Venture Challenge

Venture Challenge is sponsored by NWO (Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research). The Venture Challenge helps starting entrepreneurs in the life sciences bring their service or product to the market by developing a well-thought-out business case.

Many scientific findings never reach the market. Researchers often do not have the experience and knowledge needed to set up a commercial organisation and to come to a market-ready product. It is usually too early for private investors and experienced entrepreneurs to step in during the start-up phase, for example because the business case is not yet sufficiently clear to them.

The Venture Challenge helps by developing a well-thought out business case together with the researchers. This provides insight into what is needed to bring the invention to the market. The Venture Challenge is aimed at teams of at least three and a maximum of four people who are planning to bring a product or service in the field of life sciences & health to the market as a new start-up.

The product or service is based on a new technological discovery or a new application of existing technology, arising from scientific research. More specifically, it concerns a new therapy or medicine, diagnostics, medical device or a technology for improving existing - or accelerating the development of new - therapies or medicines.

The team consists of the person who made the scientific discovery and the other founders of the start-up. If required, it can be supplemented with relevant advisors. For example, this can be a business developer from an involved Knowledge Transfer Office.

Candidates can apply at NWO. A committee composed by NWO selects the eligible participants. The selected candidates pay a personal contribution and also receive sufficient funding for participating in the Venture Challenge, to be spent in the upcoming edition.

Apply through the open call page as soon as the application round is open. Innovation consultancy services The Venture Challenge is one of the so-called ‘innovation consultancy services’. By law, applicants are allowed to receive a maximum of 200,000 euros of financing for innovation consultancy over a three-year period.

To prevent Venture Challenge applicants from exceeding this amount, we kindly ask you to indicate in the ‘Innovatieadviesverklaring’ how much funding you have received in the past three years. An edition consists of two three-day bootcamps and regular coaching sessions. Participants work under the supervision of experienced coaches, to set up or improve their business case.

The supervision can possibly be expanded with experts and entrepreneurs with a background in life sciences & health. The entire process takes ten to twelve weeks. At the end, the participants pitch their plans in front of a jury, including experienced entrepreneurs and investors.

The selected candidates pay a personal contribution and also receive sufficient funding for participating in the Venture Challenge, to be spent in the upcoming edition. The personal contribution for participation in the Venture Challenge per team is: 2,000 euros when 3 team members participate; 2,500 euros when 4 team members participate.

At the end of the Venture Challenge, the participants have: a clear picture of the opportunities and risks and the commercial feasibility of their start-up; a clear action plan for the coming period plus insight into the required funding; a venture plan in which their business case is clearly described; a sharp presentation that can be used to raise funding (such as via NWO's Take-off); a good introduction to relevant investors and experts in the life sciences.

The winners receive 25,000 euro prize money, made available by the Top Sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland). The Venture Challenge has two rounds per year (spring and fall edition). Stay informed of the Venture Challenge via a subscription to the NWO newsletter .

Select the preference "Life Sciences". Registration for the spring round of 2026 closes on February 3, 2026, at 2:00 p. m.

CET. Registration for the fall round of 2026 opens on May 5, 2026, and closes on July 2, 2026, at 2:00 p. m.

CET. The announcement of which startups have been selected for these rounds will be communicated via the NWO newsletter.

Coaching programme, spring session May 6–8, 2026: First Bootcamp June 10–12, 2026: Second Bootcamp June 26, 2026: Pitches to the Jury Coaching programme, fall session November 18–20, 2026 First bootcamp January 20–22, 2027 Second bootcamp February 10, 2027 Pitches to the jury The Venture Challenge is an instrument of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The Venture Challenge was carried out up by the top sector Life Sciences & Health (Health-Holland) until 2019. With effect from 2020, NWO has been responsible for the organisation. More information about the history and background of the Venture Challenge can be found on the website Life Sciences@work .

The top sector Life Sciences & Health (Health~Holland) is the driving force behind innovation in the Life Sciences & Health (LSH) sector. Health~Holland strives to achieve both economic and social impact. With a clear vision of an even healthier future, they invest strategically in a wide range of top disciplines, ranging from pharmacy and medical technology to healthcare infrastructure, vaccination research, eHealth, and data analysis.

Health~Holland's goal is to stimulate groundbreaking scientific discoveries and technological innovations that not only transform healthcare and the LSH sector, but above all contribute to sustainable and structural economic growth.

Fall round Venture Challenge 2026 now open Full 2026 round of Venture Challenge open now Pre-announcement: 2026 Call of Venture Challenge expected to open in January Venture Challenge Fall 2026 Venture Challenge Spring 2026