KIEM HighTech
Provides exploratory collaboration funding for Dutch teams linking academics and industry across photonics, climate, transport, and high-tech material systems.
KIEM HighTech 2026 is a one-year exploratory research grant jointly co-funded by Holland High Tech and Regieorgaan SIA, designed to initiate structured researcher–industry collaboration across the ten HTSM innovation domains. The ten eligible domains are Circular Economy, Sustainable Mobility, Energy Materials, Imaging Technologies, Mechatronics and Optomechatronics, Optical Systems and Integrated Photonics, Quantum Technologies, Semiconductor Technologies, Smart Industry, and Systems Engineering. A research organisation must lead every consortium, and each consortium must include at least two field partners, of which at least one must be a Dutch SME. Individual companies cannot serve as lead applicants.
Two submission rounds are scheduled in 2026: Round 1 closed March 24, 2026 at 14:00; Round 2 is open until September 15, 2026 at 14:00. Both rounds operate on a first-come, first-served basis within the respective deadline — earlier submissions within a round have a practical advantage. Applications are submitted through Regieorgaan SIA's portal at regieorgaan-sia.nl, not through the Holland High Tech portal. The per-project award ceiling had not been published at the time this record was compiled; the awardMax remains unconfirmed pending SIA publication.
The KIEM HighTech scheme is specifically positioned as an entry-level public-private collaboration instrument — its one-year duration and exploratory scope make it suitable for teams forming a new research partnership rather than extending an established one. Successful KIEM projects often serve as the foundation for larger follow-on PPP-I or NWO submissions. Consortia building around Semiconductor Technologies or Quantum Technologies can expect strong alignment with the broader HTSM national agenda and the companion HTSM Call 2025 that targets the same domains at a larger scale.
One-year exploratory research collaborations between Dutch knowledge institutions and SMEs across ten HTSM innovation domains, including semiconductors, quantum technologies, photonics, and smart industry.
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