Take-off phase 1 - Spring 2022

Enterprising scientists who want to investigate whether it is feasible to commercially apply an innovative research result can apply for funding via Take-off phase 1: Feasibility studies WO. This program is aimed at stimulating and supporting economic activity and entrepreneurship on the basis of science.

In 2022, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate will make funds available for feasibility studies for academic innovative starters arising from the multi-year national research program Commit2Data with the theme Big Data and analytics from all Commit2Data research sectors. The feasibility studies of the Commit2Data cluster can have both a social and an economic perspective and there must be a willingness to transfer the developed knowledge.

Purpose

Take-off focuses on facilitating and stimulating activity and entrepreneurship from Dutch universities and research institutes recognized by NWO. This involves creating innovative new activities that follow knowledge development and utilization by researchers at these knowledge institutions. This may concern product, process, care or service innovation in the broadest sense of the word, within all scientific fields (beta/technology, life sciences and humanities/gamma).

Who can apply

Researchers from the following research institutes can submit applications:

• Dutch universities (or comparable positions at university medical centers);
• KNAW and NWO institutes;
• the Netherlands Cancer Institute;
• the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen;
• NCB Naturalis;
• Advanced Research Center for NanoLithography (ARCNL);
• Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology.

What to apply for

NWO Domain Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) provides funding for Take-off feasibility studies in the form of grants with a maximum size of 40,000 euros for a maximum period of six months for the performance of a study into the feasibility for commercial application of specific innovative knowledge that has arisen within these research institutions.

When to apply

• Applications for feasibility studies can be submitted with a declaration of intent (use proper form) sent to aanvragentake-off@nwo.nl before 8 February 2022 14:00 CET.
• Full proposals (use the proper form) are to be submitted in our ISAAC system before 8 March 2022 14:00 CET.

Criteria

The ranking criteria for Take-off WO phase 1 - feasibility studies are:

• Knowledge base and innovativeness
  • knowledge that forms the basis of the business idea;
  • innovative elements;
• Commercial potential
  • application possibilities and added value;
  • market and commercial perspectives;
• Qualities of the team
  • scientific expertise applicant(s) and support staff;
  • entrepreneurial and commercial skills;
  • motivation and level of ambition of the team involved
• Quality of the project plan
  • practical and economic approach;
  • activity plan;
  • project budget, broken down by project activity;

Procedure

Take-off's Advisory Committee is supported in its advisory work by a group of independent experts. These include enterprising scientists (from various scientific fields), entrepreneurs and private financiers. The independent experts and the applications are divided into three clusters by the Take-off office. These clusters are science/technology, life sciences and humanities/gamma.

In the interview round, applicants are given the opportunity to present their application to the Advisory Committee and the independent experts in the cluster, who then have the opportunity to ask questions to further explain the application.

The Take-off program is a science-wide funding instrument of ZonMw and NWO (secretary: domain of Applied and Engineering Sciences). Take-off is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

Timeline Take-off, round spring 2022

The Take-off program is a science-wide funding instrument of ZonMw and NWO (secretary: domain of Applied and Engineering Sciences). Take-off is funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science.

• 3 January 2022: Opening call
• 8 February 2022 14:00 CET: Deadline for submission of letter of intent
• 8 March 2022 14:00 CET: Deadline for submission of full applications
• 2 to 27 May 2022: Interview days
• 17 June 2022: Announcement of the decision (subject to change).