Frequently asked questions - CIIIC Learning Communities

The consortium consists of at least one research organisation (university of applied sciences, university or TO2 institute as listed in section 3.1 of the call) and at least three practice partners (SMEs and/or public organisations). Large companies may also take part, as long as these minimum requirements are met. There are four forms of participation: main applicant (only research organisations from the list), co-applicant (may receive funding and contribute its own share), collaboration partner (no funding, no financial contribution, content only) and co-financier (provides cash or in-kind contribution, no funding).

No, only research organisations from the list in section 3.1 can be the main applicant. At least three practice partners must be involved as co-applicants. In addition, the contribution of private parties is necessary for this call because of the 20% co-financing that must come from private funds.

Yes, large companies may take part, for example as a co-financier or collaboration partner. The condition is that the consortium meets at least the requirements: one research organisation and three SME or public practice partners as co-applicants.

Yes, co-financiers may contribute both in cash and in kind. In-kind can be interpreted very broadly, including making facilities, labs or other resources available. Cash co-financing may only come from parties that do not receive funding and must come from private funds.

Yes, international collaboration is possible. There are conditions for who may take part and in which role. These conditions are set out in the call for proposals.

The owner of the learning community must be part of the applying consortium as main applicant or co-applicant, and this must be clear from the start of the application. The owner is responsible for the operation, coordination and bookkeeping of the learning community (especially for the build-up and operation part, because of state-aid rules). In practice the lead party (main applicant) is often also the owner, because that is logical. There can be no shift during the project; the owner must be a legal entity and is fixed upon award.

Yes, if an organisation calls itself a research organisation but is not on the list in section 3.1, it must be assessed in advance by NWO. Some organisations have already been assessed earlier; that should then be indicated. The deadline for this assessment is 6 October 2026. This applies only to research organisations, not to other co-applicants. The conditions are explained in the call for proposals.

Yes, that is possible. The consortium can be expanded and must meet all conditions and composition requirements of the Learning Communities call. Note: funding received for another call may not be used for this call. It is regarded as a new project.

Digital must always be a component of the immersive content that is developed. It cannot be a theatre piece without any technological component. Reading a book or watching a theatre piece can also be immersive, but for this programme the technological link is essential. The programme deliberately also includes the games sector and application development; CIIIC tries to break down the silos that exist in some countries between immersive content and games.

Six themes have been defined that are current within the XR field (these are listed on the website and in the call). Applicants must indicate which theme is their main theme, because the award is later partly based on the distribution across themes. You may combine themes because there is a lot of overlap, but you must always choose one main theme.

The application areas are: art and culture; media and entertainment; and creative business services. The last includes subdomains such as public order and safety, education and training, care and well-being, the built environment and industry. So this is very broad. Applicants may choose more than one application area. Note: the application area refers to where IX is applied, not necessarily the sector in which the applicant organisation itself operates.

Creative business services includes subdomains such as healthcare, education and training, public order and safety, the built environment and industry. It is very broad. All services can fall under it. Do not put too much weight on the word 'creative'; it is about the broad application of IX in different sectors. Further explanation can be found on CIIIC's Human Capital page.

IX must be central to the project. The application area can be a different sector (such as care or architecture), and the learning community may strongly profile itself there, but IX applications must form a substantial component. It cannot be that you set up a learning community about working efficiently in care where only 5% has to do with XR. The core is about IX applications; these can be applied in different sectors.

The target group can be both professionals who develop IX and education professionals (teachers who have to teach about IX) and other professionals who apply IX in their work, such as in care. The learning aspect is very important. Students, researchers and education professionals can all take part. It is not only about the makers; skills development also happens outside universities of applied sciences and vocational education, for example in large institutions such as hospitals or other sectors. As long as skills and competence development is central, it is relevant.

Two outputs are specifically required: a research programme and a learning programme. The form can be anything, not necessarily a classic training course with lessons. It could also be, for example, a website where knowledge is shared, online courses, lifelong-learning (LLO) tracks, certification, and so on. All innovative forms of education are possible, as long as it is about competence and skills development and accelerating learning among XR professionals.

A self-assessment on public values is part of all CIIIC programmes. The application procedure asks you to reflect on the extent to which what is developed meets public values (safety, sustainability, etc.), what possible impact there is, how that is mitigated, and what the ultimate impact is. There is a separate section in the application about public values.

A project can apply for a minimum of 900,000 euros and a maximum of 1.8 million euros in funding. The maximum duration is four years (48 months). This is the official time from award to the end of the project; for completion you usually have three extra months.

At least 50% of the funding must go to research organisations (as listed in section 3.1). For the build-up and operation of the learning community, a maximum of 25% of the funding is available. These rules apply to all NWO and SIA grants.

The co-financing (funding other than by NWO) has been adjusted from 25% to 20% of the total project size. This must come from private funds. Research organisations (universities of applied sciences and universities) may not provide their own contribution; the 20% must come from private funds. This relates to the state-aid framework.

There are two modules. The research module consists of: (1) research activities by research organisations, 100% funded because these are non-economic activities; (2) research activities with economic components (by other parties), funded up to 40%, with 60% automatically being their own contribution. The module for the build-up and operation of the learning community receives 50% funding; the other 50% must come from private funds (co-financing). A maximum of 25% of the total funding may go to this module. Separate bookkeeping must be kept for this module because of state-aid rules.

Examples are: investing in infrastructure, software and facilities; appointing pioneers (kwartiermakers), community managers and facilitators; organising educational and knowledge-sharing activities. These are activities that are separate from the research activities but are needed to build the learning community and keep it running day to day.

No, unfortunately not. That is regarded as an investment. The expectation is that parties taking part have the means to bear that investment.

Yes, even if a research organisation is the owner, the 50% own contribution for the build-up and operation module must come from private funds. This can indeed be challenging, but it relates to the state-aid rules and the public-private collaboration component in this call.

This is indeed a challenge. SMEs need to see the value in this collaboration and regard it as an investment. The question is understandable but falls under the conditions of the state-aid framework; it cannot be answered further.

There are standard options: the IKS rate, HOTE rates, ONL rates, or a fixed rate of 60 euros. These standards are used.

The call opened on 7 May 2026. The online information session is on 28 May, the matchmaking event on 9 June. For co-applicants that are research organisations but not on the list, the assessment deadline is 6 October. The hard deadline for full applications is 3 November 2026 at 14:00 CET; this will not be postponed and late is late. After the deadline there is a technical-administrative check (be reachable in the two weeks afterwards for any corrections). An external committee then assesses the applications, writes preliminary advice, and the 15 highest-scoring applicants are invited for an interview in February 2027. The board decides on the basis of the advice and interviews; the announcement is in May 2027.

There are four criteria (these are discussed in the call). Among other things, it is important that research organisations argue why their activities are not economic activities (because of state aid). This is part of criterion one.

All applications that meet the minimum requirements are assessed and prioritised. The number 1 of the whole list receives funding in any case, regardless of the theme. After that, at least one project is awarded per theme (so at least six projects in total). If money then remains and there are still enough well-assessed applications, the highest-prioritised of those receive funding.

No, the matchmaking is a non-binding service from CIIIC and Regieorgaan SIA to bring potential consortium partners together. It is not an admission requirement.

A learning community in this call has specific characteristics: public-private collaboration between knowledge institutions and practice partners; a physical location with facilities where people can experiment together; concrete outputs (a research programme and a learning programme); and a specific theme within IX. It is an organised community with structure, vision, commitment, a multi-year plan and a business model. Managers, pioneers (kwartiermakers) and facilitators are needed. It must invest in sustainability after the CIIIC programme ends.

The learning community must be able to continue after the CIIIC programme ends (which stops after five years). This is a stimulation grant to set up or deepen a community. The plan must clearly state how this is secured; it does not have to be guaranteed, but there must be a credible, well-founded story with commitment and a long-term vision. This is part of the assessment.

Collaboration with XR Labs is possible, but there are conditions. For this call it is also possible to invest in your own facilities (software, fit-out, cameras), because a physical location with facilities is important for the community to be able to experiment. The XR Labs programme is still under development; that infrastructure is more limited in terms of investment options. For learning communities it is precisely important that there is room to finance facilities.

Research activities are broad. It is not only about staff, but also about knowledge utilisation and investments. There is room to grow and experiment. Examples: teachers taking part as part of research activities, hiring third parties, deploying students. The research module is broader than only researchers doing research. It must, however, be about competence and skills development; if it is only about researching the right IX components and their construction, it is too narrow (then it fits better with CIIIC Start or Kern). The research must be part of learning, working and innovating in the learning community.

This call is set up thematically, not regionally. That said, collaboration between learning communities can be developed very well later on. Once projects start, activities will be developed to bring that network together.

That is precisely something applicants themselves have to answer in their proposal: why is this learning community needed? It is not up to Regieorgaan SIA or CIIIC to formulate that answer. Look for partners from the field who have this knowledge and have developed an instinct for where there is real need. At the matchmaking, such questions can also be discussed within consortia.

Yes, a fully translated and subtitled version of the recording will be made available, very soon after the session. Also for English-speaking participants.

For general CIIIC questions: info@ciiic.nl or directly Heleen Rouw (heleen@ciiic.nl). For specific questions about this Learning Communities call: CIIIC@nwo.nl. Bram and Dorien from Regieorgaan SIA are available to spar about whether the call fits your ideas, and also later when drawing up the budget. Feel free to get in touch.

The matchmaking is on the morning of 9 June 2026, in Utrecht (central, near Tivoli) on the Vredenburgkade at Kitchen Bar Danel. The programme starts with a walk-in with coffee and tea; ideas will probably be pitched and there will be networking and getting acquainted; at the end there is a networking lunch. Registration is mandatory because places are limited and an overview of participants is needed. Use the QR code or find the registration form on the SIA website.

Yes, CIIIC is present at the Immersive Tech Week on 25 June 2026 in Rotterdam. There you can also ask questions in person.