Dutch research funding

With two-thirds, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) is the most important within the government, followed by the Ministries of Economic Affairs (EZ), Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and Transport, Public Works and Water Management (V&W). The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) finances the universities and several large research organizations (TNO, NWO and KNAW).

Research funding agencies

NWO
NWO spent € 382 million on research in 2001. Most of this funding will go to
researchers at the 13 Dutch universities; a quarter will be spent on funding research
and investment at NWO institutes. The lion's share of this budget (€ 291 million) is
provided by the OC&W, the remaining funds come from sources such as the Ministry
of Economic Affairs and from the NWO general reserve.

STW
The Technology Foundation STW is the Dutch funding agency for applied university
research. STW can fund research projects from any field, although most grant
applications belong to science and technology. Funding for STW comes partly from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and partly from the Ministry of Science and Education. The latter part, about two thirds, is channelled via the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The Ministry of Economic Affairs supplies about one third of the budget of the Technology Foundation. Moreover some of the budget comes from the proceeds of the intellectual property rights.

SenterNovem
SenterNovem is an agency of the Ministry of Economic Affairs that is responsible for the execution of subsidies, credits, fiscal arrangements and programmes in the area of technology, energy, environment, sustainable development, export and international co-operation.
The goal is the sustainable strengthening of the position of business and research institutes in the Netherlands. SenterNovem has around €1 billion of policy funds available.