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Dutch Research Council (NWO)

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The Dutch Research Council, NWO (Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek), is a Netherlands public-law research funding organisation operating under the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. It supports scientific research, national research infrastructure, knowledge transfer and innovative research programmes across natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and health. Its Take-off programme has supported research-derived startups, including a published June 23, 2017 phase-two award to MRIguidance; the specific award amount, contractual instrument and payment are not inferred from general programme limits. NWO is distinct from NWO-I, the separate private-law Foundation for Dutch Scientific Research Institutes. The two bodies have the same executive/foundation-board members, but separate legal identities and employers. Current executive governance has six members. Ferdinand Grozema succeeded Jan de Boer as Science-domain chair on September 1, 2026, and Guda van Noort is an interim Social Sciences and Humanities chair. Research budgets and grant programmes are not represented as externally closed venture funds.

Team

Anka MulderAnka MulderVice President of the Executive Board; Operations and Finance
Arfan IkramArfan IkramMember of the Executive Board; President of ZonMw
Ena VoûteEna VoûteMember of the Executive Board; Chair of Applied and Engineering Sciences
Ferdinand GrozemaFerdinand GrozemaMember of the Executive Board; Chair of the Science Domain
Guda van NoortGuda van NoortInterim Member of the Executive Board; Interim Chair of Social Sciences and Humanities
Marcel LeviMarcel LeviPresident of the Executive Board

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