TOP Grant - Cross-divisional

The TOP grant offers top research groups the opportunity to innovate their lines of research in terms of content and collaboration. The goal is to create room for groundbreaking science of superb quality.

This provisionally one-off, cross-divisional TOP funding round is a cooperation between the NWO divisions Earth and Life Sciences (ALW), Chemical Sciences (CW) and Physical Sciences (EW) and the Organisation ZonMw (medical and health research). With this initiative the four parties are exploring the added value of interdisciplinary competition and how cross-divisional (in Dutch gebiedsoverschrijdend, hence GO) initiatives in such a form can be done justice.

Who can apply

• Professors, senior lecturers and lecturers or researchers with a comparable position who are employed by a Dutch university or by a research institute recognised by NWO or ZonMw.
• One proposal can be submitted per research group.
• The proposal must fall within the scope of at least one of the following NWO divisions: Earth and Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences and ZonMw. Researchers who wish to submit a proposal at the boundaries between these disciplines are especially encouraged to do so.

What can be applied for

TOP grants are worth a maximum of 750,000 euro. The grant can be used for personnel, material credit, equipment, fieldwork and travel costs.

When can be applied

Closing date for submitting proposals was 15 February 2010 (23:59 hrs).

Extra Information

Further information about the submission conditions can be found in the brochure accompanying the call for the submission of proposals.

ZonMw and the NWO divisions ALW and CW also have a division-specific TOP Grant with division-specific conditions. You can find out more about this via the following links: www.zonmw.nl/top, www.nwo.nl/alw/top and www.nwo.nl/cw/top.

General information on TOP Grants is available on www.nwo.nl/top_uk.

Criteria

The assessment criteria are:

• aim and impact,
• scientific approach and methods,
• innovative character and
• past performance of the research group.
• The criteria are described in greater detail in the brochure accompanying the call for the submission of proposals.

Procedure

The proposals shall be assessed in a peer review procedure by international referees and prioritised by an evaluation committee. The evaluation committee shall subsequently advise the Steering Group, which shall take a decision based on this advice in mid-July 2010.

Committees

The boards of ZonMw and the NWO divisions ALW, CW and EW shall appoint a Steering Group that will be authorised to take decisions concerning this TOP grant instrument. The Steering Group shall appoint the evaluation committee and in so doing shall take into account issues such as independence, spread of expertise and spread across institutes.

Budget

A budget of around 14 million euro is available for the TOP Grants.

Financiers

NWO divisions Earth and Life Sciences (ALW), Chemical Sciences (CW) and Physical Sciences (EW) and ZonMw

Contacts

• Dhr. dr. I.S. Ridder
  phone: +31 (0)70 344 06 83, e-mail: i.ridder@nwo.nl

Documentation for applying electronically