Regional Investment Fund for Secondary Vocational Education (Regionaal Investeringsfonds mbo, RIF)

Regional Investment Fund for Secondary Vocational Education (Regionaal Investeringsfonds mbo, RIF)

Funds Dutch vocational education partnerships between schools and employers to strengthen workforce pipelines.

The Regionaal Investeringsfonds mbo (RIF) is a grant programme funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) and administered by DUS-I (Dienst Uitvoering Subsidies aan Instellingen). It stimulates sustainable public-private partnerships between vocational education institutions (mbo schools) and regional employers or labour-market organisations, with the goal of better aligning Dutch vocational education with current and future labour-market needs. The June 2026 round (Round 1) makes €7 million available; a second round in January 2027 is anticipated with €10.4 million pending publication in the State Gazette, and a third round is planned for June 2027.

Awards range from €250,000 to €2,500,000 per consortium. Projects run for four to five calendar years. The maximum OCW subsidy equals one-third of the total multi-year project budget, meaning applicants must secure co-financing covering 33–67% of total costs. The hourly rate is capped at €86 including overhead. Every consortium must include at least one publicly funded mbo institution as an anchor; companies and employers cannot apply as sole leads. For-profit and non-profit organisations may participate as consortium partners. Existing partnerships seeking renewal must demonstrate prior successful RIF participation, maintain at least 50% of their original participants, or redirect the collaboration toward research skills.

The June 2026 application window runs 1–30 June 2026. Applicants should submit via DUS-I and plan their co-financing well in advance of the window, given the strict one-third cap on OCW subsidy. Strong proposals articulate a concrete multi-year curriculum development plan co-designed with employers and show measurable expected outcomes for student employability in the regional labour market. Partnerships in the Caribbean Netherlands are also eligible.