KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases

KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases is sponsored by NWO (Dutch Research Council). This call invites alpha, gamma and beta researchers to collaborate with industry and public and societal organisations to develop AI-based early detection methods for emerging outbreaks of infectious diseases.

KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases | NWO The aim of this programme is to develop and refine AI-driven early detection systems. The focus is on using and combining existing non-biomedical data sources for the early detection of infectious disease outbreaks.

Combining these data sources with existing biomedical surveillance, such as data from the veterinary domain, general practitioners or screening, is an important innovation. This will enable early detection of infection hotspots in the Netherlands and prevent disruptive epidemics. Applicants are also recommended to seek alignment with existing national and international initiatives and/or networks.

Applicants are encouraged to develop a plan for data infrastructure, revenue models and a response plan and/or integrate these into existing plans. Therapy and vaccine development are not covered by the Call for proposals. Proposals are submitted by the main applicant and one or more co-applicants.

Researchers may submit an application if they have a tenured position (and therefore a paid position for an indefinite period) or a tenure track agreement at a research organisation. A proposal is written by a consortium in which besides the applicants two or more co-funders, and potentially one or more cooperation partners, are involved as well.

All consortiumpartners should play an active role in the formulation of the research questions and in the design and implementation of the project. For more information: see section 3. 1 in the Call for Proposals.

This Call for proposals stimulates the formation of consortiums by means of collaborative workshops. Attending the collaborative workshops is mandatory for main applicants. The objective of the collaborative workshops is to bring together potential applicants and their ideas, to encourage collaboration within broad, innovative consortia, and to limit the number of proposals.

For an application, a minimum of €2. 000. 000 and a maximum of €3.

500. 000 of NWO funding can be applied for. With this, NWO finances maximally 90% of the total project budget; the rest of the funding must be contributed by the compulsory co-funding (see Section 3.

5. 6). NWO never funds less than 50% of the total project budget.

The maximum duration of the proposed project is 6 years. The dates of the collaborative workshops are 19 March 2026 and 16 April 2026. The deadline for submission of full applications is 6 October 2026, 14:00:00 CEST.

The applications submitted within this Call for proposals will be substantially assessed on the basis of the following criteria: Problem definition and analysis (20%) Envisaged impact and route to impact (20%) Quality of the consortium (30%) Quality of the research (30%) For this Call for proposals, attending the collaborative workshops by the main applicant (or substitute) is mandatory.

Full applications will be provided with peer review by referees. Applicants will be given the opportunity to submit a rebuttal to this. The applications will then be assessed by the assessment committee and and applicants will be given the opportunity to answer questions from the assessment committee during an interview .

The assessment committee will present its advice to the NWO Executive Board for decision-making. In September 2027, the NWO Executive Board will adopt the final assessment of the applications. 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 Isaac application and reporting system. 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. Below you will find examples of the required forms.

All the documents you need for your application can be found here. The submission of an application is done via the application and reporting system ISAAC. If you do not yet have a personal ISAAC account, please create one at least one working day earlier.

Below you will find more information about writing a proposal and which forms you should use. You will need to use the forms that you can download below. Mandatory consortium-building activities For this Call for proposals, attending the collaborative workshops by the main applicant (or substitute) is mandatory.

In addition to filling in the application form when submitting the complete application, we also ask you to include a signed statement from the co-financiers. If applicable, a confirmation of contribution to investments (see section 7. 1 in the call for proposals) and a guarantee for continuity in the project management (see section 3.

1 in the call for proposals) must also be sent. At the time of submission, the enclosed letters of support must have pledged the full required co-financing in accordance with the conditions described in sections 3. 1.

2 and 3. 5. 6 in the call for proposals.

Other types of annexes shall are not allowed at the stage of submission of complete applications. Attachments must be uploaded separately from the application in ISAAC. All attachments, with the exception of the budget form, must be uploaded as a pdf file.

The budget form can be uploaded as an Excel file in ISAAC.

Downloads for your application KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases | call for proposals KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases | application form KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases | budget form KIC - Early detection of (emerging) outbreaks of infectious diseases | form Statements and signature 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?

Have you completed the application form? Has the statement been signed by the main applicant? Have you attended the mandatory collaborative workshops?

Life sciences and medicine