Dutch subsidy calendar 2026-2027: when does each AI and innovation grant open?

Key Takeaways: Most entrepreneurs don't miss subsidies because they fail to qualify, they target the wrong date. For schemes like the MIT feasibility grant and SLIM, the budget is allocated on the opening day via lottery or first-come, making the formal closing date meaningless. This article gives the complete opening calendar 2026-2027 for the main Dutch AI and innovation grants, with the mechanism and concrete action moment per scheme. All dates verified via RVO, the provinces and the European Commission (as of 25 June 2026).

Why "deadline" is the wrong question

For a large share of Dutch subsidies there is a fixed budget, and once it's gone the desk closes, regardless of the official end date. Three mechanisms decide what you must do:

• Lottery on opening day (e.g. MIT feasibility, SLIM): all complete applications on day one enter a lottery. Submitting earlier doesn't help, but your application must be complete on the opening day.
• First-come, first-served (e.g. EFRO East & West, Innovatiekrediet): whoever submits a complete application first has the best chance. Here speed does matter.
• Tender (e.g. MIT R&D collaboration, Digital Europe): the deadline is firm, but applications are ranked on quality. Submitting early gives no advantage, a strong dossier does.

The common thread: plan back from the opening date, not the closing date. For an MIT feasibility grant that means starting in February, not August.

The opening calendar 2026-2027

Next openings (from now)

Apply year-round

Per scheme: the real moment to act

WBSO, the evergreen for software and AI development

The largest innovation scheme in the Netherlands (€1.817 billion budget in 2026). You get 36% of your R&D wage costs back via payroll tax (50% for start-ups) over the first €391,020, then 16% above that. Self-employed professionals get a fixed R&D deduction of €15,979 (start-ups +€7,996). You apply monthly, always before starting the development work. More in our WBSO 2026 overview and the step-by-step application guide.

MIT feasibility, be ready on opening day

Administered regionally (per province), max €20,000 for a feasibility study. In 2026 every region opened on 7 April and the budget was allocated that same day via lottery. So the "15 September deadline" is misleading. For 2027 we again expect early April, have your application ready in March 2027. Find your region and the regional budgets on the MIT page.

MIT R&D collaboration, a tender, so quality wins

For R&D collaboration between SMEs. The regular 2026 round runs from 9 June to 15 September (tender, max €350,000 per project). The AI variant ran 7 April-26 May 2026 and is expected to return in April 2027. As a tender, the quality of your project plan counts, start 3-4 months ahead. See the MIT scheme and MIT R&D AI.

SLIM, last chance in 2026 on 10 August

Grant for learning and development in SMEs (incl. AI skills), max €24,999 (60% of costs). Window 2 opens on 10 August 2026 and closes 7 September, allocation by lottery, so your application must be complete. This dovetails with the AI literacy obligation in the EU AI Act (in force since 2 February 2025). Details on the SLIM page.

EFRO, per region, own calls

The European Regional Development Fund (2021-2027 programme, final years) operates per region with its own rounds and mechanisms, East and West first-come, North and South via tender, 35-50% subsidy. Check your region on the EFRO page.

Innovatiekrediet & Digital Europe

The Innovatiekrediet is a risk-bearing credit (loan, repay only on success) for technical or clinical development, rolling, €50M budget, up to 45% (50% with collaboration). Digital Europe consists of EU calls for AI and data with a fixed deadline (1 October 2026), assessed on quality. See Innovatiekrediet and Digital Europe.

Which fits you, and how to stack?

Most SMEs combine schemes: WBSO for the development hours, an MIT or EFRO for a specific innovation project, SLIM for the related training. As long as you stay within the de-minimis ceiling (€300,000 of state aid over 3 years) and don't claim the same costs twice, that's allowed. Read more in which AI subsidy fits you and stacking subsidies for maximum benefit.

Don't miss an opening day

The biggest risk isn't rejection, it's being too late because you missed the opening date. We track the calls per scheme and region and make sure your application is ready on day one. Book a free subsidy check and find out which schemes are open (or about to open) for your organisation.

Frequently asked questions

Is a grant's closing date the moment that matters?

Usually not. For schemes like MIT feasibility and SLIM the budget is allocated from the opening day via lottery or first-come-first-served, and is often gone on day one. The opening date is the real moment to act, not the formal closing date.

When does MIT feasibility open in 2027?

Based on the 2024-2026 pattern (the first week of April each year) we expect an opening around 7 April 2027. The definitive date is usually published per region in early March 2027. Have your application ready in March.

Which subsidy can I apply for year-round?

The WBSO (monthly, before your R&D period starts) and the Innovatiekrediet (rolling, first-come until the annual budget runs out). For the rest you must wait for the call to open.