The SGW Open Competition aims to give researchers the opportunity to conduct research on a topic of their own choice, without thematic constraints. The SGW Open Competition has three funding forms: XS, M, and L. The funding instrument is intended for a broad group of researchers at different stages of their scientific careers.

SGW Open Competition

Changes compared to the previous Call

The following changes have been made in this Call for proposals compared to the Open Competition L 2023 Call.

• In the current round, a maximum of one co-applicant is allowed per application. In the 2023 Call, a maximum of three co-applicants were allowed. Unlike the main applicant, there is no requirement for the co-applicants PhD date. This allows junior researchers, in collaboration with a main applicant from the target group, to be involved in an application.
• Applicants with an ongoing NWO Open Competition project may only submit if the planned end date of the ongoing project is within one year of the deadline of this Call. This means that ongoing NWO Open Competition projects must have an end date before September 9, 2026. This restrictive condition applied in the 2023 Call for all NWO projects; in this Call, it has been adjusted to only NWO Open Competition projects.

Budget

The subsidy ceiling for this Call for proposals amounts to a total of € 40,900,000. Within this Call for proposals, approximately 51 applications are expected to be awarded.

Deadlines

• The deadline for submitting pre-registrations is Tuesday, September 9, 2025, before 14:00:00 CEST.
• The deadline for submitting applications is Tuesday, February 3, 2026, before 14:00:00 CET.
• The deadline for submitting a request for review of (foreign) organizations is Tuesday, August 26, 2025, before 14:00:00 CEST.