Rubicon aims to encourage talented researchers who recently received their PhD to spend some time at research institutes outside of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to further their scientific career.
Who can apply
You may apply for Rubicon if your doctorate has been awarded in the twelve months preceding the closing date of this application round. Applicants who are still engaged in doctoral research may apply only if their supervisor provides a written declaration approving their thesis.
Women especially are urged to apply.
You can only submit an application if you have obtained a PhD from a research organization mentioned in Article 1.1 paragraph 1 of the NWO Grant Regulations before the start of the project. The complete list of research organizations can also be found in section 3.1. of the Call for Proposals.
Applications must be submitted by individual researchers and not by pairs or teams of researchers.
Applicants may only submit an application for a Rubicon grant once. You can find the complete list of the eligibility criteria in the Call for Proposals.
What for
International research experience is often essential for building up one’s scientific career. Rubicon offers talented researchers who have completed their doctorates in the past year the chance to gain experience at a research institution outside the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as international research experience is likely to be an advantage at a later stage in the applicant’s academic career.
Rubicon is open for all scientific disciplines for a research project at a foreign research institute. In some cases, there is an opportunity to apply for a research period at a research institute in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
What to request
A budget of €3,145,000 is available for this round of applications. This budget will be divided proportionally among the four NWO domains based on the number of admissible applications. The NWO domains are: Exacte en Natuurwetenschappen (ENW), Toegepaste en Technische Wetenschappen (TTW), Sociale en Geesteswetenschappen (SGW) en Medische Wetenschappen (ZonMw).
Applicants can apply for a period of up to 24 months at an excellent research institute outside the Netherlands. The minimum duration is 12 months. The eligible costs are your salary including fringe benefits, travel expenses and a limited amount of research costs. Any overhead costs such as housing, computers, infrastructure etc. are not eligible for funding. You can find the standard amounts in chapter 7 of the Call for Proposals.
It is not possible to combine a stay at several institutes. Fieldwork is allowed, depending on the nature of the research proposed.
When
The deadline for this round is The deadline for this round is Tuesday the 24th of March 2026 at 14:00:00 hours CET (2 PM sharp). You can apply via MijnZonMw.
All the documents you need for your application can be found on the NWO website . You can submit your grant application through the MijnZonMw digital counter until Tuesday 24th of March 2026 at 14:00:00 CET.
Writing the proposal
When writing your proposal, please bear in mind that each application will be assessed with the realm of the relevant discipline(s) by a multidisciplinary committee.
Please use the application form that you can download from this page.
Only the required annexes will be accepted.
Preparing the application:
- Download the application form and fill it in;
- Save the form as a pdf and upload to MijnZonMw.
The application is written in English and consists of:
- A research proposal (max. 6 pages A4, 2,000 words). The word count includes footnotes, texts illustrations and tables, captions to illustrations and tables. References are excluded;
- A narrative CV of the applicant consisting of a narrative academic profile (400-700 words) and the key output (max. 10 items);
- One acceptance form of the intended host institute;
- Applications from applicants who have not yet been awarded a PhD must also be accompanied by a form approving their thesis
All forms will be made available on the websites of NWO at least two months before the deadline of this call.
Checklist for applying for your grant:
- Do you already have an account in MijnZonMw?
- Have you completed the application form?
- Has the appropriate acceptance form been fully signed and added to your application?
- Only applicable if PhD has not been completed: has the manuscript approval form been added to your application?
You can read all the details about the application for funding in the Call for proposals. If you have any questions, please contact the contact person.
Applications can be submitted to one of the four digital counters. Once submitted, you cannot change counters. In case of doubt please contact a Rubicon employee well before the deadline.
Share this page
Features
- Opening date: 15 January 2026
-
Budget subsidy round:
- € 662,000
-
Maximum budget per application:
- See grant call text
- Part of programme: