NWO Talent Programme Vici ZonMw 2026

NWO Talent Programme Vici ZonMw 2026 is sponsored by Dutch Research Council (NWO) and ZonMw. Supports outstanding senior researchers in health research and medical sciences to consolidate and develop their research group.

NWO Talent programme Vici ZonMw 2026 | NWO 10-02-2026: Adjustment of dropdown menus in section 4 of the pre-registration form. 18-02-2026: Adjustment in Dutch Call: sub-aspect f (leadership) in criterion quality of the researcher (4. 3.

1). The Vici target group consists of researchers at the stage of consolidation and further development of their leadership/research group. The goal of the Vici grant is to contribute to the researcher's development in this area.

Vici is aimed at senior researchers with academic qualities that clearly exceed what is customary within the international peer group, as well as established leadership- and mentorship skills. Researchers may only submit an application if they have obtained their PhD in the fifteen years preceding the benchmark date of this round, 1 March 2026.

An extension to the above career-dependent submission period may be possible under specific circumstances (see Section 3. 4. 2 of the Call for proposals).

The maximum grant is 1. 5 million euros. The deadline for pre-proposals is March 10, 2026, 14:00:00 hours CET .

The deadline for proposals is September 8, 2026, 14:00:00 hours CEST .

The assessment criterion for the pre-proposals is: Quality of the researcher The assessment criteria for the full proposals are: Quality and innovative character of the research proposal (75%) Scientific and/or social impact (25%) submission of the preproposal; admissibility check of the preproposal; assessment of the preproposal; provisional advice assessment committee; possibility of filing a request for the correction of a factual error; decision-making preproposal; submission of the full proposal (only possible if you have received a positive decision on the preproposal); admissibility check of the full proposal; assessment of the full proposal; and meeting of the assessment committee; The Vici competition will be assessed by four committees: four committees corresponding to the NWO domains: Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), NWO-Science domain (Science), Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES), Health Research and Development (ZonMw).

You are currently on the webpage for ZonMw. Vici applications are assessed in a domain-wide procedure: all applications from different disciplines within one domain will be assessed together. ZonMw uses a broad-based assessment committee of academics to advise on the merits and prioritisation of the applications.

Applicants must first submit a pre-proposal. These are assessed by the assessment committee, which then makes a recommendation on whether or not to submit a proposal. Proposals are sent to external referees.

Applicants are given the opportunity to respond to the referees’ reports (‘rebuttal’). Next, the proposals, the reviews and the rebuttals are assessed by the respective assessment committees. Based on the proposal, the referees’ reports and the rebuttal the assessment committee advises the accredited board of NWO.

All proposals must be submitted via ISAAC, NWO's electronic application system. The only exceptions to this rule are proposals to the Health Research and Development domain. These proposals can only be submitted via Mijn ZonMw.

As of 2023, the Vici uses an optional literature list of relevant scientific literature closely related to your research idea. NWO will use the literature list - along with your research idea, key words and specified discipline(s) - to search for potential external reviewers for your full proposal. Your literature list will not be submitted to the committee.

Frequently asked questions On this page you will find an overview of the most frequently asked questions about the NWO Talent Programme, including questions about the set time limit to submit a proposal (and any exceptions to it): FAQ | NWO 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 Mijn ZonMw application and reporting system. If you do not have an Mijn ZonMw 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 and use the forms in Mijn ZonMw. Below you will find examples of the required forms. Applicants may only submit a proposal after they have been informed that the board of the domain concerned has taken a positive decision on the applicant’s pre‐proposal.

Applicants are not permitted to submit a proposal following a negative decision on the pre‐proposal. Pre‐proposals must be written in English and must include: A description of the candidate’s academic profile (max. 1200 words); A description of the candidate’s key output (max.

10 items); The research idea (max. 150 words). Proposals must be written in English and must include: an outline of the research proposal and a completed motivation for the choice of institution; a completed section scientific and/or societal impact; a completed data management section; Mandatory annex to the preproposal: Optional attachment to the preproposal: literature list for referees.

mandatory annex to the full proposal: Optional attachment to the full proposal (see section 3. 5. 6): statement exceeding maximum funding.

In the case of a contribution from the research institution and/or a third party, a co-funding statement from the contributing party must be enclosed with the submission of the proposal.

Downloads for your application NWO-Talentprogramme Vici 2026 | call for proposals NWO-Talentprogramme Vici 2026 | pre-proposal form NWO-Talentprogramme Vici 2026 | literature list research idea All proposals for Medical Sciences must be submitted by the Health Research and Development (ZonMw) desk via Mijn ZonMw : Do you already have an account in 'Mijn ZonMw'? Have you submitted the pre-proposal form?

Have you completed the application form? Has the statement been signed by the main applicant? Have you submitted the list with literature references?

Have you chosen the right submission window for your application, or contacted NWO about this matter? 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.

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