NWO Take-off

Take-off Phase 2 — Early-Stage Loan (Vroegefasetraject)

Invests Netherlands firms in knowledge startups building commercialization-ready products through structured financing and growth-oriented milestones.

Take-off Phase 2 (Vroegefasetrajecten / Early-Stage Routes) provides an interest-bearing loan to Dutch start-ups that have just been initiated by researchers or entrepreneurs from academic, HBO, or TO2 institutions. The loan ranges from EUR 50,000 to EUR 450,000. The project may run up to 24 months, and the loan must be repaid within 8 years with interest.

Phase 2 funds the steps necessary to make a knowledge innovation commercially viable — production process development, market research, marketing planning, financing planning, and other commercialization activities. The aim is to bring the start-up to a stage where private or public investors will fund continued development.

Applications are accepted in two rounds per year. The spring round opens in January and closes in February; the fall round opens in July/August and closes in September.

Eligible applicants include academic starters (Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs — WO), HBO (Hoger Beroepsonderwijs / universities of applied sciences) starters, and innovative starters with knowledge from TO2 institutions (toegepast onderzoek institutes such as TNO, MARIN, NLR, DLO, Deltares, ECN, WUR). The start-up must be Dutch-registered.

Take-off Phase 2 is implemented by NWO (Domain AES coordinator) together with ZonMw. The programme is financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.