The Booster Fund

The Booster Fund was co-initiated by the University of the North partners: the University of Groningen, the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences, and Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences.

The Booster Fund is intended for teaching, research, and valorization projects at the affiliated knowledge institutions. To qualify, a project must contribute to the achievement of at least one of the RIS3 objectives and the ambitions of the University of the North, as defined in the Knowledge Agenda. The Research and Innovation Strategy (RIS3) for the Northern Netherlands 2021-2027 focuses on four transitions:

• From a linear to a circular economy
• Van fossiele naar duurzame energie
• From health care to positive health
• From analogue to digital

The Booster Fund has an amount of €250,000 to award annually. Qualifying collaboration projects can apply for a grant of between €25,000 and €75,000.

The awarded amount should be used to pay staff for time spent working on the collaboration project. The cost of resources such as materials etc. is outside the scope of the Booster Fund.

If your knowledge institution applies the manual for government rates (Handleiding Overheidstarieven, HOT), you should use these rates in your application form. If your knowledge institution applies the integral cost system (Integrale Kostensystematiek, IKS), you should enter these hourly rates.

To qualify, you need to meet the following conditions:

• Your project focuses on at least one of the four transitions defined in the Knowledge Agenda.
• At least three University of the North partners are involved in the consortium.
• Your collaboration project will be completed within two years.
• You apply for a grant of between €25,000 and €75,000.

The grant application process involves the following steps:

• You check whether your collaboration project meets the relevant conditions (see ‘What are the conditions to qualify?’).
• You contact the University of the North coordinator of the knowledge institution acting as lead partner in your collaboration project. Given that each knowledge institution cannot act as lead partner in more than three applications, the coordinator will check whether your application is admissible before it is submitted. If you are unclear at this point which institution will act as lead partner, you can contact the coordinator at your knowledge institution.
• The coordinator of the lead partner will discuss your plan to submit an application within their organization (e.g. with grant and policy advisors) and with the coordinator team of the University of the North.
• Once the coordinator of the lead partner has approved the application, you can proceed to submit it. The deadline for submitting the application form (in Dutch) is 30 June 2023. The consortium (i.e. the member representing the lead partner specifically) is responsible for signing and submitting the application form.
• The assessment committee may ask you to elaborate on your application. They will let you know if they have any questions.
• The committee will announce the grant awards in week 42/43. Applicants that have not been awarded a grant will also be informed.

The submitted applications will be reviewed by an external assessment committee. The members of this committee are:

• Marcel Beukeboom, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations in Rome
• Han Brezet, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft
• Aart Jan de Graaf, self-employed energy transition consultant and former Leading Lector at HAN University of Applied Sciences (Engineering & Automotive)
• Evelyn Finnema, Professor of Nursing Science and Education at UMCG, Lector at NHL Stenden UAS and Hanze UAS, and Chief Nursing Officer at the Dutch Ministry of Heath, Welfare, and Sport

The committee will apply the following criteria to the applications:

• Relevance to, and correlation with, the Knowledge Agenda
• Impact on the social and economic development of the region
• Level of engagement on the part of external stakeholders (society, government agencies, corporate sector)
• Balanced input by collaboration partners
• Partnership with vocational schools (mbo)
• Innovativeness
• Quality
• Feasibility
• Chance of success going forward

• 3 April: start of round 2
• 19 April: special webinar, more information and opportunity to ask questions
• 30 June: submission deadline for round 2 applications
• Week 42/43: announcement of grant awards