The Veni target group consists of researchers who have obtained their doctorate within the last three years and are at the stage of transitioning towards independence. The Veni grant can contribute to the researcher’s development in this area. The Veni grant is aimed at researchers with academic qualities that clearly exceed what is customary. The Veni grant is intended to finance academically innovative research and to give these researchers the opportunity to develop themselves as independent researchers.

External candidates who want to choose IBL as host institution for their VENI application need to have the support of a senior PI at IBL and must ask for approval to the Daily Board at least 3 months before the application deadline.

The Vidi is an instrument within the NWO Talent Programme. The Vidi target group consists of researchers who have completed their doctorates with a maximum of 8 years and are in the transition to leadership. They also possess academic qualities that clearly exceed what is usual and demonstrate development of leadership and mentoring qualities. The Vidi grant funds scientifically innovative research and gives researchers the opportunity to establish or expand a research group.

The Vici target group consists of researchers at the stage of consolidation and further development of their leadership/research group. Vici is aimed at senior researchers with academic qualities that clearly exceed what is customary within the international peer group, as well as established leadership- and mentorship skills.

Researchers may only submit an application if they have obtained their PhD within a maximum of 15 years.

In the NWO Open Competition Domain Science researchers can apply individually or in collaboration for curiosity-driven, fundamental research in the research fields of the NWO Domain Science (ENW).

This funding instrument is open for research proposals with a question in or overlapping the fields of earth sciences, astronomy, chemistry, computer science, life sciences, physics and mathematics. Proposals can be monodisciplinary, multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary in nature. The NWO Domain Science has three different types of funding that you can submit proposals for in open competition. These are the small-scale (XS, M) and large-scale (XL) grants. 

XS – 4 rounds per year, €50K.  although not meant as a collaborative grant, it offers researchers an opportunity to conduct innovative and high-risk research. it is a distributed peer review process where the applicants themselves act as the assessors and anonymously evaluate each other's research ideas.

M – Continuous call, €400 – €800K depending on the M type. Researchers can apply individually or in collaboration for non-programmed, curiosity-driven basic research. The ENW-M grants offer researchers the opportunity and freedom to start, and/or strengthen excellent, challenging and innovative lines of research, both mono disciplinary, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.

XL- Every 2 years, €1M - €3M. XL grants are aimed at curiosity-driven fundamental scientific research with impact. The ENW–XL grants offer consortia the opportunity to establish, strengthen, and/or expand world-class, ground-breaking, challenging, and innovative lines of research (mono-, multi-, or interdisciplinary) within the research areas of the Domain Science. Collaboration in consortia through coordinated consolidation of strengths and areas of expertise creates added value compared to smaller individual projects.

For Open competition information from other domains see: Open Competition SSH, Open Competition ZonMW

The Open Technology Programme provides funding for free and unrestricted applied and technical-scientific research without disciplinary boundaries. The programme offers companies and other organizations an accessible way to participate in scientific research that is intended to have societal and/or scientific impact. Collaboration with relevant knowledge users from the public and/or private sectors is a key feature of the OTP, allowing for increased application of research results and impact opportunities.

Continuous applications, max €950K. Co-funding is required if the total project costs exceed €700,000. The minimum required co-funding is 25% of the project costs above €700,000, with no distinction between co-funding in cash or in kind.

NWO develops innovation programmes in the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) focused on the Netherlands' societal challenges to realise impact for the economy, people and society. The emphasis in these programmes is on collaboration between scientists, companies and civil society organisations. The results contribute to realising economic opportunities. Essential is that companies invest in each research project.

The money available for KIC research is distributed across four funding lines: Mission, Demand, Strategy and Practice. Read on the funding lines pages what type of research falls within which funding line. From 2024 to 2027, €120 million is available for Mission, Demand and Strategy research and €18 million for the Practice funding line.

Through the KIC, NWO actively contributes to the Dutch government's mission-driven innovation policy. In this policy, several Knowledge and Innovation Agendas (KIAs) have been drawn up: Climate and Energy; Circular Economy; Agriculture, Water, Food; Health & Care; Safety; Key Technologies; Digitalisation; Social Earning Capacity. Research can be conducted within these topics. The research is conducted in cooperation with companies that co-finance innovation projects. Read more about the KIAs.

Examples of previous KIC calls include: KIC Microbiome, KIC Antimicrobial resistance, KIC Biochemical diversity, KIC Reducing critical raw materials use in energy transition, KIC future plastics, KIC Demand-driven Research by Consortia S and XL, etc.

The Dutch Research Agenda was realised through an innovative process with the input of citizens and scientists. The Dutch knowledge community, united in the Knowledge Coalition, grouped almost 12,000 questions from citizens in 140 cluster questions: urgent issues for research and innovation. Twenty-five routes were established on the basis of these issues. These are self-organising networks that investigate important scientific, societal and economic issues and put them on the agenda.

The routes play an important role in the NWA. Their connecting role in the NWA programme ensures innovation in the scientific agenda, the involvement of the entire knowledge chain and the bringing together of parties.

NWA-ORC. Research along Routes by Consortia. In the annual ORC funding round, consortia can submit thematic proposals that provide a joint expression of the breadth and innovative character of the NWA. The funding round is aimed at facilitating research that leads to scientific and/or societal breakthroughs.

Specific NWA Thematic programming are also developed. These consists of targeted, custom-tailored research programs set up in direct consultation with specific government ministries or public bodies to solve pre-defined societal needs.

Through the National Growth Fund, the Dutch government invests in projects that ensure long-term economic growth. Among other things, the National Growth Fund invests in research, development and innovation projects. In a number of these projects, NWO is involved as one of the implementing organisations, including for organising grant programmes for scientific research or scientific talent.

NWO is involved in the implementation of several Growth Fund projects awarded through the departmental route. Check the NWO website for the total overview of the Growth Fund projects NWO supports in their implementation.

The Innovation Accelerator is a funding line that helps researchers translate academic insights and scientific discoveries into practical products, services, and commercial or social solutions to strengthen the Netherlands' economic and societal innovative capacity. Within this funding line NWO stimulates and facilitates researchers with various funding options, such as training courses, loans and grants for both individual researchers and teams. Examples of this are: Take-off, Impact Explorer, Demonstrator, Faculty of Impact etc. 

ERC grants are prestigious research funding awards provided by the European Research Council to support excellent, ground-breaking frontier research.

The ERC's mission is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe through competitive funding and to support investigator-driven frontier research across all fields, based on scientific excellence.

The ERC offers 4 core grant schemes: 

ERC Starting grant

ERC Consolidator grant

ERC Advanced grant

ERC Synergy grant

An additional funding is made available only to those who already have an ERC award to establish proof of concept of an idea that was generated in the course of their ERC-funded projects.

Frontier research often generates radically new ideas that drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges. The ERC PoC Grants aim at facilitating exploration of the commercial and social innovation potential of ERC funded research and are therefore available only to PIs whose proposals draw substantially on their ERC funded research.

ERC Proof of Concept

Note : Synergy Grant PIs must provide the written consent of all other Principal Investigators in the same Synergy Grant project to apply.

From 2026, ERC has introduced ERC Plus Grants to support outstanding researchers from Europe and anywhere in the world with bold ideas and a vision for transformative research that goes beyond the scope of existing ERC programmes.

ERC Plus Grants

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) are the European Union’s flagship funding programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training of researchers. The MSCA help build Europe’s capacity for research and innovation by investing in the long-term careers of excellent researchers. The MSCA support the mobility of researchers between countries, sectors and disciplines to acquire new knowledge, skills and competences.

MSCA Doctoral Networks

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships

Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness," receives the largest share of the overall Horizon Europe budget—around €53.5 billion—to fund collaborative, multi-national research and innovation projects.

Pillar 2 focuses on the major challenges that the EU and the world are facing. These are listed in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among other things.

Collaboration between parties from different sectors is needed to tackle these problems. Parties could include research and educational institutions, industry, NGOs and others. Examples of challenges are health and well-being for everyone, a digital economy, solutions for climate change, the transition to a circular economy and the food problem.

Within Horizon Europe, activities within pillar 2 aim at excellence and social impact. Applicants for this pillar are often consortia of public and private parties. These could include researchers from universities and companies, manufacturers, end-users, and so on. All parties involved bring together practical and technological knowledge through multidisciplinary collaboration.

Clusters

Pillar 2 is divided into 6 clusters. Read more about the clusters:

1. Health
2. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
3. Civil Security for Society
4. Digital, Industry and Space
5. Climate, Energy and Mobility
6. Food, Bio-economy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment  

The European Innovation Council (EIC) is Europe's flagship funding program established under the EU's Horizon Europe framework to identify, develop, and scale up breakthrough technologies and game-changing innovations. Its goal is to aid researchers, start-ups and SMEs bring their innovations to market by providing funding, networking and partnership opportunities, and business acceleration services.

EIC Pathfinder: Supports early-stage research and the scientific basis for breakthrough technologies. (TRL 1-4). EIC Pathfinder Challenges: For projects that match any of the predefined thematic areas of the Pathfinder Challenges. EIC Pathfinder Open: For projects in any field of science, technology or application without predefined thematic priorities. 

EIC Transition: Bridges the gap between research results and market validation or commercial readiness. (TRL 3-6). EIC Transition is open for projects with identified EU-funded results from e.g. EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept or RIA projects.

EU Missions are large-scale initiatives under Horizon Europe setting clear, time-bound goals that drive focused efforts towards some of our greatest challenges such as climate change, cancer, ocean restoration, soil health, and the development of climate-neutral and smart cities. By bringing together researchers, policymakers, citizens, and stakeholders, EU Missions pool the necessary resources to drive innovation and deliver concrete solutions for societal benefit. 

5 missions have been identified.

Adaptation to Climate change mission

Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities mission

Cancer mission

Soil Deal for Europe mission

Restore our Ocean and Waters mission

European Partnerships have become one of the key instruments of the European Research and Innovation Framework Programme, Horizon Europe, and of the European Research Area (ERA). They are strategic instruments, which enable long-term collaboration between the EU's various partners.

European Partnerships bring the European Commission and private and/or public partners together to address some of Europe’s most pressing challenges through concerted research and innovation initiatives. This strategic alignment and pooling of resources makes them a key implementation tool of Horizon Europe, and contribute significantly to achieving the EU’s political priorities, such as the green and digital transitions.

Under Horizon Europe, there are 3 different implementation modes for European Partnerships.

Co-programmed: Based on Memoranda of Understanding/contractual arrangements; implemented independently by the partners and by Horizon Europe.

Co-funded: Based on a joint programme agreed and implemented by partners; commitment of partners for financial and in-kind contributions

Institutionalised: Based on long-term dimension and need for high integration; partnerships based on Art 185/187 of TFEU and the EIT legal acts for 2021-2027

The European Partnership Portfolio is divided across 6 areas:

• Climate, energy and mobility
• Culture, creativity and inclusive society,
• Digital Industry and space
• Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment
• Health
• Partnerships across themes

In the Netherlands, funding opportunities related to European partnerships can be usually found via RVO and NWO.