NWO Launches €25.9 Million Open Technology Programme 2026 to Advance Societal Innovation

NWO Launches €25.9 Million Open Technology Programme 2026 to Advance Societal Innovation

(IN BRIEF) NWO has opened the 2026 call for its Open Technology Programme (OTP), continuing a 45-year tradition of supporting application-oriented, technology-driven research with strong societal relevance through close collaboration between researchers and public and private partners. With a total budget of €25.9 million, the programme invites proposals from across the full spectrum of technical sciences, including interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects, and encourages engagement with societal knowledge users to enhance the real-world impact of research outcomes. Compared to previous editions, the 2026 call introduces a more clearly defined programme objective, a new assessment criterion focused on suitability within the OTP, mandatory pre-assessment for foreign co-applicants, and expanded options for compensating experts in user committees. Applications may be submitted continuously throughout the year until funding limits are reached, with individual projects eligible for up to €950,000 in funding, or €1,050,000 for investment-intensive projects, and NWO will support applicants through an online information session scheduled for late January.

(PRESS RELEASE) THE HAGUE, 12-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has officially opened the call for the Open Technology Programme (OTP) 2026, continuing a long-standing initiative that has supported application-oriented, technology-driven research with societal relevance for more than four decades. Now entering its 45th year, the programme remains a key instrument for advancing innovative technological research through close collaboration between academic researchers, companies, and other societal stakeholders. For the 2026 call, NWO has allocated a total budget of €25.9 million to fund a wide range of high-quality, curiosity-driven projects.

The Open Technology Programme is designed to stimulate the development of new technologies that contribute to solutions for societal challenges, benefiting people, the planet, and society at large. The programme is intentionally broad in scope and open to all disciplines within the technical sciences, including application-oriented mathematics, natural sciences, earth sciences, medical sciences, and life sciences. Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects are strongly encouraged, particularly those that integrate perspectives from the social sciences and humanities to enhance real-world applicability.

A defining feature of the OTP is its emphasis on collaboration with public and private knowledge users. By involving societal partners throughout the research process, the programme aims to increase the likelihood that research outcomes will be translated into practical applications. For the 2026 edition, NWO has introduced several adjustments compared to the previous call, including a sharper definition of the programme’s objectives and the introduction of a new assessment criterion focused on a project’s suitability within the OTP framework. In addition, foreign co-applicants must now undergo a mandatory assessment by NWO prior to submission, and remuneration may be claimed for experts participating in user committees under specific conditions.

Applications for OTP 2026 can be submitted on a rolling basis from 12 January until 11 December 2026, provided that the grant ceiling or the maximum number of applications has not yet been reached. NWO will proactively communicate when available funding is close to being fully allocated. Individual projects may receive up to €950,000 in funding, with a higher ceiling of €1,050,000 for investment-heavy projects, subject to co-funding requirements. To support prospective applicants, NWO will host an online information meeting on 29 January 2026, offering detailed guidance on the call and an opportunity to ask questions.

Register for the information session

Media Contacts:

Jennifer Bendsneijder
Spokesperson
+31 6 47141061
j.bendsneijder@nwo.nl

Freek Hofland
Spokesperson
+31 6 58920086
f.hofland@nwo.nl

SOURCE: NWO