Minister calls on universities to help curb the rush for research funding

It is a well-known problem in Dutch academia: researchers invest a great deal of time and effort in applying for an NWO grant, even though they have little chance of success. 

“I will continue to draw attention to this problem and how to tackle it,” Minister Rianne Letschert writes in a letter to the House of Representatives and the Senate. But solutions are not easy to come by.

The minister is postponing the issue for a year, as she wants universities and NWO to work together on this. They must devise an action plan by the summer of 2027.

Opportunities
The pressure to apply consists of three problems: the low chance of success, the red tape involved in submitting an application, and the impact of a grant on scientists’ careers, which, according to critics, is too significant.

In 2025, 2,526 researchers applied for the coveted Veni, Vidi and Vici grants, of whom 393 (16 percent) were funded. For every successful application, five fail.

Chances are higher in NWO’s so-called open competition, which had 2,845 applicants, of whom 753 were successful (26 per cent). That is roughly the success ratio NWO aims for.

Measures
NWO has already taken steps to reduce the red tape. For example, the organisation uses "pre-applications", in which researchers outline their plans concisely. Only once they have passed the initial screening do they need to flesh out their application in more detail. After that first round, 43 per cent are successful.

A recent evaluation identifies additional options to reduce the application burden, such as improved communication about the application processes. That may be useful, but it does not solve the real problem.

Budget cuts

NWO Chair Marcel Levi summed it up four years ago in an interview: “There are two options: either secure more funding or submit fewer applications. There aren’t really any other options.”

More money is indeed being allocated to NWO, but that money is not earmarked for the Veni, Vidi and Vicis grants. The new government is primarily reversing some budget cuts and investing in specific research. So that leaves the other option: submitting fewer applications.

Why are more and more researchers turning to NWO? A recent evaluation points primarily to causes outside NWO. For example, the institutions have grown considerably: there are more researchers, and therefore more applicants.

Moreover, universities have less funding available due to declining student numbers and budget cuts imposed by the previous government. Researchers often have to find their funding elsewhere.

Fewer applications
You might think that perhaps fewer people should simply submit applications. But how do you go about organising that?

Since 2019, NWO has required a ‘guarantee of embedding’: researchers can now only submit an application with the support of their intended Dutch research institution. This drew criticism, but it initially seemed to relieve the pressure somewhat. Now, however, it apparently no longer helps enough.

But what can NWO do about it? “We’re not going to put a lock on our letterbox,” said Chairman Levi in that same interview four years ago. “The universities could resolve to send only the best research to NWO. They do have that intention, but it’s hardly happening anywhere yet.”

In other words, universities should carry out a pre-selection process and allow only promising researchers to submit proposals. At present, they apparently think too often, "you never know how things might turn out".

The idea is not new, but it is simply not happening. When it does happen, the criticism is obvious. After all, the selection process does not disappear, but simply moves out of the spotlight: in that scenario, it shifts from NWO to universities themselves.

Devising a plan
These problems are well known, and now universities must devise a plan with NWO. At least, that is Minister Letschert’s request.

The Association of Dutch Universities (UNL) is taking up the challenge, according to a spokesperson. “We regard this as an important shared responsibility between us and NWO. After all, the pressure to submit applications affects our researchers.”