We would like to draw your attention to the NWO Museum Grants program. The program, funded by the Dutch Government via NWO (Dutch Research Council), provides funding for short-term research in one of more than 400 museums in the Netherlands. The research project should be headed by museum professionals and organized in collaboration with university researchers. The results must be published in an article that will be made available in open access form.

Funding was recently awarded to five applications in the first sub-round of the grant program. The five projects cover a wide range of topics and show the wealth of research possibilities. For example, the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History will use new research techniques to reveal the creative process from sketch to painting in works by Pieter Lastman, Rembrandt’s teacher.

The intended aim of the Museum Grant program is to explore and shed more light on the ideas, materials and objects in museum collections and facilitate talent development and scientific research in the museum sector. Interested museum professionals can apply for up to € 25,000 for a short-term scientific project. The second sub-round is currently open: you can submit a proposal for research funding until 21 September 2021. Various conditions are attached to the proposal, the details of which you can find in the call for proposals on the NWO website.