NWO Open Technology Programme

NWO Open Technology Programme is sponsored by The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The Open Technology Programme focuses on scientific and technical research without disciplinary boundaries. It aims to facilitate knowledge transfer between technical sciences and users.

Research proposals are examined for scientific quality and utilization.

Open Technology Programme 2026 | NWO 03-02-2026: a checklist for applicants has been added. 04-02-2026: the declaration co-funding has been replaced. 26-05-2026: The application form has been replaced due to a bug on Apple computers; the content remains unchanged.

The Open Technology Programme (OTP) encourages free and independent research aimed at the development and advancement of technology that has an impact on people and society. The OTP has no disciplinary boundaries and offers opportunities for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration. An important principle is collaboration with relevant knowledge users from the public and/or private sector.

This collaboration increases the likelihood that research results will actually be applied and generate social and/or scientific impact. The OTP is specifically intended for research activities and is not intended for proposals that are predominantly focused on other activities, such as investments, contract research or clinical trials.

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 one of the following research organisations: Universities 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); Persons with a zero-hour employment agreement or with a contract for a limited period of time (other than a tenure track appointment) may not submit a proposal.

Per project, a grant amount of at most €950,000 can be applied for. For projects with an investment character, where more than € 150,000 in investments are requested, a maximum of € 1,050,000 can be applied for. For both projects with and without an investment character, co-funding is required if the total project costs exceed €700,000.

The minimum required co-funding is 25% of the project costs above €700,000, with no distinction between co-funding in cash or in kind. The maximum duration of the proposed project is 6 year. The applicant and co-applicants can include costs for personnel, equipment, investments and knowledge utilisation.

Apply only for funding that is vital to realise the project. Applications can be submitted on a continuous basis between 12 January 2026 until 11 December 2026 , as long as the grant ceiling or the maximum number of applications submitted has not yet been reached. Proposals are assessed for scientific quality (50%) as well as impact (50%).

Applications will be submitted to a jury. Each jury will consider 18 applications in order of receipt, provided they meet the conditions for submission. Applications are assessed by international independent referees.

The research proposal, the referee reports and the rebuttal are scored by an independent multidisciplinary jury consisting of 10 to 12 members on the criteria ‘scientific quality’ and ‘impact’. A ranking is determined based on these scores. The Board of NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences takes the final award decision based on the prioritization of the proposals.

Compared to the OTP 2025 Call for Proposals, a number of (administrative) changes have been made. These are listed below The aim of the programme has been refined (see Section 2. 1), including the sub-aspect ‘fit within the OTP’, which is part of the assessment criteria (see Section 4.

3); If a co-applicant from a foreign research organisation is involved in the application, the organisation must be assessed by NWO prior to submission based on a number of conditions (see Section 7. 1. 1).

This assessment is required because, in such cases, funding is being requested for project-specific costs at a foreign research organisation under the budget modules for scientific personnel abroad, material and/or knowledge utilisation; It is possible to include a compensation for individuals who participate in the user committee meeting in an unpaid role, either in a personal capacity or as a representative of a foundation or association, as an expert by experience (see Section 7.

1. 2). For a full explanation see the Call for proposals.

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 or on the grant page of the Call for proposals. Please download and use the forms in Isaac.

Below you will find examples of the required forms. The application should specify which problem or challenge the project addresses, as well as its goals, hypotheses, research methods, and the scientific feasibility of the project.

Additionally, at least four users who will be part of the user committee must be included, and in the application should describe how the research can lead to scientific and/or societal impact should be provided.

For this Call, in addition to completing the application form, please upload the following attachments: budget: always compulsory; declaration and signature of main applicant: always compulsory; declaration co-funding: compulsory if co-funding is involved; statement appointment and project supervision: compulsory if the applicant’s appointment does not cover the entire duration of the project (e.g., in the case of a tenure-track agreement); motivation for resubmission in Dutch or English: compulsory if the application is a resubmission of an application that was rejected in a previous OTP assessment procedure.

Note: If a foreign co-applicant is involved in the application and funding is therefore requested for project-specific costs at a foreign research organization, please contact NWO well in advance of submitting the application via ttw-otp@nwo. nl . This is necessary to coordinate whether the foreign research organization must be assessed and may therefore participate as a co-applicant (see Section 7.

1. 1 Call for proposals).

Downloads for your application Open Technology Programme 2026 | call for proposals Open Technology Programme 2026 | application form Open Technology Programme 2026 | budget form Open Technology Programme 2026 | statement and signature main applicant Open Technology Programme 2026 | declaration co-funding Open Technology Programme 2026 | statement appointment and project guidance Open Technology Programme 2026 | declaration research organisation Open Technology Programme 2026 | evaluation items referees Open Technology Programme 2026 | hourly rates in kind contributions Open Technology Programme 2026 | model consortium agreement Open Technology Programme 2026 | checklist for applicants 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. Life sciences and medicine