Knowledge and Innovation Covenant

NWO develops innovation programmes that focus on societal challenges in the Netherlands. These programmes aim to have an impact on the economy, people and society. The focus is on cooperation between knowledge institutions, private parties and the government. The results thus contribute to the realisation of economic opportunities. It is therefore essential that companies invest in every research project.

This page contains information about the 2020-2023 KIC policy period. There are still ongoing activities in this policy period such as open calls and meetings for researchers, companies and societal partners who participate in these calls. 

More information on the 2024-2027 policy period

 

  • Aim and objectives

    Through the KIC 2020-2023, NWO contributes to the government's mission-driven top sector and innovation policy. NWO initiates collaborations, establishes links between scientists, private and public parties, and encourages NWO to explore new avenues. Bringing the various parties together creates new consortia and innovative research.

  • Budget and duration

    The financial contribution of NWO is laid down in the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) 2020-2023, in which knowledge institutions, the business community, governments and other public parties jointly invest in innovation. The NWO instruments for the KIC 2020-2023 provide funding for fundamental and practical research in public-private partnerships. The set of instruments consists of four main lines, for which 118 million euros has been reserved each year.

  • Knowledge and Innovation Agendas (KIAs)

    The mission-driven top sectors and innovation policy of the Dutch government focuses on the opportunities afforded by four major societal themes, and on key enabling technologies and public earning capacity. For each of these areas, a Knowledge and Innovation Agenda (KIA) has been compiled.

    These are for the four societal themes:
    •            Energy transition and sustainability
    •            Agriculture, Water and Food
    •            Health and Care
    •            Security

    As well as:
    •            Key enabling technologies
    •            Public earning capacity

    The societal themes have been elaborated into 25 concrete missions. These missions centre on questions that the Dutch government wishes innovative entrepreneurs and knowledge institutions to answer for a future-resilient the Netherlands. The NWO contribution to the Knowledge and Innovation Covenant (KIC) 2020-2023 focuses on fundamental and practice-oriented research into questions that contribute to realising the missions. The six KIAs constitute the substantive starting point for the NWO programming.

    More information (only in Dutch)

  • Universities of Applied Sciences and SMEs

    In all four main lines of the KIC's NWO instruments, there is room for the participation of universities of applied sciences as consortium partners and for applying for innovation internships. Specific measures are also being taken to make the participation of SMEs in research more attractive in all fundinginstruments. 

  • Programme committee

    Programme committee

    NWO’s executive board has set up a programme committee for the KIC programme. This committee advises the executive board on issues such as the design of the KIC funding instruments, the objective priorities and the texts for calls for proposals. The programme committee consists of the following persons:

    M. Luizink, MSc (chair)

    Miriam Luizink operates from her own consulting firm as a quartermaster and interim director, she is a supervisor at several technical companies and innovation centers, and a member of an investment committee focused on innovative ICT companies. In the past, Miriam Luizink's positions include director of NWO-I (2020 - 2021), Roessingh Research and Development (2016-2020) and MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology (2006-2014). Currently, her focus is to support initiatives and organizations in development on a strategic and personal level.

    Dr. G.R. Meijer

    Geleyn Meijer is rector of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. He was trained as a physicist and obtained his PhD in robotics and computer science from the University of Amsterdam. For many years, Meijer worked in software consultancy at Logica and CMG, where he was responsible for R&D and innovation. He was also associate professor at the University of Amsterdam’s Human Computer Studies Laboratory. He was a board member of the national ICT research program COMMIT and chairman of the innovation network Creative Industry CLICKNL. Before becoming rector, he was dean of the Digital Media and Creative Industry Faculty at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.

    Prof. Dr. Drs. M.P. Schijven

    Prof. Dr. Marlies P. Schijven has been a staff surgeon at the Department of Surgery of the Amsterdam UMC (formerly: AMC) since 2009. She was appointed professor of surgery in 2015, holding the chair: Simulation, Serious Gaming and Applied Mobile Healthcare (University of Amsterdam). Schijven is co-founder and former president of the Dutch Society for Simulation in Healthcare (DSSH). She studied at the Design Academy in Eindhoven and at Maastricht University, and received her doctorate from Leiden University on Virtual Reality Simulation techniques in surgery. She was trained as a surgeon in Eindhoven and Rotterdam. In addition to her experience as a surgeon and professor, she also has managerial experience as a member of a supervisory board and previous activities as Chief Medical Information Officer at the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. Marlies Schijven has been a member of the board of ZonMw since April 2022.

    Prof. dr. P.J. Werkhoven

    Peter Werkhoven is currently scientific advisor in the board of directors at the Netherlands Organization For Applied Scientific Research (TNO).  Since 2001 he is part-time professor, first at the University of Amsterdam and later from 2006 at the University of Utrecht. Peters research interests are human interaction with Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence.

    Prof. dr. T.T.M. Palstra

    Thom Palstra is professor of solid substance chemistry at the University of Twente (UT) and guest researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart. Before he has worked as: researcher at the renowned AT&T Bell Labs, as scientific director at the Zernike Institute of Advanced Materials in Groningen and from 2016 until 2020 as rector magnificus at UT. In 2021 he joined the board of NWO-domain Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES), where he focused on strategic, long-term research and innovation for (young) researchers developing a coherent academic career.

    Drs. R. Timmermans

    Reineke Timmermans works as policy secretary Innovation and Industrial policy at VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland where she works together with partners from science and knowledge institutions to underline the importance of excellent research and innovation climate. She is committed to a comprehensive strategic industry policy. Reineke has studied International Relations at the University of Utrecht and the University of Strasbourg. Earlier experiences amongst others are within international technology policy (including defense) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, public affairs for the technological industry (FME) and for the aerospace industry (Airbus). She has worked as clerk for the commission of Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives. She started her career at employers’ associations in Brussels and continued as European advisor for the municipality Utrecht. She has a wide experience in the politics and administrative context of (international) technology policy.

    Prof. dr. ir. I.C.W. Arts

    Ilja Arts is professor systems biology at the faculty of Science and Engineering of the University of Maastricht and both scientific director and founder of the Maastricht Centre for Systems Biology (MaCSBio) at the aforementioned faculty. In her current research she works on building and the application of computer models of the human metabolism, so called digital twins, in the context of illnesses such as obesity and diabetes. Among other activities she is member of the board of the NOW Domain Science (ENW), is vice-chair of the Board of the Netherlands eScience Center (NLeSc), member of the board of the Netherlands Bioinformatics & Systems Biology research school BioSB and member of several academic science advisory boards.

    Prof. dr. S. Thomaes

    Prof. Dr. Sander Thomaes is a professor of developmental psychology at Utrecht University. He studies what helps children and adolescents grow as individuals and contribute to society. Sander Thomaes is particularly interested in young people's identity development and behavioral change. In doing so, he looks at young people's involvement in sustainability transitions and issues such as: what are the psychological consequences of climate change on young people? And what motivates young people to behave sustainably? Sander Thomaes wrote a children's book on psychology, "What You Think Is Yourself". As of November 2019, Sander Thomaes was a figurehead for the Dutch Research Agenda, Route Child and adolescent development, upbringing and education.

    Dr. H.P. Goorissen

    Heleen Goorissen is Chief Sustainability Officer and VP Technology and Innovation Renewable Polymers at Avantium. She previously worked for Corbion for a long time in various roles, including head of global R&D. Goorissen did doctoral research at the RUG and has further worked as a postdoc at WUR and as a project and product manager at NIZO food research. Between 2018 and 2021, Goorissen was a member of the Chemistry table at the ENW domain and Governing Board Member of IBioIC in Scotland.