NWO Open Competition Science – XS 2025 Launches with Increased Funding and New Deadlines

NWO Open Competition Science – XS 2025 Launches with Increased Funding and New Deadlines

(IN BRIEF) The NWO Open Competition Science – XS for 2025 invites researchers with innovative, high-risk projects to submit applications for funding. The competition offers up to €50,000 per project, with a total budget of €2.4 million per package. The aim is to support groundbreaking research, regardless of whether the results are positive or negative. This year’s round introduces three funding packages with deadlines on February 18, May 6, and September 16, 2025, and an increased budget of €2.4 million per package. Researchers can use the results from these projects to apply for further funding within the NWO Domain Science framework.

(PRESS RELEASE) THE HAGUE, 13-Jan-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — Researchers with innovative ideas or high-risk projects now have an opportunity to submit applications for the NWO Open Competition Science – XS, round 2025. This competition invites proposals for groundbreaking research within the NWO Domain Science disciplines, with the understanding that the outcomes are uncertain, and success is not guaranteed. The focus is on advancing science, whether the results are positive or negative. Each application can receive up to €50,000 in funding, with a total budget of €2.4 million allocated for each package.

After completing an NWO Open Competition – XS project, researchers can use the findings to further develop their research. They may choose to apply for additional funding within the Open Competition Domain Science framework, such as the Open Competition-M or Open Competition-XL, or explore other funding avenues.

The 2025 round introduces changes compared to the previous year. This time, there will be three funding packages instead of four. The deadlines are as follows: February 18, 2025, for the first package; May 6, 2025, for the second package; and September 16, 2025, for the third package. Additionally, the budget for each package has increased from €1.4 million to €2.4 million. Applicants are encouraged to review the updated call carefully, use the new templates, and contact the NWO team if they have any questions before submitting their proposals.

Media Contact:

Susan Licumahua (ENW XS)
Programme officer
+31 70 344 061
enw-xs@NWO.NL

Source: NWO