Young Investigator Grant (YIG) Call - 2027

2027-YIG

The Young Investigator Grant (YIG) is for researchers who are in an early stage of their scientific career. The grant is designed to give young talented researchers the opportunity to initiate a strong and independent oncological research line. The young researcher must be capable of leading the project 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 below).

Scope

• The YIG consists of a hypothesis-driven research question and has a defined duration (suggested duration of 4 years) 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.
• The project leader must be employed for a minimum of 0.5 FTE per year throughout the duration of the project.
• In addition to the allocated FTE for the YIG candidate, the project may include up to 1.0 FTE scientific personnel (e.g. a postdoctoral researcher or a PhD candidate) and up to 1.0 FTE non-scientific personnel per year.
• The maximum budget that can be requested is €1,000,000. In exceptional cases, an additional amount of up to approximately €400,000 may be considered for major expenses, such as essential equipment critical to the research. These expenses must be thoroughly justified in the application. This justification must include detailed specifications, costs, intended use within the project, and the unique contribution to the research objectives.  
• YIG projects may be combined with other grants (e.g. ERC StG), provided there is no overlap in project content or funding. The total commitment (including teaching) must not exceed 100% and may be verified during the interview with the candidate.

• The project leader is eligible to submit a YIG proposal if the call deadline is within 5 years after obtaining his/her 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 upcoming call.

  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 calls is not permitted. When your proposal is submitted to another 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: Patient Advisory Committee (PACO)).

If your proposal spans multiple research phases, please choose the phase that best reflects the central focus and primary objectives of the study (see the Guidelines under downloads).

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.

Terms and Conditions

• Please refer to the KWF Guidelines (see downloads) for further details on the process, characteristics, and eligibility terms applicable to this YIG-call
• The KWF Funding Conditions 2025 and the KWF Accountants Protocol 2025 apply. These documents are available in Dutch and English: 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

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 (GMS).

Personal motivation

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.

As part of the application, applicants are required to answer the following questions regarding their personal motivation for a Young Investigator Grant:

• 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 5 to 10 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?

Please submit a separate document (maximum 2 pages) with this information via the Personal Motivation tab in the GMS. At the top of your letter, please state the exact date on which you obtained your PhD. If KWF has approved an eligibility extension (required when applying more than 5 years after obtaining your PhD), please add "(KWF-approved eligibility extension)" immediately after your PhD date.

Budget Template

The Form KWF Budget Estimate – Major Expenses (Excel) can be used as a support tool to help specify and justify such costs but should not be uploaded in GMS.

• Pre-proposal stage: Using the Budget Estimate Excel tool for guidance, provide a general cost estimate in the budget table of the pre-proposal template. Include a short justification (±100 words) in the Justification of budget table
• Full-proposal stage: Using the Budget Estimate Excel tool for guidance, provide a detailed budget in the total project budget tab in GMS, allocating costs under the appropriate main and subcategories. Include a corresponding justification in the Budget Justification section

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 (PACO) plays a vital role in evaluating applications from the patient’s perspective. This applies to projects within the following research phases: Creation of Modality, Preclinical, Clinical and Implementation. This committee ensures that the needs and experiences of patients are appropriately considered in project proposals.

To ensure that patient involvement is properly assessed and given due importance, the PACO review carries a fixed weighting. For the final score, the ratio (Scientific) Review Board/PACO is 70/30, provided that the (Scientific) Review Board advises the project proposal to be fundable. PACO members will base their assessment solely on the Dutch Summary, the Schematic Project Plan, and the Patient Participation section of your full proposal. Therefore, please ensure that these components are completed thoroughly and articulated clearly.

More information

Please contact one of our science liaisons for more information.