NWO Open Competition, ENW – XS is a grant from Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) that funds curiosity-driven, bold, and speculative research across all scientific disciplines. PhD holders and postdocs holding a salaried position at a recognized research institution are eligible to apply for grants of up to €50,000.

The program runs three annual deadlines (2026: January 13, April 14, September 15) with projects lasting up to 12 months. Eligible costs include temporary staff, materials, citizen science activities, and travel. Applications are reviewed anonymously by peer assessors within the Physical/Exact Sciences cluster system.

Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Open Competition Domain Science XS 2026 packet 26-1 | NWO The ENW-XS category is specifically intended to encourage curiosity-driven and bold research that involves the relatively rapid exploration of a promising idea. At the end of the ENW-XS project, researchers can decide for themselves whether or not to pursue this new line of research any further.

One way in which this can be done is to submit a proposal within another funding programme in the Open Competition Domain Science (ENW-M and ENW-XL) or elsewhere. Researchers who have obtained a PhD can apply if they hold a salaried position for the duration of the application process and duration of the project for which the grant is being requested. ENW-XS is also open for postdocs.

Read the conditions in section 3. 1 of the call for proposals for the possibilities of requesting your own salary in ENW-XS. Applicants who had a proposal dealt with in the immediately preceding ENW-XS package (25-3; deadline 16 September 2025) may not make a submission Women especially are urged to apply.

For research proposals in ENW-XS, applicants may apply for sums of up to €50,000. There are no requirements concerning the type of research to be conducted. Also, there are very few restrictions on the subjects of proposals.

For instance, they could involve the appointment of temporary staff, material costs, the costs involved in performing ‘citizen science’, and travel expenses for commuting to other locations to conduct experiments. Postdocs are permitted to request their own salary. The appointment of PhD students of physician assistants is subject to additional conditions.

For details of these conditions, see Annex 7. 1 to the Call for proposals. Three deadlines for submitting proposals for ENW-XS projects are specified for 2026.

For the most up-to-date ENW-XS webpage please see www. nwo.

nl/enw-xs-en 26-1 13 January 2026, at 14:00:00 CET 19 March 2026 26-2 14 april 2026, at 14:00:00 CEST 25 June 2026 26-3 15 September 2026, at 14:00:00 CEST 19 November 2026 Indication of timetable with respect to next deadline: Deadline for submission of proposals 13 January 2026, at 14:00:00 CET Assessment of admissibility 13-30 January 2026 Disclosure of personal interests 15-22 January 2026 Proposals sent to assessors 3 February 2026 * NWO receives assessment reports 17 February 2026, at 14:00:00 CET NWO Domain Science Board reaches a decision 19 March 2026 Project start date No later than six months after the date of formal approval Project end date No later than 12 months after starting date * these dates are tentative and can differ with a few days, you will always get 10 working days for the assessment Is the proposed research innovative, highly speculative, and ground-breaking?

Could the research proposal potentially have a scientific impact? Does the proposed research align with the aim of the Call, as detailed in Chapter 2? Feasibility of the research plan The objective, motivation and work plan must be clearly described.

Does the methodology appear suitable for achieving the stated project objective? Is the research plan appropriately planned and are the activities sufficiently clearly included in the plan? Can the project be carried out with the requested budget?

Proposals must be drawn up with a wide audience in mind, to enable assessors from all Domain Science disciplines to properly evaluate the research plan and the following assessment aspects. The assessors may award a lower ranking to any proposals that are drawn up in a way that is not accessible to those in other disciplines. All applications submitted for one of the deadlines are treated as a package.

Per package the applications are separated into two clusters. Applicants choose in which of the following clusters their application is assessed: Physical and Exact Sciences Per cluster the applications are separated in group A and group B. The applications in groups A are assessed by the applicants in group B and vice versa.

The NWO office will determine the final ranks of the applications based on the ranks submitted by the assessors. Two final rankings will be established per package; two for each cluster. There will be no opportunity for a rebuttal.

The NWO Domain Science Board will decide whether to grant or refuse an application based on the results of the four rankings and the available financial means.

When drawing up a proposal, be sure to make it anonymous: Applicants should include neither their own name nor those of any individuals in their research group; Applicants should not include details of any affiliations with institutes or knowledge institutions; Applicants should not include references to any publications of other types of output that they have (co-)authored; Applicants should not include the names of any partners (or potential partners).

Applicants should be aware that they will be required to assess proposals from all Domain Science disciplines in the chosen cluster. Therefore, the own proposal must be written with a wide audience in mind.

When drawing up a proposal, be sure to make it anonymous: Applicants should include neither their own name nor those of any individuals in their research group; Applicants should not include details of any affiliations with institutes or knowledge institutions; Applicants should not include references to any publications of other types of output that they have (co-)authored; Applicants should not include the names of any partners (or potential partners).

Applicants should be aware that they will be required to assess proposals from all Domain Science disciplines in the chosen cluster. Therefore, the own proposal must be written with a wide audience in mind. Mandatory annexes: budget form (Excel) and information form.

Optional annexes: declaration appointment PhD/Physician-researcher (see Annex 7. 1 in the Call).

Downloads for your application Open Competition Domain Science XS 2026 | call for proposals Open Competition Domain Science XS 2026 | application form Open Competition Domain Science XS 2026 | budget form Open Competition Domain Science XS 2026 | information form 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 of 2026? Have you completed the information form of 2026 Have you completed the budget form ENW-XS 26-1 Have you checked if the font size in the pfd of the application form is 9. 5?

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.