NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems is sponsored by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research). This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | NWO 13-02-2026: several documents have been added to the downloads Digital interconnectedness is an integral part of Dutch society. Citizens, governments and businesses are closely intertwined in complex digital ecosystems, in which information, processes and services are continuously exchanged. This interconnectedness offers major advantages, but also makes society vulnerable.

Disruptions, incidents or cyber attacks within a digital ecosystem can lead to serious societal disruption. The aim of this call is to develop socio-technical innovations and courses of action that increase the security and resilience of digital ecosystems. A security by design and security by default approach is strongly encouraged.

Ecosystems in which the right technological and social choices are made from the outset enable participants to make use of the ecosystem’s possibilities in a natural way and with minimal security risks. The Call for Proposals has a two-phase structure. In the first phase, research into sector‑specific digital ecosystems is funded.

In the second phase, these insights are translated into cross‑sector guidelines for action for stakeholders within sectors and within government, brought together in one overarching project. The outcomes can also be used to scale up interventions and to shape new digital ecosystems that are secure and resilient by design. Applications in the first phase of this call are submitted by a main applicant on behalf of a consortium.

Within the consortium, four categories of participants are distinguished: A consortium should consist of at least a main applicant, a co-applicant and cooperation partner. In the second phase of this call, the main applicants of the research projects awarded in phase 1 will be invited to form a consortium for an overarching research project.

In addition, co-applicants from the underlying research projects may be included in the consortium, insofar as their involvement contributes to the objectives of the overarching project. In this phase, the consortium may be expanded to include new cooperation partners and co-funders who were not involved in phase 1. The conditions are explained in more detail in the Call for Proposals.

In order to increase the impact of the research, collaboration between researchers, researchers from other disciplines and partners from society, such as companies and societal organisations, is necessary. In this call, NWO supports the formation of a consortium by organising the following meetings: Matchmaking event (phase 1): on 23 April 2026, NWO will organise a matchmaking event for this call.

Participation in this activity is recommended but not mandatory. Facilitating workshops (phase 2): For the overarching project in phase 2, NWO is organising workshops to stimulate the development of the overarching application and the formation of the associated consortium. Participation in these facilitating workshops is mandatory: each phase 1 project must be represented by at least one project leader or work package leader.

NWO will communicate in a timely manner with the phase 1 project leaders regarding the organization of these workshops. Additional information about consortium formation can be found in the Call for proposals. The available budget for this Call for proposals is €8,702,072 in total.

An amount of €7,500,000 is available for the first phase. For each phase 1 project, a grant amount of at most €1,875,000 can be applied for. Four or five applications are expected to be allocated within this phase.

For the second phase, one overarching connection project can be awarded. The available budget for this phase 2 project is €1,202,072. More information about the available budget can be found in the Call for proposals.

The deadline for submitting a request for assessment of organisations based in the Netherlands for phase 1 (see section 3. 1. 1) is 18 August 2026 before 14:00:00 CEST.

The deadline for submitting a request for assessment of foreign organisations for phase 1 (see section 7. 1. 1) is 18 August 2026 , before 14:00:00 CEST.

The deadline for submitting applications in phase 1 is 15 September 2026 , before 14:00:00 CEST. The deadline for submitting a request for assessment of organisations based in the Netherlands for phase 2 (see section 3. 1.

1) is 18 September 2029 , before 14:00:00 CEST. The deadline for submitting a request for assessment of foreign organisations for phase 2 (see section 7. 1.

1) is 18 September 2029 , before 14:00:00 CEST. The deadline for submitting applications in phase 2 is 16 October 2029 , before 14:00:00 CEST. The information meeting for phase 1 will take place on 19 March 2026 (not mandatory).

The matchmaking for phase 1 will take place on 23 April 2026 (not mandatory). The facilitating sessions for phase 2 will take place in early 2029. NWO will communicate in a timely manner with the phase 1 project leaders regarding the organization of these workshops.

Applications submitted under this call will be assessed in both phases 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%) Assessment of (foreign) organisations 18 augustus 2026 Application deadline 15 September 2026 Interview selection, interviews, and assessment committee meeting November 2026 till January 2027 Board decision February 2027 – March 2027 Facilitation session 1 April 2029 Facilitation session 2 May 2029 Assessment of (foreign) organisations 18 September 2029 Application deadline 16 October 2029 Assessment for consideration October 2029 Assessment by assessment committee November – December 2029 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. Proposals 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 below. Please download the forms in Isaac. Below you will find examples of the required forms.

An application can only be submitted via the web application ISAAC. Applications that are not submitted via ISAAC will not be taken into consideration. As the main applicant, you are required to submit your application via your own personal ISAAC account.

To prepare applications in phases 1 and 2, follow these steps: download the application form from the NWO web application ISAAC or from the NWO web page (on the grant page of the funding instrument concerned); complete the application form; save the application form in ISAAC as a PDF file and upload it with any compulsory annexes; fill in the requested information online in ISAAC.

declarations of commitment of cooperation partners; De minimis aid declaration (mandatory if applicable, see subsections 3. 1. 1 and 3.

5. 8); declaration co-funding from co-funders (mandatory if applicable); letter guaranteeing the continuity of the project supervision (compulsory if applicable, see paragraph 3. 1); form 'Statement and signature'.

“Knowledge security” statement Mandatory consortium-building activities Matchmaking event (phase 1): on 23 April 2026, NWO will organise a matchmaking meeting for this call. Participation in this activity is recommended but not mandatory.

Facilitating workshops (phase 2): For the overarching project in phase 2, NWO is organising workshops to stimulate the development of the overarching application and the formation of the associated consortium. Participation in these facilitating workshops is mandatory: each phase 1 project must be represented, with at least one project leader or work package leader in attendance.

NWO will communicate in a timely manner with the phase 1 project leaders regarding the organization of these workshops. For this call, in addition to completing the application form, we ask you to also submit the following declarations of commitment of cooperation partners; De minimis aid declaration (mandatory if applicable, see subsections 3. 1.

1 and 3. 5. 8); declaration co-funding from co-funders (mandatory if applicable); letter guaranteeing the continuity of the project supervision (compulsory if applicable, see paragraph 3.

1); form 'Statement and signature'. “Knowledge security” statement The application and attachments must be drawn up according to the template provided by NWO.

Downloads for your application NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | call for proposals NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | application form NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | budget form NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | declaration of support NWA (without co-funding) NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | declaration co-funding NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | statement appointment and project supervision NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | declaration knowledge security NWA Resilient Digital Ecosystems | General minimis statement 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? Has the statement been signed by the main applicant?

Have you added all the mandatory attachments? You can read all the details about the application for funding in the call for proposals. If you have any questions, please contact the contact person.

Computers and the humanities