NWO opens the call for the Open Technology Program (OTP) 2026. For the 45th consecutive year, the OTP stimulates application-oriented technical scientific research with societal impact, focusing on close collaboration with companies and other societal partners. With an available budget of €25.9 million, this new call will again support a large number of free and independent world-class research projects.
View the Call for Proposals 2026
Innovative technological research across a broad spectrum
The OTP focuses on projects where research is central and that develop new technology for people, planet, and society.
The program has no disciplinary boundaries and is open to all disciplines within the technical sciences, including applied mathematics, natural sciences, earth sciences, medical and life sciences. Inter- and multidisciplinary collaboration, also with social and humanities sciences, is explicitly encouraged.
Furthermore, collaboration with public and private knowledge users is an important principle, as this increases the chance of applying research results.
Main changes compared to 2025
Compared to the 2025 call, NWO has implemented the following changes:
- The objective has been sharpened, including the new assessment aspect fit within the OTP;
- Foreign co-applicants must be assessed by NWO before submitting an application;
- A compensation can now be claimed for experts by experience participating in the user committee. The condition is that they do so in a personal capacity or as a representative of a foundation or association, and in an unpaid role.
Continuous submission
Applications can be submitted continuously throughout the year from January 12 to December 11, 2026, as long as the subsidy ceiling or the maximum number of applications is not reached. In case of involvement of a foreign co-applicant, it is important to contact NWO well before submission for the mandatory assessment.
Available budget
The available budget for the year 2026 amounts to €25.9 million. NWO finances up to 950,000 euros per project. For projects with an investment character, where more than €150,000 in investments is requested, this maximum can be increased to €1,050,000. When the total project costs exceed 700,000 euros, a co-financing of 25% over the amount above €700,000 is mandatory.
As soon as the subsidy ceiling approaches, NWO will proactively communicate this via the call website.
Online information session
On January 29, 2026, NWO will organize an online information session for potential applicants and subsidy advisors. During the session, more information will be provided about the details of the 2026 call and there will be room for questions.