NWA-ORC Programme (National Science Agenda - Research along Routes by Consortia) 2026

NWA-ORC Programme (National Science Agenda - Research along Routes by Consortia) 2026 is sponsored by Dutch Research Council (NWO). Encourages research by inter- and transdisciplinary consortia addressing complex societal challenges, with a focus on themes proposed by NWA-route networks and based on one or more of the 140 cluster questions.

Frequently Asked Questions | NWA ORC 2026 | NWO What roles can an organisation fulfil within a single consortium? Following the grant award, a consortium agreement must be signed by the consortium. In this consortium agreement, an organisation/institution may only sign the agreement in one specific role.

In other words: an organisation/institution signs in the role of applicant, or as a collaborating partner, or as a co-funder. Please note: the assessment is based on the organisational/institutional level, not the underlying faculty or departmental level. What is the role of civil society organisations in these NWA projects?

Each consortium in the NWA-ORC must be inter- and transdisciplinary and include the entire knowledge chain. Researchers from various disciplines collaborate with knowledge organisations, public and private civil society organisations and, where relevant, with citizens on complex issues. The projects comprise demand-driven research that aligns with the themes outlined in the call for proposals.

Each project adopts both a fundamental and an applied and practice-oriented approach. Civil society organisations can contribute to feeding the results back into society. Within each consortium, the partners – including the civil society organisations involved – collaborate with one another throughout all phases of the research.

Both the referees and the assessment committee evaluate these elements of the research proposal. How can civil society organisations be funded within an NWA project? Financial compensation for the involvement and commitment of civil society organisations in an NWA project is possible via budget modules for materials and knowledge utilisation .

For further information, please refer to sections 3. 2. 2, 3.

2. 4, 7. 1.

2 and 7. 1. 4 of the call for proposals.

What does NWA-ORC mean by ‘stakeholders’? A stakeholder is any person or group that can influence the achievement of objectives or is influenced by them. Civil society stakeholders include both public and private organisations, and, where relevant, citizens or their representatives.

In their Impact Plan, the consortium describes how they expect to achieve societal impact and the role that productive interactions play in this. This demonstrates how the achievement of the intended impact is integrated into the research design and what role consortium partners and stakeholders from policy, practice and the business sector play in this. Stakeholder engagement can, for example, be achieved through knowledge utilisation.

The consortium organises activities explicitly aimed at engaging stakeholders, such as consultation workshops, expert meetings, round-table discussions, and so on. The assessment criteria (section 4. 3) describe how the assessment committee evaluates stakeholder engagement.

How can someone who did not attend the collaborative workshops still be involved in a consortium? There is a requirement for the main applicant of a consortium to attend the collaborative workshops. This does not apply to any other roles.

Someone who did not attend the workshops may, depending on their affiliation, fulfil one of the other roles within the consortium. See also section 3. 1 of the call for proposal.

How should the role of collaboration partners be described in the proposal? The active involvement of societal stakeholders, both public and private, is of great importance in developing knowledge about challenges and possible solutions. This involvement must therefore also be evident from the research proposal.

A collaboration partner can be involved in formulating the research questions, in carrying out the research and/or in knowledge utilisation. The described and demonstrated role of collaboration partners in the research proposal is part of various assessment criteria and is taken into account by the assessment committee in its judgement. Collaborative partners agree to their names being shared on the NWO website.

A collaborative partner may also be involved by participating in an advisory committee. Once a research proposal has been awarded, the final agreements can be made. For more information about starting a project, please refer to this page .