International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges

International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges is sponsored by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research) (in collaboration with international partners). This is one of NWO's Global Programmes where NWO collaborates with other research funders worldwide on global themes.

These programs develop bilateral and multilateral research programs on global themes that are important for the Netherlands and for partner countries.

2026 International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | NWO WUR is listed under ‘Who can apply’ - TO2 institutions (Deltares, MARIN, NLR, TNO, WUR); This call aims to harness the potential of disruptive technologies to deliver novel solutions to global challenges and accelerate progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

More research is needed on how disruptive technologies can have transformative, economic, or societal impacts, improving people's lives and the planet through contextually appropriate interventions. Please note! NWO funding can only be requested for projects addressing the following SDGs: Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).

Researchers may submit an application if all applicants (= co-PI(s) and co-applicant(s)) have a tenured position (and therefore a paid position for an indefinite period) or a tenure track agreement at one of the following research organisations: Universities and universities of applied sciences (UAS) as referred to in Article 1.

8 paragraph 1 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act and universities listed in the Policy Rules for Universities located in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; University medical centres by which is meant academic hospitals as referred to in Article 1.

13 paragraph 1 of the Higher Education and Scientific Research Act; Institutes affiliated to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) or NWO; Netherlands Cancer Institute; The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen; Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Advanced Research Centre for NanoLithography (ARCNL); National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM); TO2-institutions (Deltares, MARIN, NLR, TNO,WUR); IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.

Lectors employed at a university of applied sciences and researchers employed at a TO2-institution may also submit as a co-PI provided that they have at least a salaried position for the duration of the project. Persons with a zero-hour employment agreement or with a contract for a limited period of time (other than a tenure track appointment or the exception for lectors and TO2 institutes) may not submit a proposal.

It could be the case that the applicant’s tenure track agreement ends before the intended completion date of the project for which funding is applied for, or that before that date, the applicant’s tenured contract ends due to the applicant reaching retirement age.

In that case, the applicant needs to include a statement from their employer in which the research organisation concerned guarantees that the project and all project members for whom funding has been requested will receive adequate supervision for the full duration of the project. Applicants with a part-time contract should guarantee adequate supervision of the project and all project members for whom funding is requested.

An application for funding from NWO may consider the following roles: National co-PI (mandatory): the applicant who submits the application to NWO and is the foreseen national project leader, in case a project is granted. National co-applicant (optional): national applicants in addition to the national co-PI with an active role and responsibility in realising the project and requesting funding from NWO.

The national co-PI or co-applicant from a Dutch organisation may only request NWO funding for one project (part of a transnational consortium) in this call in which he or she is involved. See the full Call Documents on the NFRF website for more details and an overview of participating countries and the transnational eligibility requirements. These documents are available in English only.

Please note that each project team must be eligible to receive funds from at least three Funding Organizations. To fulfill this requirement, the project team must include a minimum of three Principal Investigators, each eligible to receive funding from a different participating funding organisation. At least one of the three Principal Investigators must be eligible to apply to the NFRF program .

The total NWO budget for this call is €3,800,000. A maximum of €760,000 can be awarded per project. The NWO budget modules (including the maximum amount) available for this Call for proposals are listed below.

Apply only for funding that is vital to realize the project. A more detailed explanation of the budget modules and the financial details form can be found in the document: “Specification of eligible costs”. Money follows cooperation The budget module Money follows cooperation cannot be applied for in this call.

Funding may be requested for salary costs of personnel contributing to the project. The amount depends on the type of appointment and the organisation where the personnel is employed.

Personnel at a university in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, umc or a research organisation For personnel working at a university in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, university medical centre (umc) or another research organisation, as referred to in Article 1.

1, first paragraph, subparagraphs c to h of the NWO Grant Rules salary costs can be claimed for the following positions: postdoc - at least 12 full-time months and at most 36 full-time months; Engineering Doctorate (Eng): Funding for the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) position can only be applied for if funding for a PhD student or postdoc is also applied for; non-scientific staff at (NSS) universities; research leave – for up to 5% of the grant amount.

The rates are determined using the salary tables of UNL and NFU. Personnel of universities of applied sciences, TO2 institutes, educational institutions and other organisations It is possible to claim salary costs of personnel of universities of applied sciences, TO2 institutes, educational institutions and other organisations.

The rates are determined using the Government Tariff Manual (HOT), Table 2 average total salary cost per salary scale, column 'Hourly rate productive hours, excluding VAT'. The salary scale of the requested position determines the rate from the HOT table. It is possible to engage students in the project if they are studying at a research organisation.

You can enter the costs of these students as material costs within the project. There is no maximum number of students who can participate in the project. Funding may not be requested for PhD students.

If students contribute as a secondary job alongside their study as student assistants, the rate according to HOT table 2, under 2. 2 ‘average total salary cost per salary scale’, column 'Hourly rate productive hours, excluding VAT', scale 1 applies. Funding may be requested for all project-specific material costs.

These costs are subject to a maximum of 30% of the grant amount allocated for personnel costs. Funding can be requested for activities that promote the use of knowledge from the research , in order to increase the societal impact of the research. It is mandatory to include an amount for knowledge utilisation.

These costs are at least 5% and maximum 20% of the grant amount. Funding can be requested for project management that is at most 5% of the total budget requested from NWO. This budget can only be used for activities that solely support the project for which the grant is requested.

The applicant must satisfactorily justify this budget. At the Full proposal phase, it is required to submit a financial detail form separately to NWO. This form will be available via the NWO website.

Do not hesitate to contact the national contact person in case of questions. 3 March 2026 (Canadian Time, 8:00 p. m.

(eastern)): Deadline for submission of the required Notice of Intent to apply (NOI) in the portal of the NFRF. Please check the website of the NFRF for exact details and ensure that you comply with all additional requirements in the annexes of the funders you are requesting funds from. 4 March 2026 (CET, 14:00): Deadline for the NOI additional information needed for NWO in ISAAC.

(On the right-hand side of this website it is stated “pre-proposal”; this is the NOI-additional information deadline). This concerns some information regarding the project (same as in the NFRF convergence portal) as well as a signed authorized letter to confirm the positions of the Dutch co-PI and Dutch co-applicants. Important!

Due to maintenance, ISAAC will not be available on 3 March between 5:30 pm and 11:59 pm (CET). We apologize for the inconvenience. Applicants (= co-PI(s) and co-applicant(s)) requesting funding from NWO are required to submit an authorised mandatory signed letter from their organisation in which their position, tenured/tenure track or salaried position for the duration of the project is confirmed.

Please check ISAAC for exact details. 9 June 2026 (Canadian Time, 8:00 p. m.

(eastern)): Deadline for submission of the required Letter of Intent to apply (LOI) in the portal of the NFRF. Please check the website of the NFRF for exact details. 3 November 2026 (Canadian Time, 8:00 p.

m. (eastern)): Deadline for submission of the full proposals in the portal of the NFRF. Please check the website of the NFRF for exact details.

4 November 2026 (CET, 14:00): Deadline for the full proposal additional information needed for NWO in ISAAC. This concerns some information regarding the project as well as a NWO budget form and a signed statement on the knowledge security policy. Applicants from Dutch organisations are required to submit a mandatory NWO budget form in ISAAC in the Full proposal stage.

In addition, the co-PI must declare by means of a signed statement that the proposal has been drawn up in accordance with the knowledge security policy of the research organisation and that the officer responsible for knowledge security within the research organisation has been consulted for this purpose. This statement must be submitted at the full proposal stage in ISAAC.

There are seven selection criteria for this, namely Fit-to-program, Interdisciplinarity, Equity, diversity and inclusion in research practice, Strength of the Project Consortium, High risk – novelty of approach/scientific rigour, High reward – anticipated societal impact, Feasibility – capacity to execute the project.

The criteria for the LOI stage are: fit to program (pass/fail), interdisciplinarity (pass/fail), strength of project consortium (30%), The criteria for the full proposals are: Fit-to-program (pass/fail), EDI in research practice(pass/fail), Interdisciplinarity (pass/fail), Strength of project consortium (20%), To apply to this call, teams must submit a notice of intent to apply (NOI) by March 3, 2026.

This is a mandatory step in the application process. The NOI is used for administrative purposes and is not assessed. After the NOI deadline has passed, the research team will immediately be able to work on their Letter of Intent to apply (LOI).

The team must submit the Letter of Intent to apply (LOI) by June 9, 2026. Submitted LOIs will be evaluated, for the purpose of identifying selected teams to be invited to the full application stage. See the full Call Documents on the NFRF website for more details and an overview of participating countries and the transnational eligibility requirements.

These documents are available in English only. Please note that each project team must be eligible to receive funds from at least three Funding Organizations. To fulfill this requirement, the project team must include a minimum of three Principal Investigators, each eligible to receive funding from a different participating funding organisation.

At least one of the three Principal Investigators must be eligible to apply to the NFRF program . Please be aware! Applications submitted to NFRF are subject to Canada’s Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern.

Dutch applicants should familiarize themselves with the list of universities, research institutes or laboratories connected to military, national defence, or state security entities that could pose a risk to Canada’s national security, to avoid possible research security issues. Responsible research data management is an essential component of good research practice.

Prepare a data management plan after the grant is awarded and before the project starts. Applications must be submitted through the NFRF application and reporting system , see. For the NOI and full proposal, additional documents need to be uploaded in the ISAAC application and reporting system (see section ‘When to apply’).

If you do not have an Isaac account yet, then please create one at least one workday in advance. More information about writing a proposal and which forms you need to use can be found in Isaac. Please download and use the forms in Isaac.

The International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges call will support research projects focused on harnessing disruptive technologies to address at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals or another recognized global challenge.

Projects may be focused on developing or implementing a disruptive technology, or research on the impact of a disruptive technology on society and/or economies. NWO funding can be requested for projects addressing the following SDGs: Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11).

Projects must be interdisciplinary, integrating information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge. Projects must involve disciplines from at least two of the following three areas: natural sciences & engineering; social sciences and humanities; and health and life sciences.

Projects are expected to include appropriate stakeholders and end-users in the co-development and co-leadership of the project. Engagement with other sectors, as appropriate, will help identify barriers to implementation and develop strategies to overcome them.

A trans-sectoral approach, involving the academic, research, economic (businesses), societal (governmental and non-governmental organizations), and/or community sectors, as appropriate, ensures relevant outcomes and positions research for uptake and use, which will maximize impact in the long-term. Non-academic stakeholders may be included as team members or collaborators. For NWO funded research the NWO Grant Rules apply.

In accordance with the NWO Grant Rules , the project that NWO funds must be carried out in accordance with the nationally and internationally accepted standards for scientific conduct as stated in the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity (2018) and the Global Code of Conduct for Equitable Research Partnerships .

In case research is conducted in fragile states, it is advised to consult the Security Guidelines for field research in complex, remote and hazardous places . By submitting the proposal, the applicant commits to these codes. In the case of a (possible) violation of these standards during a project funded by NWO, the applicant should immediately inform NWO of this and should submit all relevant documents to NWO.

More information about the code of conduct and the policy regarding research integrity can be found on the website: Scientific integrity | NWO Applicants are required to submit a mandatory NWO budget form in the Full Proposal stage. For full details of the general NWO funding process, please refer to the NWO website . Information about lodging an objection at NWO is available on our website .

NWO strives to achieve an inclusive culture in which there is no place for conscious or unconscious barriers due to cultural, ethnic or religious background, gender, sexual orientation, health or age ( www. nwo. nl/en/diversity-and-inclusion ).

Compliance with the National Knowledge Security Guidelines In the National Knowledge Security Guidelines, the Dutch knowledge sector (including NWO) and various government departments have laid down guidelines for those within research organisations who are involved in international collaboration and who need to weigh up the opportunities and (security) risks involved.

Self-regulation by the knowledge sector is central to the approach to knowledge security within the Netherlands. NWO expects applicants to comply with the knowledge security policy of their research organisation. If NWO receives indications that a proposal or an allocated project entails knowledge security risks, NWO may request the applicant or project leader to provide insight into the risk mitigation measures.

In addition, NWO may decide to include further conditions in the award letter to protect knowledge security. The National Knowledge Security Guidelines can be found on the website of the Dutch government: Home | National Contact Point for Knowledge Security (loketkennisveiligheid. nl) .

The co-PI must declare by means of a signed statement that the proposal has been drawn up in accordance with the knowledge security policy of the research organisation and that the officer responsible for knowledge security within the research organisation has been consulted for this purpose. This statement must be enclosed with the complete proposal. The NWO data management protocol applies to projects funded by NWO.

NWO processes data from applicants received in the context of this Call in accordance with the NWO Privacy Statement, Privacy Statement | NWO . The system used by the Canadian New Frontiers in Research Fund contains optional questions regarding race and ethnicity. These questions are part of the standard questions asked in Canada and cannot be removed.

We ask all applicants applying funding from NWO not to fill in these questions, since according to our legal regulations we are not allowed to ask these questions. Not filling in these questions will have no affect on the assessment of your proposal. Furthermore, submission of financial and substantive reports at national level is required in accordance with the rules of NWO.

Applicants (co-PI(s) and co-applicants) applying for funding from NWO must submit a mandatory, signed letter from their organization confirming their position, whether it is a permanent position, an appointment with the prospect of a permanent position, or a paid position, for the duration of the project. Applicants from Dutch organizations must submit a mandatory NWO budget form in ISAAC during the full proposal phase.

Downloads for your application International Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | call for proposals INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | call overview INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | full application guide INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | funding organisations INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | eligable costs INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | nwo nationale annex INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | noi guide INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | loi guide INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | evaluation matrices INT - Joint Initiative for Research Harnessing Disruptive Technologies to Address Global Challenges | review proces Online manual grant application system ISAAC ISAAC offers applicants for research funding the possibility to track their application in the assessment process.

The funding process explained NWO has a fixed procedure for handling all applications. Learn more about how the application procedure is set up – from the moment you apply until a decision is reached. Do you already have an account in Isaac?

For the NOI: All applicants (= co-PI(s) and co-applicant(s)) applying for funding from NWO have submitted a mandatory, signed letter from their organisation confirming their position, whether it is a permanent position, an appointment with a prospect of a permanent position or a paid position, for the duration of the project? For the full proposal: Has a budget form been submitted?

You can read all the details about the application for funding in the different documents of the call for proposals and the national annex. If you have any questions, please contact the contact person.