Topsector ICT Opens €4 Million Call for SMEs

Are you a digital technology SME, active on the cutting edge of AI, data or cybersecurity? Then the new Top Sector ICT SME call 2025 is of interest for you! This call supports public-private partnerships that contribute to digital innovation. A total of €4 million is available for projects that fit within the KIA Digitalisation 2024-2027. Deadline: pre-proposal forms must be submitted by 11 September 2025 at 18:00.

Topsector ICT promotes innovative research by (financially) supporting public-private partnerships (PPP) within the ICT sector. Through this new call for research proposals, SMEs are encouraged to collaborate with research organisations to jointly invest in research and development (R&D), with the aim of developing sustainable, innovative products and services within the ICT sector and related industries. Under this SME call, Topsector ICT is making €4 million in PPP allowance funding available, with the objective of enabling an R&D consortium—led by an SME—to carry out a public-private collaborative project.

Through this call using PPP funding, Topsector ICT aims to ensure that the scheme aligns with the needs of innovative SMEs. This is only possible if the scheme offers clear value to these businesses—there must be something in it for the SME. This means that the entrepreneur should take the lead in setting the direction of the research, and that the research should focus more on industrial research rather than fundamental research. Under the structure of this call, an SME may, under certain conditions, receive funding for a public-private research project that conducts industrial research. Through the SME Call, Topsector ICT aim to strengthen the R&D capacity of SMEs, enabling them to mobilise more personnel and resources to more effectively and rapidly translate knowledge and innovations into products or services.

Core Requirements

There are a few core requirements which are important to note:

• The research aligns with the central mission as outlined in the 2024–2027 Knowledge and Innovation Agenda (KIA) for Digitisation.

• The research fits within one of the two priority digital key technologies identified in the National Technology Strategy (NTS): ‘Cybersecurity Technologies’ or ‘AI/Data’. Research and innovation at the intersection of other technologies and application domains is encouraged.

• The consortium must include at least one for-profit enterprise and one research organisation. The project is carried out on the basis of joint responsibility and risk, with all consortium partners contributing to the project either substantively and/or financially.

• The project must involve industrial research.

• The lead applicant must be an SME based in the Netherlands.

• The project may have a maximum duration of two years.

• Per project, SMEs may jointly claim up to a total of €300,000 in PPP allowance funding.

• Per project, research organisation(s) may claim up to a total of €150,000 in PPP allowance funding.

Deadlines

The pre-proposal form must be submitted by 11 September 2025 at 18:00. Pre-proposals must be complete and comply with the terms and conditions of this SME Call. Based on the pre-proposal, the consortium will receive a recommendation on whether or not to proceed with submitting a full proposal. The deadline for submitting the full proposal is 14 November 2025 at 18:00.

Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria and components of the application form:

• Alignment with the PPP Innovation Scheme;

• Quality of the proposed research and innovation;

• Impact and relevance;

• Feasibility and specificity of the products and/or services to be developed;

• Fit within the KIA for Digitisation;

• Fit within the National Technology Strategy (at least one of the two priority digital key technologies: ‘Cybersecurity Technologies’ or ‘AI/Data’).

 Click here and here for more information (in Dutch) on the Top Sector ICT SME call 2025.

Source: Topsector ICT