Young Investigator Grant (YIG) Call
Please carefully read the information below, as this concerns a new funding call.
Introduction
KWF is introducing an important change in its funding opportunities for early-career researchers. As of September 2025, the Young Investigator Grant (YIG) will no longer be offered as part of the regular Open Call, but instead through a dedicated, annual call.
With this call, we aim to strengthen support for promising young researchers and ensure the continuity of high-quality cancer research in the Netherlands. This adjustment ensures that KWF can continue to support young researchers across all themes and research areas, offering them an independent and equal evaluation process.
Eligibility
The YIG is for researchers who are in an early stage of their scientific career. The grant is designed to give young talented researchers an opportunity to initiate a strong and independent oncological research line. The researcher must be capable of conceiving, designing, leading, and executing the project independently.
We expect applicants to explicitly reflect on their development as scientists, their leadership vision, and their positioning within the broader field of oncological research (see Personal Motivation).
Scope
- the YIG-proposal consists of a hypothesis-driven research question and has a defined duration and final analyses in which the hypothesis is confirmed or rejected
- the project leader has to initiate an independent line of research
- the project leader holds a PhD degree at the start of the project
- he project leader needs to be employed for a minimum of 0.5 FTE per year for the entire duration of the project
- in addition to the allocated FTE for the YIG candidate, the project may include a maximum of 1.0 FTE scientific personnel (can be a senior researcher such as a postdoctoral fellow, or a PhD candidate)
- the project does not exceed 1.0M Euro’s
- the project leader is eligible to submit a YIG proposal if the pre-proposal deadline of the call is within 5 years after obtaining a PhD degree. Possible exceptions are:
- an extension with the time spent on study/training to become a clinical/medical doctor after obtaining a PhD
- an extension with a maximum of 2 years in case of any valid reason, e.g. in case of parental leave. Official documents substantiating this valid reason can be requested at the latest 6 weeks before the call deadline. If KWF considers the reason to be valid, an extension will only be granted for the specific call for which the extension was requested.
Exceptions are only possible after written approval by KWF. However, this needs to be requested at least 6 weeks before the call deadline.
Please submit your YIG proposal exclusively through this call. Submitting the same proposal in other KWF calls is not permitted. When your proposal is submitted to another KWF call, it will be deemed ineligible during the eligibility check of that call.
Requirements
The YIG Call is reserved for project proposals within the following research phases: Basic research, Credentialing, Creation of Modality, Preclinical, Clinical and Implementation. Please select the appropriate research phase for your project. Choosing the correct phase ensures that:
- the appropriate application form is used
- your proposal is reviewed by the correct committee members; this ensures the most accurate review of your proposal
- your proposal is reviewed by the Patient Advisory Committee when relevant (for more information on the role of the PACO in the review process, see the paragraph below)
If your proposal spans multiple research phases, please choose the phase that best reflects the central focus and primary objectives of the study (see guidelines for researchers: par. 3.6, pg. 14).
For further details, please refer to Appendices 3 and 4 of the guidelines We strongly emphasize that selecting the appropriate research phase is the applicant’s responsibility and is essential for a smooth and effective review process.
Research phases
The goal of basic research is to obtain essential insight into the origin and progression of cancer and its (psychosocial) effects, as well as basic principles underlying the prevention and treatment of cancer and relevant technological developments. Basic research does not focus directly on the possible application of this knowledge.
Credentialing (or collecting credentials, evidence, confirmation) aims at identifying (discovering) factors, targets and leads that could influence or improve prevention, diagnostics, treatment, and quality of life. Examples are the discovery of targets and biomarkers or compound or drug screenings.
Observational and population studies can also be part of the credentialing phase, as well as cross-sectional research, retrospective and/or prospective cohort studies and case-control studies. The credentialing phase also includes validating the identified factors, targets or leads, and preliminary testing whether the creation of a modality is possible.
The goal of creation of modality research is the extensive characterization and further development of new inventions/modalities until there is sufficient (in vitro and in vivo) evidence from model systems or retrospective data and sample sets, to start preparing for human evaluation.
The development of psychosocial interventions is included in this research phase. Human participation in the development of inventions/modalities is possible in this phase when it is not meant for a validation in a human setting. Starting from this research phase, concrete solutions for specific problems and needs (including unmet medical needs) are developed and validated.
The goal of preclinical research is the completion of all stages required to start the clinical/human evaluation of a new invention/modality in subjects, such as:
- the development of GMP/clinical-grade production, toxicity testing, pilot or technical testing, successful IND/IMPD/CE submission and regulatory/ethical aspects
- prospective analyses of the clinical feasibility of an invention or modality without performing the actual intervention (e.g. prospective biomarker studies without changing the actual treatment)
The goal of clinical research is to realize prospective clinical research, such as:
- a prospective clinical evaluation of a new invention/modality or assay/tool using a limited number of subjects
- establishing the effectiveness of a new invention, dosage, off-label usage, combinations of modalities or psychosocial treatment
- changes to treatment regimens associated with existing methodologies (including population checks) in a patient population
Implementation research encompasses scientific studies on methods to promote the delivery and enhance the adoption of evidence-based interventions in (clinical) practice aligning with the main goals of KWF.
A project proposal must have a research focus, including a scientific research question. Eligible projects focus on any aspect of Implementation research, including the factors affecting implementation, the process of implementation and the results of implementation. This also includes how to introduce potential solutions into a (health) system or how to promote their large-scale use and sustainability.
The purpose is to understand what, why, and how evidence-based interventions/new methods work in 'real world' settings, and to test approaches in order to improve them.
Terms and Conditions
- please refer to the provisional KWF Guidelines (see Downloads) for general information regarding the process for this YIG call. These guidelines provide useful context but may still be subject to change
- therefore, the call text is the leading document and takes precedence over the KWF Guidelines in case of any discrepancies
- additionally, the KWF Funding Conditions 2025 and the KWF Accountants Protocol 2025 apply. These are available in both Dutch and English under the names KWF Financieringsvoorwaarden 2025 and KWF Accountantsprotocol 2025 (see Downloads)
- projects that do not fit within the scope of the YIG call will not be considered. It is the project leader's responsibility to ensure submission to the correct call
Timeline Call 2026 / YIG
| Opening pre-proposals: | September 2025 |
| Closure pre-proposals: | November 2025 (12.00 noon) |
| Opening full proposals: | January 2026 |
| Closure full proposals: | April 2026 |
| Interviews: | June/July 2026 |
| Funding decision: | August 2026 |
More specific dates will be provided as soon as possible.
Pre-proposal & full-proposal
The YIG-call will have a pre-proposal phase, additional to the full-proposal phase. This means that the review process consists of 2 stages:
- first, applicants submit a pre-proposal and personal motivation. After assessment, the results will be communicated to the applicants
- upon assessment of the pre-proposal applications, applicants will receive a formal decision indicating whether they are invited to advance to the full proposal stage
To submit the pre-proposal, a pre-proposal template has to be used. Please ensure that you select the pre-proposal template that corresponds with your main research phase (see Requirements).
At the opening of the call, you must register and download the most recent version of the pre-proposal template in our Grant Management System (KWF-GMS). An example of the pre-proposal template is available for download below, but please do not use this template to submit.
Download example forms
EXAMPLE pre-proposal form - research phase: Basic Research, Credentialing
Please do not use this template to submit. At the opening of the call, you must register and download the most recent version of the pre-proposal template in our Grant Management System (KWF-GMS).
Personal motivation
(max. 2 pages)
Understanding an applicant’s personal motivation provides crucial insight into their ambition, vision, and strategic thinking. It reveals how applicants position themselves in the broader scientific landscape, how they intend to grow as leaders, and how they will leverage this grant to build a sustainable, high-impact research trajectory. This reflection is essential to ensure that KWF supports researchers with both the drive and scientific potential to shape the future of cancer research.
For your personal motivation for a Young Investigator Grant, please answer the following questions:
- What does this YIG mean to you and in what way will the YIG help your scientific career to move forward? Why are you the right person to receive a YIG? What do you consider your unique contribution to the field, and how did you develop it?
- What future position and role do you hope to be in, in five to ten years and how does this project align with your broader development path?
- What scientific, organizational, or network-related skills do you aim to strengthen?
- What does leadership in research mean to you? How will you take responsibility within your project?
- What concrete learning goals do you set for yourself during the YIG project? How do you plan to monitor these?
- How will your independent research line fit into the broader field?
- If this project fails to deliver the expected outcomes, how will it still benefit your career?
You can submit a separate document with this information on the Personal Motivation tab in KWF-GMS
Apply for funding
The application procedure consists of a pre-proposal and full-proposal phase (see above). Both should be submitted through our Grant Management System(KWF-GMS) before their corresponding deadlines (see above).
PLEASE NOTE:
- participating institutes not yet registered must submit a request through KWF-GMS at least 6 weeks prior to the call's closing date
Review process
The review process comprises various stages, including internal review by KWF, review by the Patient Advisory Committee (PACO), board review by our Exploration and Development Committee and external review by (inter)national referees.
Patient Advisory Committee (PACO)
The Patient Advisory Committee plays a crucial role in evaluating applications from a patient’s perspective. This committee ensures that the needs and experiences of patients are considered in project proposals.
The PACO review is also part of the review process of the YIG-call of projects that fall within the research phases: Creation of Modality, Preclinical, Clinical and Implementation. From this YIG call on, the PACO will no longer serve solely as an advisory body for the scientific committee. To ensure that patient involvement is properly assessed and valued, and to align with the approach taken by other NGOs worldwide, the PACO review will now carry a fixed weighting. The PACO will score each project with a rating between 1 and 5, which will contribute to 30% of the final score. The (scientific) Review Board score (also ranging from 1 to 5) will account for the remaining 70%.
For their review, PACO members will only use the Dutch Summary, (the Schematic Project Plan), and Patient Participation of your full proposal. Therefore, please ensure that you complete these components thoroughly and formulate them clearly.
More information
Please contact our Help Desk.
