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SSH Open Competition XS 2025

Dutch Research Council (NWO)

The NWO Domain Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) has three different funding programmes in the Open Competition. These grants are for ideas that hold great promise (XS) and for large-scale grants (M, L). The SSH-XS grants are available for projects with a maximum budget of 50,000 euro to enable proposals for curiosity-driven, innovative research in the research fields covered by the NWO Domain SSH. The Call for proposals of 2025 has 3 rounds. This information concerns the first round.

Purpose

The SSH Open Competition XS Call for proposals is specifically intended to encourage curiosity-driven and innovative research that involves the relatively rapid exploration of a promising idea.

The characteristics of SSH-XS research are:

the proposed research is innovative;
it is not certain in advance whether the intended objectives will be achieved;
the result of each project contributes to the advancement of existing science and new scientific insights.

What to apply for

For an application in this Call for proposals a maximum of 50,000 euro can be applied for. The minimum duration of the proposed project is 6 months and the maximum duration is 12 months.

Applicants are required to draw up a realistic budget and explain why the spending choices are relevant to the project. This explanation must cover all of the personnel requested.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1. 🎓 Exceptional Scientific Excellence

The NWO Incentives Scheme (Veni, Vidi, Vici) awards are prestige-based—targeting top-tier researchers:

Veni: within 3 years of PhD, in top 10–20% internationally

Vidi: within ~8 years, capacity to lead independent research

Vici: senior researchers (≤15 years post-PhD), proven leadership and new research directions

Excellence across publications, citations, grants, and international engagement is non-negotiable .

2. 🚀 Originality & High Risk–High Reward Proposals

Innovative, potentially paradigm-shifting research is favored.

NWO explicitly values curiosity-driven, blue-sky science, with a significant score (40%) based on originality and impact .

3. 📈 Strong Track Record + Proposal Quality

Past achievements matter: be in the top-tier of your field, with strong publications, grants, awards, and leadership roles .

But 60% of evaluation also rests on the proposal itself—methods, feasibility, impact strategy, and data use .

4. 🎯 Focused & Career-Appropriate Scheme Choice

Each Talent grant has strict eligibility criteria—extensions are allowed for leaves (e.g., parental, clinical) .

Don't apply for Vici if you're still under 15 years post-PhD, etc. Align your stage precisely.

5. 🤝 International & Institutional Strength

NWO encourages international collaborations; committees often include foreign experts .

Larger consortium and infrastructure programs (e.g. Zwaartekracht, ORC/Perspectief) must include universities, industry, and societal partners .

6. ⏳ High Competition & Persistence

Overall success rates remain modest—~25–30% across all NWO schemes .

Talent grants (Veni/Vidi/Vici) hover around 14–20%, with hundreds of applicants for each cycle

Applicants often submit multiple times—and persistence pays off. Pre-screening by universities may help .

7. 🧑‍🏫 Institutional Pre-selection & Strategic Focus

Universities are encouraged (and sometimes required) to limit and pre-select Talent applications to reduce oversubmission

University support—both visible and documented—boosts credibility.

✅ Summary Table

Predictor	Why It Matters
Top-tier track record	Demonstrates excellence and global competitiveness
Bold ideas with impact	Aligns with NWO’s innovation goals
Stage-appropriate scheme	Avoids ineligibility or misfit
Strong proposal structure	Research justification, methods, and clarity of use are critical
International collaboration	Builds scientific and societal relevance
University endorsement	Signals quality and reduces noise in high-volume rounds
Persistence & strategic resubmission	Many funded grants follow careful reapplications

🧭 Tips for Applicants

Choose the right Talent scheme based on post-PhD years and career stage.

Benchmark yourself: Are you in the top 10–20% internationally?

Invest in proposal quality—allocate ~40% for project design, and 60% for your track record.

Seek institutional backing—only compete if your university pre-supported your bid.

Form international collaborations to reinforce excellence and global reach.

Be prepared to persevere—many successful grants come after revision or second/third attempts.

Explore larger consortia like Zwaartekracht or ORC if you're aiming for broader impact.

Specialties

Data Science

Eligibility Requirements

Researchers with a promising idea who obtained their PhD between 5 and 10 years ago may submit an application if they have a paid appointment for at least the duration of the application process and the duration of the proposed project.

The submission deadline for the round is the reference date of the graduation date. The graduation date on the PhD diploma (degree) is leading.

For round 1, the applicant must have obtained their PhD between 7 March 2015 and 6 March 2020.

Extra conditions:

an SSH-XS application has a single applicant and no co-applicants;
an applicant may submit a maximum of one application in the SSH-XS, call round 2025;
an applicant - when using the extension scheme - may not submit an application for multiple types of funding instruments within the NWO Open Competition programme during the same calendar year (2025);
applicants may not be part of an XS project for which the end date has not yet passed at the time of submission.

Eligible Countries:

Netherlands

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: Dutch Research Council (NWO)

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: Laan van Nieuw Oost-Indië 300, 2593 CE Den Haag

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