Open eScience Call 2025 (OEC 2025)

Summary of this call:

  • Open to researchers from all disciplines.
  • Receive in-kind support from eScience Center research software engineers (RSEs) on state-of-the-art research needing research software.
  • Maximum in-kind investment of €381.510 (approx. 3 person years) of RSE expertise.
  • One round: full proposal.
  • Timeline
    • 13 October 2025, 14:00 CET, Deadline Full Proposal
    • February 2026, Applicants informed of final decision

Purpose of this call 

This call for proposals supports research that requires the development and application of advanced research software. Each proposal should address an urgent methodological research challenge that can count on broader support from the research community in which the applicants are active. 

In this call, ‘research software’ refers to digital tools (for example code, scripts, packages, libraries, programmes, etc) that contribute to answering research questions by creating and/or analysing research data and research results. Applicants are invited to propose a concrete research problem that requires a digital solution of this kind. 

What can be applied for?

Projects receive in-kind funding. This means that a team of research software engineers (RSEs) from the eScience Center will work together with the applicants to improve, build, and apply research software within the context of a larger research community, and as integral members of a research team. You can find more information about what working with the eScience Center entails here.  

You can apply for projects with a maximum in-kind investment of 3 PYR (person years) of RSE expertise. The project duration should be between 3 and 3.5 years. There is funding available for 2 projects per research area and thus for 8 projects in total.  

To maximize the added value and impact for applicants, the technological needs and requirements of the project should match with the Center’s expertise. Its current expertise areas are: 

  • Software quality: workflow technologies, software practices, software sustainability, optimization 
  • AI: machine learning, AI image processing, Natural Language Processing, responsible AI 
  • Analytics: big data analytics, text and image analysis, visualization 
  • Data processing: accessible and searchable data, real-time data analysis, interoperability 
  • Computing: hardware accelerators, high-performance computing, cloud computing combining simulations 

Who can apply?

Each proposal is to be formally submitted by a single named researcher (henceforth the ‘Lead Applicant’ or LA), employed by a Dutch research-performing organization. An overview of all eligible organizations is included in the full call document. The LA will act as the primary contact for the eScience Center. 

The LA must:

  • be in possession of a PhD;
  • hold a contract for at least the duration of the requested project;
  • have demonstrable knowledge and experience (relative to the LA’s academic seniority) in applying digital methodologies to research;
  • ensure a minimal personal commitment to the project work for half a day per week on average for the duration of the project.

Submitting the application

The closing date for the submission of proposals is  13th October 2025, 14:00 CET. They can be submitted only via ConfTool https://www.conftool.org/escience/ 

Downloads and links

For more information about this call for proposals, download the full call below.

Download all

OEC 2025 – OEC 2025 – Full call details: Open eScience Call 2025

OEC 2025 – Template Full Proposal

OEC 2025 – Template Software Management Plan

Bijzondere voorwaarden NLeSC subsidies 2025

Policy concerning the use of Generative AI at the Netherlands eScience Center

Intellectual property rules for the Netherlands eScience Center

Online information event

To inform interested applicants about the specific aims of the Open eScience Call 2025, as well as the role and expertise of the eScience Center, we held an online information event on 4 September 2025 from 13:00 to 15:30 CEST, see the recording of the event and slides below.

Slides

OEC 2025 Inforomation event slides

Showcase project: QANS

Showcase project: COMPAS

FAQ

The lead applicant must be employed by an institution from the list (or a body affiliated with said institution). If you do not meet the requirement, you are encouraged to collaborate with colleagues from an eligible institution (e.g. Wageningen University and Wageningen Research).

If your contract is about to expire, a state of intention to extend from your HR office is also valid.  Please contact us if you have specific questions. 

If feedback has been implemented since the rejection, you are welcome to resubmit your project.

The €30.000 are included in the grant of €381.510. We are not allowed to fund personal costs outside the mentioned institutions.

You are welcome to add any national or international collaborators to the project team. Organizational eligibility criteria apply only to the lead applicant. However, at least one collaborator must be an active researcher from a Dutch research-performing organization other than the LA’s institution. (see also question 11).

All the reviews and scores will be combined, thus the internal and external reviews scores will have the same weight.

You are more than welcome to present your software to us-even if incomplete-. Please reach out to us with the specifics of your case.

You may start the project as soon as the proposal is formally granted and the start form has been submitted. For detailed information please see the Special Conditions / Bijzondere voorwaarden (document in Dutch)

Normally, it is between 25%-40%. However, due to internal restructuring, we have one stage call this year, and therefore, are unable to estimate applicants’ success rate.

Candidates who do not pass the internal review will be notified as soon as the decision is made. The rest of the applicants will be notified in February.

Proposals submitted to the OEC call must include a strong research component, with 25% of the score based on the research idea. Proposals focused only on software quality, without additional features to address a substantive scientific question, fall outside the scope of the Open eScience programme.

Yes, the requirement is in the call text (but phrased differently in the proposal form). Its purpose is to promote collaboration and engagement with this research topic within the Netherlands. We recognize that this adds a restriction, but it reflects our best practices for fostering effective collaboration on the national level.

The use of GenAI in the writing of the proposals applications is permitted, but – given the many technological, ethical, social and legal uncertainties and pitfalls – not explicitly encouraged. The LA is ultimately responsible for the content of the proposals, its truthfulness, and its delivery. Any use of GenAI in the proposals should be properly referenced as per the eScience Center’s Policy concerning the use of Generative AI; failing to do so may be considered plagiarism or fraud.

Contact details

Programme Officer, Netherlands eScience Center

Tel.:          +31 (0)20 460 4770

Email:     

Other opportunities

We are always open to opportunities for collaboration! Want to work with us? Visit www.esciencecenter.nl/collaborate-with-us.