Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC)

The Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) is NWO's multi-year collaborative research programme in the Netherlands, built to connect scientists, companies, and civil society around mission-driven themes. The current 2024-2027 cycle is the active one and is meant to convert broad public missions into funded research partnerships. KIC invests over €120 million a year, split across €120 million for Mission, Demand and Strategy research and €18 million for the Practice funding line. It uses grants, requires private-sector co-financing, and runs themed calls such as Demand-driven Research by Consortia -S 2026, KIC AI for agriculture, horticulture, water and food 2026, and Cooling needs in homes. NWO manages the programme directly, so applicants need to align both with the mission theme and with a consortium that can bring company funding into the budget from the start. The strongest proposals are the ones that read as a practical partnership around a named challenge rather than a loose academic network with no industrial commitment.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.