National funding for projects and/or consortia

This funding type is for research projects in which expertise from different organizations is required to address a complex research question, and make societal or economic impact. Below you find an overview of the national funding for projects and/or consortiums. Contact the funding advisor (contact person for your Research Institute) for more information.

Open Competition

Researchers in different stages of their academic careers can apply individually or in collaboration for curiosity-driven, fundamental research.

Dutch Research Agenda - Research along Routes by Consortia (NWA-ORC)

The aim of the NWA-ORC is to encourage research that is set up and carried out by interdisciplinary consortia that include representatives from the full breadth of the knowledge chain as well as relevant societal (public and/or private) partners, including citizens.
More information: NWA-ORC

NWO Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC)

The focus is on cooperation between knowledge institutions, private parties and the government. The results thus contribute to the realisation of economic opportunities.
More information: NWO KIC

NWO Gravitation

The programme is for scientific consortia that have the potential to rank among the world's best in their field.
More information: NWO Gravitation

ZonMw Appropriate Use of Medicines (Goed Gebruik Geneesmiddelen (GGG))

GGG focuses on improving pharmacotherapeutic care, both at the level of the medicine and on the use of medicines in daily care.
More information: ZonMw GGG

ZonMw Doelmatigheidsonderzoek

The aim of this program is to contribute to high-quality patient care at acceptable costs for society. Based on a weighing of effectiveness and costs, it can be determined which care intervention is the most efficient and which intervention should not be applied (anymore).
More information: ZonMw Doelmatigheidsonderzoek

ZonMw More Knowledge with Fewer Animals

With the programme, ZonMW encourages the development of new animal-free models and the acceptance and implementation of existing animal-free research methods.
More information: ZonMw More Knowledge with Fewer Animals

NWO Demonstrator

Researchers who want to apply knowledge from their research and bring it to the market can apply for funding from NWO to further develop this knowledge into a Demonstrator.
More information: NWO Demonstrator

NWO Open Technology Programme

Researchers can submit proposals for application-oriented technical/scientific research that is free and unrestricted and is not hindered by disciplinary boundaries. Several companies and partners can participate in a project by making a financial or material contribution.
More information: NWO Open Technology Programme

National Personal Grants

The purpose of personal grants is to fund 'investigator-driven', or 'bottom-up' research which allows researchers to identify new opportunities in any field of research. Different funding organizations, including NWO, ZonMw, Horizon Europe as well as many health foundations, provide a variety of personal grants or fellowships that support adventurous, talented, pioneering researchers to do research of their choice, develop their own research line and further develop their talent.

Below you will find a short overview of several personal grants aimed at different stages of research career. Contact the funding advisor (contact person for your Research Institute) for more information.

NWO Talent Programme

The Talent Scheme has three funding instruments tailored to various phases in researchers' scientific careers:

Veni: for researchers who have obtained their PhD in the three years preceeding the benchmark date.
Vidi: for experienced researchers who have already conducted several years of research after gaining their PhD in the eight years preceding the benchmark date.
Vici: for senior researchers who have already demonstrated the ability to develop their own line of research after gaining their PhD in the fifteen years preceding the benchmark date.

Extension to the above career-dependent submission period may be possible under specific circumstances

More information: NWO Talent Programme

NWO Rubicon

This programme allows scientist and academicians who recently obtained their PhD in the Netherlands to gain experience at a foreign knowledge institute for a period of 1-2 years.

More information: NWO Rubicon

ZonMW Clinical Fellows

The Clinical Fellow is a personal grant for medical specialists with a PhD who are at the beginning of their scientific careers and wants to build a bridge between research and the clinic.

More information: ZonMW Clinical Fellows

Niels Stensen Fellowship

This fellowship supports excellent and socially commited researchers to gain research experience at a top knowledge institute abroad for a period of no less than nine months and no more than twelve months.

More information: Niels Stensen Fellowship

ZonMw Off Road

This program challenges creative and adventurous researchers, between two and six years after PhD, to explore their promising, innovative and risky ideas into a proof of concept within the biomedical and health sciences field.

More information: ZonMw Off Road

NRO Comenius programme

This programme contributes to the innovation and improvement of secondary vocational education and higher education in the Netherlands. This directly benefits students and gives education professionals at various stages of their careers the opportunity to develop further in their career. The programme includes three different grants:

Senior Fellows*: More information
Leadership Fellows**: More information
Teaching Fellows: More information

* One Senior Fellow application per faculty.
** One Leadership Fellow application per institution.

KWF Young Investigator Grant

This grant supports young researchers who have obtained their PhD within five years preceeding the benchmark date to start an independent oncological research line, serving as a steppingstone toward their own niche.

More information: KWF

The Dekker program of the Heart Foundation

This programme enables researchers to set up an independent line of research and stimulates scientific research into cardiovascular diseases. The programme has fellowships tailored to various phases in researchers' scientific careers.

More information: Hartstichting

ZonMw Dementia Fellowships

The fellowship supports talented researchers with innovative and groundbreaking ideas in dementia research. Applicants must have obtained PhD within 5 years before the benchmark date.

More information: ZonMw

Kolff+ program of The Dutch Kidney Foundation

The programme supports talented researchers to make important contributions to the field of renal research and to stimulate the application of research results in practice. It includes Junior and Senior Talent Grants for early-career and mid-career postdoc renal researchers.

More information: Nierstichting

Junior Investigator Grants of Lung Foundation

This grant enables researchers to develop their scientific ideas and establish a research niche. Open to talented Dutch researchers with up to five years of post-PhD experience.

More information: Longfonds

Talent programma of Dutch Arthritis Foundation (ReumaNederland)

This programme supports postdoc researchers (up to ten years post-PhD) in building a research group with a clear goal and vision line within rheumatism research.

More information: ReumaNederland

Spierfonds Elevator Grant

This grant supports young researchers in muscle disease, available to PhD candidates or those up to ten years post-PhD. Priority is given to applications on: diagnostics, new targets, drug development, and trial readiness.

More information: Spierfonds Elevator Grant