The Call for Validation of Biomarker Candidates provides funding to multidisciplinary organizations in order to validate biomarkers (TRL5/6) and increase clinical implementation. Offered by the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF), the program is meant to improve oncological outcomes by bridging biomarker research, clinical care, and patient needs.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications require multidisciplinary organizations, with a minimum of 4 parties (may include private partners)
- The project leader must have a PhD and be employed by a Dutch organization for the duration of the project
- There must be a minimum of 0.5 FTE scientific employment per year
- Projects using an AI aspect must include the AI4HEALTH consortium as a partner/advisor
- Proposals must incorporate an early Health Technology Assessment (HTA) with a dedicated budget
- Patient perspectives must be integrated from proposal to dissemination
Funding Details
- €0.8 to €2 million per proposal
- Projects are expected to run for a duration of 2 to 5 years.
- Eligible costs covered includes personnel and materials, with further details available through KWF Wage & Salary Policy and Funding Conditions
Deadlines
- Pre-proposal opens: August 25, 2026
- Pre-proposal deadline: October 20, 2026 (12:00 noon)
- Full proposal opens: December 15, 2026
- Full proposal deadline: February 23, 2027 (12:00 noon)
- Interviews: May 2027
- Funding Decision: June 2027
Further Information
- The application uses a two-stage process, beginning with a pre-proposal followed by a full proposal
- All applications must be submitted through the KWF Grant Management System (GMS)
- In order to use the KWF-GMS, organizations must be registered with the system. If not they may submit a request through KWF-GMS at least 6 weeks before the pre-proposal’s deadline
- For more details visit the Call for Validation of Biomarker Candidates site