⚠ Samengevat door AI op basis van een externe bron. Laatst geüpdatet: 9 mrt 2026. Starthubs is niet aansprakelijk voor eventuele fouten. Raadpleeg altijd de officiële challenge‑informatie.
NWO opens a KIC call for research into how systems and actors can become more adaptive during major societal transitions. The call targets three transition contexts: the food system, sustainable mobility and the energy system in the built environment. Each project can receive €1.5 million to €2 million in NWO funding for up to six years. Consortia must include at least two co-funding partners. The mandatory collaborative workshops took place on 2 February and 2 March 2026 — new main applicants who missed both workshops cannot submit. However, companies and startups can still join existing consortia as co-funders or collaboration partners. The proposal deadline is 9 June 2026.
What is NWO looking for?
NWO seeks insights, action perspectives and capacity for action that increase the adaptivity of systems and actors within transitions. Proposals must focus on at least one of three transition contexts (or their intersections):
- The food system transition — including sustainable agriculture, food production chains and consumption patterns
- The transition toward sustainable mobility — including transport systems, behavioural change and infrastructure adaptation
- The energy system transition in the built environment — including heating, insulation and local energy grids
Consortia must address both systemic adaptivity (how systems respond to disruption and change) and actor-adaptivity (how organisations and individuals build capacity to navigate transitions). Research proposals should clearly conceptualise and operationalise their approach to adaptivity. Full details are available in the official call for proposals on the NWO website.
Who is this for?
- Main applicant: researcher at a Dutch university, UMC, KNAW/NWO institute or university of applied sciences — must have attended both mandatory workshops (2 Feb + 2 Mar 2026)
- At least one co-applicant from an eligible research organisation
- At least two co-funders are mandatory — companies (startups, SMEs, corporates) and societal organisations in food, mobility, energy and sustainability can fill this role without workshop attendance
- Additional cooperation partners are welcome
- ⚠ The workshops have already taken place — companies and startups who want to participate should proactively reach out to existing consortia forming around this call
What's in it for you?
- €1.5 million to €2 million NWO funding per project — NWO covers 50–80% of the total project budget
- Project duration up to six years for in-depth transition research
- Direct collaboration with leading Dutch researchers across disciplines: economics, sociology, design science, environmental science, engineering and behavioural science
- Contribution to three of the most urgent Dutch policy transitions — aligning with IZA, NPLG and climate goals
- Unique focus on adaptivity — an underexplored angle that can yield competitive advantage for companies navigating regulatory and market transitions