Previously known as Erasmus Research Services (ERS), ERS changed its name to Engagement & Research Services effective September 1st, 2024.
On this page, you can find an overview of some important research funding schemes. Funding opportunities are numerous. You can apply for funding as an individual or a group, for all kinds of disciplines and to cover a multitude of activities.
Before applying for a research grant, we advise you to contact the funding officer in your school or Engagement & Research Services. They can help you explore which Grant schemes you are eligible for and can explain the precise requirements of the funding application to you.
Personal grants
Overview:
| Aim | This grant allows researchers who have recently obtained their PhD to conduct independent research and develop their ideas for a period of three years. |
| Amount of funding | The maximum grant is € 280,000. |
| Target group | The Veni grant is for researchers who have recently obtained their PhD, are at the start of their scientific career and display a striking talent for scientific research. Veni applicants must have obtained their doctorate within the last three years. |
| More information | NWO homepage for Veni |
| Aim | This grant allows researchers who have already spent several years doing postdoctoral research to develop their own innovative line of research, and to appoint one or more researchers. |
| Amount of funding | The maximum grant is € 800,000. |
| Target group | You can apply for a Vidi grant if you have done several years of research at postdoc level. In this research you have come up with innovative ideas that you have been able to independently and successfully develop further. You gained your doctorate no more than eight years ago, calculated from the date of the PhD graduation to the benchmark date for the Vidi round (1 October). |
| More information | NWO homepage for Vidi |
| Aim | This grant is for outstanding senior researchers who have successfully demonstrated the ability to develop their own innovative lines of research, and to act as coaches for young researchers. The research group must become structurally embedded in the research institution. |
| Amount of funding | The maximum grant is € 1,500,000. |
| Target group | Researchers who have obtained their PhD within the last 15 years can apply for a Vici grant. |
| More information | NWO homepage for Vici |
| Aim | International research experience is often essential for building up one’s scientific career. Rubicon offers talented researchers who have completed their doctorates in the past year the chance to gain experience at a top research institution outside the Netherlands for a period of 12 to 24 months. |
| Amount of funding | The eligible costs include salary including fringe benefits, travel costs, and research costs. |
| Target group | Postgraduates who are currently engaged in doctoral research or who have been awarded a doctorate in the twelve months preceding the relevant deadline can submit a proposal. Applicants who are still engaged in doctoral research may apply only if their supervisor provides a written declaration approving their thesis. Women are urged to apply. |
| More information | NWO homepage for Rubicon |
| Aim | The aim of the Open Competition – SSH is to facilitate excellent, non-programmed, curiosity-driven research that primarily addresses a social sciences or humanities research question and research problem. The funding instrument aims to serve a broader group of researchers in different stages of their academic careers. |
| Amount of funding | Extra Small-Scale Grants (XS): Researchers with a promising idea who obtained their PhD five to ten years ago - a maximum of 50,000 euros. Medium-Scale Grants (M): Experienced researchers who obtained their PhD at least 10 years ago - a maximum of 400,000 euros. Large-Scale Grants (L): Advanced researchers who obtained their PhD at least 15 years ago - a maximum of 750,000 euros. |
| Target group | Research can have a disciplinary, interdisciplinary or cross-domain character. The research can be aimed at international collaboration between researchers and/or research groups. |
| More information | NWO homepage for Open Competition SSH |
Overview:
| Aim | Marie Skłodowska-Curie PFs aim to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. Researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers are eligible to apply. |
| Amount of funding | The grant usually covers two years' salary, a mobility allowance, research costs and overheads for the host institution. |
| Target group | Researchers with a maximum of eight years of post-PhD research experience may apply for this grant. |
| More information | European Commission homepage for MSCA |
| Aim | ERC Starting Grants are designed for early-career scientists who have already produced excellent supervised work, are ready to work independently and show potential to be a research leader. |
| Amount of funding | The maximum grant is 1.5 million euros. |
| Target group | Researchers with two to seven years of experience since completion of their PhD can apply for an ERC Starting Grant. Applicants must have already shown the potential for research independence and evidence of maturity. |
| More information | ERC homepage for Starting Grants |
| Aim | ERC Consolidator Grants are designed to support Principal Investigators at the career stage at which they may still be consolidating their own independent research team or programme. ERC’s mission is to encourage the highest quality research in Europe and to support investigator-driven frontier research on the basis of scientific excellence. |
| Amount of funding | The maximum grant is 2 million euros. |
| Target group | Researchers over seven and up to twelve years of experience since completion of their PhD with an excellent scientific track record can apply for an ERC Consolidator Grant. |
| More information | ERC homepage for Consolidator Grants |
| Aim | ERC Advanced Grants are designed to support established, leading principal investigators who want long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, high-risk project. Applicants are expected to be active researchers who have a track-record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years. They should be exceptional leaders in terms of originality and significance of their research contributions. |
| Amount of funding | The maximum grant is 2.5 million euros. |
| Target group | Established researchers who seek long-term funding to pursue a ground-breaking, high-risk project can apply for this grant. Applicants should have a track record of significant research achievements in the last 10 years and demonstrate originality and significance of their research contributions. |
| More information | ERC homepage for Advanced Grants |
Collaborative grants
View national funding opportunities.
| Aim | The Gravitation Programme targets scientific consortia that have the potential to rank among the world’s best in their field. |
| Amount of funding | Funding can be requested for new costs directly related to the research programme or to the organisation of the consortium. This includes:
In addition, the main applicant and up to five co-applicants can claim the costs of replacement personnel to perform their normal duties while they are doing research, subject to a limit of twenty percent of the total salary. |
| Target group | Top researchers who are carrying out innovative and influential research in their field. The executive board of the university can only submit proposals. Please contact a grant officer for more information. |
| More information | NWO homepage for Gravitation |
View European funding opportunities.
Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation. The programme facilitates collaboration and strengthens the impact of research and innovation in developing, supporting and implementing EU policies while tackling global challenges. It supports creating and better dispersing of excellent knowledge and technologies.
Detailed information on Horizon Europe can be found on the Horizon Europe webpage.
Detailed information on open calls for proposals can be found on the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions are the European Union’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training. Three types of grants are available under this scheme:
Doctoral Networks (formerly known as ITN): Supporting programmes to train doctoral candidates in academic and non-academic organisations. Follow the link to find out more about Doctoral Networks.
Staff Exchanges: Encouraging collaborations between organisations through staff exchanges. Follow the link to find out more about Staff Exchanges.
COFUND: Co-funding of regional, national and international programmes. Follow the link to find out more about COFUND.
Research efforts can be essential to address major societal challenges. In some cases, these are so great that national research programmes cannot tackle them effectively on their own. Yet, the vast bulk of research programmes in Europe are run in an isolated way, leading to unwanted fragmentation or ineffectiveness. Joint programming aims to remedy this situation.
More information can be found on the Joint Programming webpage.