NWO Open Technology Programme

Open Technology Programme

Funds Dutch applied technology research in universities and public institutes through collaborative calls.

The Open Technology Programme 2026 is a flagship funding instrument of the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for applied and technical-scientific research in the Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) domain. The call accepts continuous submissions from 12 January to 11 December 2026 and has a total budget of €25,900,000. Standard projects may receive up to €950,000; projects that include more than €150,000 in investments (equipment, materials, or other capital items) may receive up to €1,050,000. Maximum project duration is six years. When total project costs exceed €700,000, at least 25% co-funding is required on the portion of costs above that threshold.

Eligibility is restricted to researchers holding a tenured position or a signed tenure-track agreement at a qualifying Dutch institution — Dutch universities, university medical centers, KNAW or NWO-affiliated institutes, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Naturalis, ARCNL, or the Princess Máxima Center. Researchers on zero-hour contracts or limited-period employment (other than tenure track) are not eligible. For-profit organizations cannot apply as lead applicants but may participate as industry co-funding partners.

The programme covers any field of applied science without disciplinary restrictions — submissions have historically spanned manufacturing technology, materials, quantum devices, photonics, robotics, biotechnology, and climate engineering. NWO evaluates proposals on scientific quality, knowledge utilization potential, and team composition. Applicants interested in maximizing the award ceiling should structure budgets above €150,000 in eligible investments to access the €1,050,000 tier, and should confirm co-funding commitments from industry or other third parties before submission if project costs are likely to exceed €700,000.