Take-Off Fund

Take-off is the funding instrument that is available to all scientific fields. The fund encourages activity and entrepreneurship within the Dutch knowledge institutions. Academic entrepreneurs – but also starters from universities of applied sciences (HBO) and starters who are making use of knowledge from institutions for Applied Research Organisations (TO2) – can use the fund to bring their innovative research results to the market.

Take-off is one of the instruments for knowledge utilisation which NWO implements together with ZonMw (The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development).

Take-off consists of two elements:

• Feasibility studies (phase 1) – maximum duration: 6 months
• Early phase trajectories (phase 2) – maximum duration: 24 months

Feasibility study (phase 1)

For a feasibility study, researchers within Take-off can request financing of EUR 20,000 to a maximum of EUR 40,000. This loan can be used to perform a feasibility study of the commercial application of innovative ideas and the start of activity on the basis of knowledge innovations from knowledge institutions. A feasibility study leads to a report which includes the possibilities of a start-up.

Early stage route (phase 2)

With Take-off early stage routes, companies (start-ups) which have just been initiated by researchers or entrepreneurs can request a loan of 50,000 euros to a maximum of 250,000 euros. The loan is utilised for the early stage route with a maximum term of two (2) years. Interest is owed on the loan, which must be repaid within eight (8) years. An early stage route consists of the steps which are necessary to make a knowledge innovation commercially viable. This could be a production process, market research, or a marketing or financing plan. This enables the entrepreneur to approach other private or public parties at the end of this route for investment in the continuation of the project.

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