Health~Holland has opened the Science for Industry Call 2026. Through this call, at least €5 million in PPP funding is available for innovative collaborations between companies and research organisations in the Life Sciences & Health sector. Per project, consortia can apply for €500,000 to €1,200,000 in PPP funding.

The call is particularly relevant for consortia that aim to use scientific knowledge for industrial innovation. This may include projects in medical technology, digital health, diagnostics, prevention, treatment, AI, data science or other key technologies in health and care.

Who is the Science for Industry Call 2026 for?

The call is aimed at consortia consisting of at least:

• one Dutch for-profit company as main applicant; and
• one Dutch research organisation.

Micro-SMEs may participate in a consortium, but they cannot act as main applicant. Other parties, such as healthcare organisations, patient organisations, foundations and international partners, may also join the consortium. However, not all types of organisations are eligible to use PPP funding.

What funding is available?

Per project, €500,000 to €1,200,000 in PPP funding is available. Dutch research organisations and Dutch SMEs can use PPP funding for eligible project costs, subject to the financial conditions of the call. Large Dutch companies can only use PPP funding for personnel costs, up to a maximum of €250,000.

In-cash contributions are possible, but not mandatory. However, the same party cannot both use PPP funding and provide an in-cash contribution within the same project. Co-funding by all partners is required, at least in-kind and optionally in-cash.

Key Conditions

Projects must meet several conditions. The most important are:

• the project must consist of industrial research and/or experimental development;
• the project must address a concrete R&D challenge from the main applicant;
• Dutch companies and research organisations must incur at least 80% of their personnel costs in the Netherlands;
• companies applying for PPP funding must submit a declaration stating that they are not an undertaking in difficulty;
• the mandatory Health~Holland consortium agreement template must be used;
• intellectual property arrangements must be included;
• each company may participate in a maximum of two applications; and
• affiliated companies are considered one economic unit.

There is also an important restriction: submitting a similar proposal to the SME Call 2027 is not allowed. Consortia that were rejected after a full assessment in the SME Call 2026 may also not submit the same or a similar proposal to the Science for Industry Call.

Deadline for pre-registration: July 14th, 2026

Mandatory pre-registration closes on July 14th, 2026 at 17:00 CET. Pre-registration is mandatory, but it is not assessed on content. It mainly serves as an inventory step for Health~Holland. The full application must be submitted by September 22nd, 2026 at 17:00 CET.

This means that organisations do not need to submit a fully developed project proposal immediately. However, they do need to determine quickly whether the project idea, consortium and funding strategy are sufficiently promising.

What makes a strong application?

The coherence between technical development, market potential, societal value, consortium structure and budget is essential. A strong application requires more than a good innovation idea. The proposal must clearly explain:

• the central R&D challenge;
• the innovation to be developed;
• why collaboration between the company and research organisation is needed;
• which work packages, deliverables and milestones will be realised;
• how the project contributes to the LSH sector; and
• how the results can create economic and societal impact.

How The Future can Support

The Future supports companies, research organisations and consortia in developing and submitting strong grant applications. Our support includes:

• assessing eligibility and funding potential;
• sharpening the project scope;
• structuring work packages, deliverables and milestones;
• building a logical consortium;
• developing the project budget; and
• writing and submitting the application.

For the Science for Industry Call 2026, speed is important. At the same time, the pre-registration step still leaves room to further develop the full application. This is the right moment to assess project ideas, involve partners and define a strong application strategy.

Does your organisation have an R&D idea in Life Sciences & Health?

If your organisation is working on an innovation in Life Sciences & Health and wants to explore whether the Science for Industry Call 2026 is a suitable funding opportunity, The Future can support the funding strategy, consortium development and next steps towards a strong application. Reach out to us via the form below: