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Call overview

Calls stimulate interdisciplinary research for groundbreaking innovative solutions with social and economic impact. Calls bring companies and knowledge institutions together and finance groundbreaking research based on impactful research proposals. On this page you will find an overview of our own calls and those of (inter)national partner organizations.

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Holland High Tech Calls
Calls from partners

Calls Holland High Tech

PPP Innovation Scheme

The PPP Innovation Scheme encourages collaboration between knowledge institutions and companies within the high-tech sector. The scheme is intended for projects in which public and private parties conduct joint research that contributes to the urgent transitions of our time. This is done using new technologies, materials or applications from the innovation domains and in line with the mission-driven innovation policy. Projects within the PPP-I can focus on fundamental research, industrial research or experimental development. The PPP contribution varies from 25% to 80%, depending on the type of research, with a possible surcharge for collaboration with SMEs.

HTSM Call 2025

The new HTSM call Heterogeneous development solutions for semiconductors & Scaling up quantum technologies is expected to open in January 2026. This KIC mission call is a collaboration between NWO and Holland High Tech. The call focuses on funding fundamental and applied research in the fields of semiconductors and quantum technologies.

SME Hightech call 2025

In this call, we once again give high-tech SMEs the lead in defining the direction of industrial research. As an entrepreneur, you determine which research best matches the innovation needs of your company. This takes place through joint research activities between an SME (or a consortium of SME companies) and a research organisation. The SME itself also receives funding. For the 2025 edition of the SME Hightech call, a total budget of €5 million is available, of which €3.3 million is allocated to SME participants.

SME Defence call 2025

In this call, we invite high-tech entrepreneurs to collaborate with research organisations over a two-year period on innovative dual-use projects in the NLD domains space, quantum, and smart materials, as outlined in the Defence Strategy for Industry and Innovation 2025–2029. With a total budget of €5 million, the call supports industrial research focused on the development and application within these specific NLD domains. The call was developed by Holland High Tech, in collaboration with the ministries of Defence and Economic Affairs.

KIEM call HighTech

With the new subsidy scheme KIEM HighTech 2025, Holland High Tech and Regieorgaan SIA stimulate and finance short-term research based on (technology) questions from SMEs. With a duration of one year and an available budget of € 40,000 per project, this call offers great opportunities for researchers (universities of applied sciences, universities and other knowledge institutions), SMEs and other practical partners to collaborate on compact research questions. Submitted grant applications are assessed three times a year.

MKB Call hightech 2024

In this call, we give the high-tech SME the lead in determining the direction of a research. As an entrepreneur, you determine which industrial research supports the wishes and needs of your company for research and innovation. This in the form of industrial research activities that are jointly carried out by an SME (or a consortium of SMEs) in collaboration with a research organization. In addition, the SME also receives a subsidy itself. A total budget of €5 million is available for the 2024 edition of the SME high-tech call. Project proposals can be submitted from 16 December 2024 to 19 December 2024. The deadline for submitting a detailed project plan is no later than 27 February 2025.

HTSM Call 2024

The new HTSM call 2024, in collaboration with NWO, is aimed at stimulating fundamental and application-oriented research in the field of High Tech Systems and Materials in the Netherlands. The available budget consists of a Holland High Tech contribution of 5 million euros and a contribution from NWO of 2.5 million euros with a duration of 6 years for projects. The deadline for submitting applications was October 10, 2024.

Calls from partner organisations

Below you will find calls from national (orange) and international (green) partner organisations.

KIC-Call: High performance materials for defence and safety | 16 october 2025

The KIC call “High performance materials for Defence and security” invites researchers, public and private organisations to submit research proposals on new materials for use by Defence. Reducing the ecological footprint of materials and production techniques plays an important role in this. The subsidy ceiling for this Call for proposals amounts to a total of € 7,000,000. The deadline for submitting initiatives is Thursday 19 June and the deadline for submitting applications is Thursday 16 October.

TechBridge: United Kingdom 2025 – Quantum Technologies | 28 October 2025

With TechBridge, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy supports international R&D collaborations in the field of key technologies. The TechBridge United Kingdom 2025 – Quantum Technologies call invites entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions and research organisations to submit research proposals for the development, prototyping and testing of quantum technology, in collaboration with partners from the United Kingdom. The total subsidy ceiling for this call is €600,000. Grant percentages vary depending on the type of organisation. The deadline for submitting applications is Tuesday 28 October 2025 at 17.00.

Innovation fund: European funding available for innovations in decarbonisation | 2025

The European Commission has launched a new round of the Innovation Fund, making a total of €4.6 billion available for innovations that contribute to reducing emissions. This amount is intended to support net-zero technologies, such as the production of battery cells for electric vehicles and sustainable hydrogen.

Digital Europe Programme | 2025 - 2027

Are you looking for funding for innovative projects in AI, data, cloud, cybersecurity or developing digital skills? Then the Digital Europe Programme is for you! As part of the second series of calls under the 2025-2027 work programme, the European Commission has made a total of €204 million available. The first calls – on the EU Digital Identity Wallet and mobile driving licences – are already open and will close on 9 December 2025. The remaining calls will open on 4 November 2025 and close on 3 March 2026.

KIC call: Robust and resilient space infrastructure for a safe Netherlands

NWO has opened a new KIC call: Robust and resilient space infrastructure for a safe Netherlands. This call will launch scientific research into critical technologies for space infrastructure, where these technologies can't be considered entirely independently of space treaties, nor political and diplomatic relations. The closing date for the call is 2 April 2026, at 14:00 PM. A total of €7 million in funding is available.

KIC call: Demand-driven Research by Consortia – XL | 12 November 2026

Cybersecurity, climate, circular economy, housing shortage, aging population, or health: our society faces enormous challenges that demand knowledge and groundbreaking innovations. This requires collaboration between researchers, businesses, and public sector organizations to develop and successfully implement innovative solutions. This program stimulates this collaboration and funds new and existing public-private consortia. The grant ceiling for this Call for Proposals is €14 million, with a maximum duration of six years.

Quantum Forward Challenges: Life Sciences & Health

With the Quantum Forward Challenges, Quantum Delta NL encourages collaboration between researchers, companies, and end users to accelerate the translation of quantum technology into real-world impact. The first call focuses on disruptive feasibility projects within Life Sciences & Health. The deadline for this call is 24 November 2025. The Quantum Forward Challenges mark the start of a broader ambition to structurally apply the challenge-based model and thus work towards a national platform for quantum innovation, where public and private parties collaborate on scientifically ambitious and socially relevant solutions. A total of €2 million in funding is available.

KIC-call: System design in mechatronics and optomechatronics

A new KIC call for applications opened at NWO: System design in mechatronics and optomechatronics. Developed in collaboration with the KIA Key Technologies (KIA ST) within the KIA ST 2024–2027 program, the call encourages interdisciplinary public-private partnerships focused on innovative system design in (opto)mechatronics. The goal is to develop new design concepts that address future demands for performance, reliability, precision, and scalability of high-tech systems. The call deadline is 21 April 2026, at 14:00 PM. The matchmaking meeting will take place on 11 December 2025 from 12:00 to 16:00 PM. A total of €7 million in funding is available.

KIC call: Reducing critical raw materials use in the energy transition

NWO has opened a new KIC call: Reducing critical raw materials use in the energy transition. This call focuses on reducing dependence on scarce and geopolitically risky raw materials in the energy transition. The closing date for the call is 14 April 2026, at 14:00 PM. A matchmaking meeting will be held on 29 January 2026, from 12:00 PM to 15:45 PM at NWO in Utrecht. A total of €7 million in funding is available. Applications can request a minimum of €750,000 and a maximum of €1,300,000 in NWO funding.

KIC call: Digital Twinning | Advance notice

A new KIC call will soon open at NWO: Digital Twinning – multidisciplinary simulation for deep and up-to-date insights. Digital Twins are of crucial importance because they enable both public and private organisations to better understand the inner workings of their processes and how these processes can be optimised. This call encourages interdisciplinary research within public-private consortia into the development and application of Digital Twins. The expected closing date for full proposals is 14 April 2026 at 14:00 (CEST). A total of €7 million in funding is available.

Programmes and projects

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