60 000 euros. With your help – donations small and large – we feel certain we can get there. Will you help us?

First PhD Fellowship made a tangible difference!

Our first PhD laureate Maaike recently reported that receiving a four-year grant has enabled her to expand her research, raise the international profile of her work by attending conferences, learn from other experts, share her findings and receive valuable feedback. Her first paper is ready for publication, she has won an international competition for her research, and the data for a second study has been collected and will be taken on by another PhD student thereby ensuring continuity. To find out more, please click here.

We are confident that by supporting young researchers at the start of their careers, we will both increase the number of scientists dedicated to Parkinson’s disease and the quality of their work.

Thank you to the National Bank of Belgium

We are delighted that the National Bank of Belgium has decided to support this important initiative.

“As part of its social responsibility, the National Bank of Belgium is pleased to support the Demoucelle Parkinson Charity by financing biomedical research into Parkinson’s disease: a concrete project with great social value,” said Orion Devriendt, corporate sustainability responsibility coordinator.

This generous donation gives us confidence that, with your help, we will be able to offer a second PhD Fellowship and that we can already begin informing universities and students about the grant in a timely way as they consider their future area of PhD study.  The FWO (Flemish research funding organisation) will close applications for this 2nd Fellowship by March 1st.

Will you help support the next generation of Belgian Parkinson’s scientists?

Will you help us to reach our goal of 60 000 euros to fully fund our 2nd PhD Fellowship? Every donation, small or large, is gratefully received! Thank you