Deadline: 13-Nov-2025
The Dutch Research Council is accepting applications for its Cellular Agriculture Grant Program to produce animal products merely using animal cells and micro-organisms, without the actual animal.
The work strand Research also contains a core programme. In this core programme, projects are carried out covering topics within the technical, biological, and societal spectrum. The core programme includes three tenure track positions, eleven PhD positions, and five EngD positions. Investments are also made in research at universities of applied sciences in combination with the commitment to research-driven education.
The objective of the NWO programme Cellular Agriculture is to be able to strengthen specific topics through two calls, based on advancing insight and the then emerging research questions. By stimulating applied and scientific research on cellular agriculture by Dutch knowledge institutions, the Netherlands will be at the global forefront of CA research.
The available budget for this Call for proposals is €4,115,508, with funding expected for a maximum of three proposals. Each project can request a maximum of €1,371,836 in NWO funding for a maximum duration of five years and must include at least three research positions, including at least one PhD. Funding can cover personnel, material costs, and knowledge utilization, with mandatory inclusion of knowledge utilization costs.
Eligible applicants include researchers with tenured or tenure track positions at universities, universities of applied sciences, university medical centres, TO2 institutes, or affiliated research organizations. Co-applicants, cooperation partners, and co-funders can also participate in consortia, with specific roles and contributions.
The assessment criteria include the quality of the problem statement, quality of the proposed research, expected impact and route to impact, and the quality of the consortium. Each proposal is evaluated for originality, relevance, methodology, work plan, budget, risk analysis, and the complementarity and expertise of the consortium partners. Proposals must be submitted via the NWO web application ISAAC by Thursday, 13 November 2025, before 14:00 CET.
For more information, visit NWO.