Open Competition Domain Science – XS package 24-1 | NWO (2024)

Researchers who have obtained a PhD and/or hold a professorial position can apply if they hold a salaried position for the duration of the application process and the project.

ENW-XS is open for postdocs. Read the conditions in section 3.1 of the call for proposals for the possibilities of requesting your own salary in ENW-XS.

Applicants who had a proposal dealt with in the immediately preceding ENW-XS package (23-4; deadline 24 October 2023) may not make a submission.

For research proposals in ENW-XS, applicants may apply for sums of up to €50,000.

There are no requirements concerning the type of research to be conducted. Also, there are very few restrictions on the subjects of proposals. For instance, they could involve the appointment of temporary staff, material costs, the costs involved in performing ‘citizen science’, and travel expenses for commuting to other locations to conduct experiments. Postdocs are permitted to request their own salary.

The appointment of PhD students is subject to additional conditions. For details of these conditions, see Annex 7.1 to the Call for proposals.

Four deadlines for submitting proposals for ENW-XS projects are specified for 2024. For the most up-to-date ENW-XS webpage please see www.nwo.nl/enw-xs-en

* these dates are tentative and can differ with a few days, you will always get 10 working days for the assessment

Criteria

High-risk/high-gain
Is the proposed research innovative, highly speculative, and ground-breaking? Could the research proposal potentially have a scientific impact?

Feasibility of the research plan
The objective, rationale, and work plan must be clearly described. Can the project be carried out within the maximum period of one year and within the requested budget? Does the proposed research align with the aim of the Call, as detailed in Chapter 2?

Proposals must be drawn up with a wide audience in mind, to enable assessors from all Domain Science disciplines to properly evaluate the research plan and the following assessment aspects. The assessors may award a lower ranking to any proposals that are drawn up in a way that is not accessible to those in other disciplines.

Procedure

All applications submitted for one of the deadlines are treated as a package. Per package the applications are separated into two clusters. Applicants choose in which of the following clusters their application is assessed:

• Life Sciences
• Physical and Exact Sciences

Per cluster the applications are separated in group A and group B. The applications in groups A are assessed by the applicants in group B and vice versa. The NWO office will determine the final ranks of the applications based on the ranks submitted by the assessors. Two final rankings will be established per package; two for each cluster. There will be no opportunity for a rebuttal. The NWO Domain Science Board will decide whether to grant or refuse an application based on the results of the four rankings and the available financial means.

When drawing up a proposal, be sure to make it anonymous:

• Applicants should include neither their own name nor those of any individuals in their research group;
• Applicants should not include details of any affiliations with institutes or knowledge institutions;
• Applicants should not include references to any publications that they have authored or co-authored;
• Applicants should not include the names of any partners (or potential partners).

Applicants should be aware that they will be required to assess proposals from all Domain Science disciplines in the chosen cluster. Therefore, the own proposal must be written with a wide audience in mind.

• Mandatory annexes: budget form (Excel) and information form.
• Optional annexes: declaration appointment PhD (see Annex 7.1 in the Call)