Funding for impact

Overview of funding opportunities

• NWO Take off

  Phase 1: Feasibility study

  For a feasibility study, researchers within Take-off can request financing of EUR 30,000 to a maximum of EUR 60,000. This subsidy can be used to perform a feasibility study of the commercial application of innovative ideas and the start of activity on the basis of knowledge innovations from knowledge institutions. A feasibility study leads to a report which includes the possibilities of a start-up.

  Phase 2: Vroegefasetrajecten

  With Take-off phase 2 ("Vroegefasetrajecten"), companies (start-ups) which have just been initiated by researchers or entrepreneurs can request a loan of 50,000 euros to a maximum of 450,000 euros. The loan is utilised for the project with a maximum term of two years. Interest is owed on the loan, which must be repaid within eight years. With this loan, start-ups can take the steps which are necessary to make a knowledge innovation commercially viable. This could be a production process, market research, or a marketing or financing plan. This enables the entrepreneur to approach other private or public parties at the end of this route for investment in the continuation of the project.

  Learn more about NWO Take off.

• NWO Impact Explorer

  Small top-up grants, for ongoing research-projects in the Open Competition or Talent Programme, to explore an unforeseen opportunity for impact. 

  The purpose of this grant is to explore opportunities for societal impact arising from curiosity-driven research. These are opportunities and ideas that were not anticipated in advance when the project plan was made, but have emerged during the lifetime of a project. 

  The grant is intended for activities to validate the potential societal impact of discoveries from more curiosity-driven research, from the Talent Line and Open Competitions of both NWO and ZonMw, and to explore a route towards it. 

  Read more on the website of NWO: Impact Explorer | NWO

• ERC Proof of Concept (PoC) grant 

  All Principal Investigators in one of the ERC frontier grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced or Synergy) are eligible to apply for an ERC Proof of Concept grant. The objective of the Proof of Concept grant is to enable ERC-funded ideas to progress on the path from ground-breaking research towards innovation. 

  Read more on the IXA-GO research and Valorisation Platform

• Help with ‘impact paragraphs’

  Many grant providers require a paragraph on social impact and knowledge utilization. Our grant advisors can assist you in writing this, together with IXA’s business and impact developers. 

  In such a paragraph, you describe how your research can create value: 

  • For society, by contributing to societal challenges. 
  • For companies and public organizations, such as museums, charities, or governments. 
  • Through collaboration and knowledge transfer, by showing how you share your expertise with relevant stakeholders. 

   We are happy to support you at every step of this process. Please contact VU IXA-GO.