Q&A NWA Do-ReACT

Within this NWA call it is possible to indicate that you are looking for collaboration partners. Matchmaking activities are organized within the collaborative workshops. 

No, that is not true. Other intended roles as co-applicants or cooperation partners within a consortium are strongly encouraged to participate as well. The presence of broad representation of stakeholders in the themes of this call and the intended consortium partners is important in order to achieve an optimal consortia. Those interested in contributing to the workshops but not in joining a consortium are also welcome. 

The main applicant has to participate in both collaborative workshops. If unexpected circumstances prevent attendance, a deputy must be arranged. In such cases, the participant must inform ZonMw by e-mail (doreact.nwa@zonmw.nl ) as soon as possible, and no later than before the start of the workshop.

No, the collaborative workshops are in person and take place at the ZonMw office in The Hague. An online setting would be less suitable for achieving the objectives of the workshops and forming consortia.

To ensure proper preparation and accommodate group sizes, we kindly ask participants to register by 7 January 2026. If you would still like to participate after the deadline, please inform us as soon as possible, and we’ll do our best to see if it’s still possible.

This Call does not prescribe a specific consortium size, apart from the minimum requirements stated in the Call for Proposals. There is no maximum number of partners for each consortium in this call. What matters most is that the consortium includes all partners needed to achieve the intended impact. A consortium should consist of at least a main applicant, a co-applicant and cooperation partner. It should be large enough to cover the intended impact but not larger than necessary for effective collaboration.

No, that is not true. Other intended roles as co-applicants or cooperation partners within a consortium are strongly encouraged to participate as well. The presence of broad representation of stakeholders in the themes of this call and the intended consortium partners is important in order to achieve an optimal consortia. Those interested in contributing to the workshops but not in joining a consortium are also welcome. 

The NWA Do-ReACT call places restrictions only on the roles of main applicant and co-applicants. There are no participation limits for eligible research organisations, co-funders, or cooperation partners in this Call for proposals. These partners may join as many intended consortia as they wish in either of those roles. The rules are as follows: 

• A main applicant may submit only one application as a main applicant;
• A main applicant may participate in a maximum of one other proposal as a co-applicant;
• A co-applicant may participate in up to two proposals within this call.

If your research organisation is not listed under ‘Who can apply’ (Call Section 3.1) it is important to enroll this organisation in an eligibility check. Follow the review procedure described in Call Section 3.1. You can initiate this review process by submitting the necessary documentation to doreact.nwa@zonmw.nl. Please keep in mind that these documents must be submitted by email no less than 10 working days before the submission deadline (meaning no later than Tuesday 14 April 2026 before 14:00:00 CEST). If the organisation of the co-applicant does not submit the necessary documents for this assessment in time, the organisation can not be accepted as a co-applicant.

Civil society organisations that provide support for, and/or accumulate expertise about, validation and regulatory acceptance of NAMs for chemicals may apply as co-applicants based on the de minimis regulation. These organisations include, for example, centres of expertise and stakeholder organisations with practical knowledge, or that carry out research-related activities, that is/are essential to the research process. The application must explain which substantial, active contribution the civil society organisation will make to the research. The assessment committee will assess this based on the consortium quality criterion.

International partners may participate in a consortium as cooperation partners. However, they cannot participate as lead or co-applicants, since the applicant conditions stipulate that applicants must be employed by research organisations based in the Netherlands (see section 3.1, 'Who can apply' in the Call for proposals). 

It is possible to include salary costs for scientific staff employed by international research organisations, but this is subject to restrictions and conditions. The international research organisation must meet the definition of a research organisation in Article 5.1(p) of the NWO Subsidy Scheme 2024.

Please note: 

Prior to submitting an application, NWO will assess whether the foreign organisation complies with Articles 1.1(4) and 1.1(5) of the NWO Subsidy Scheme 2024, thereby determining its eligibility to participate in the consortium based on the conditions specified in the call. See section 7.1.1, 'Personnel: Scientific personnel at a research organisation abroad', for these conditions. The deadline for submitting a request for the assessment of international organisations is Tuesday, 14 April 2026, before 14:00 CEST, by email to doreact.nwa@zonmw.nl.

Applications must also explain how researchers from foreign research organisations will contribute specific expertise to the project that is unavailable in the Netherlands at the required level, and this will be assessed by the review committee.

No, international partners are welcome to join. However, please make them well-aware of the conditions for participation. Please see previous question.

The aim of this call is to fund a single large consortium. Therefore, the maximum amount that can be requested is the full budget of €3.44 million. If a lower amount is requested, more than one project could potentially be funded. 

This programme aims to connect knowledge by bringing researchers and social partners together. The project is expected to establish a learning community from the earliest stages. Within the consortium, knowledge can be developed from various cases, and there is room for overarching research focused on generic insights and recommendations. The consortium can therefore focus on various topics and models.

To encourage the formation of the consortium and limit the number of applications, we are organising a series of collaborative workshops. During these workshops, potential applicants and their ideas will be brought together and encouraged to collaborate under the guidance of trained facilitators. Participation in both workshops is mandatory for the main applicant.

The main applicant submits the application using Mijn ZonMw, the electronic submission system of ZonMw. Mijn ZonMw will be open for submissions immediately after the second workshop on 4 February 2026. Only the main applicant who has attended both workshops may submit the application on behalf of the consortium.