Top Talent Initiative

QDNL’s success is powered by a diverse team of engineers, physicists, builders, theorists, and visionaries. They thrive through collaboration. 

We offer a diverse, entrepreneurial, and well-equipped ecosystem to attract global talent. 

The Top Talent Initiative provides financial support to outstanding individuals, helping them advance or diversify their expertise while supporting the Dutch quantum ecosystem and QDNL’s mission. By funding top international talent, QDNL enables ambition, excellence, and diversity within the ecosystem. 

The 2026 application procedure and guidelines are available below.

The initiative supports outstanding individuals who wish to develop themselves further in their field - or those who wish to venture with their expertise into a new field – while also contributing to the NL quantum ecosystem and the goals of the QDNL programme. The initiative aims to attract or retain talented individuals of international stature. QDNL does this by financially supporting individuals who have either recently settled or are about to settle in our quantum ecosystem, in realising their ambitions. By funding top international talent, QDNL enables ambition, excellence, and diversity within the ecosystem. 

The TTI is a personal grant. The candidate must have a permanent appointment (or the prospect* of a permanent appointment) with an organisation based in the Netherlands. The grant is meant to support a personal vision and ambition that contributes to one of the QDNL action lines (AL) or catalyst (CAT) programmes, or to the broader goals of the QDNL programme. 

The budget is flexible for different projects/themes, but the candidate must explain clearly what s/he wants to achieve and how this connects to QDNL ambitions. For example: the candidate may use it for any project idea, as long as it is compliant with NGF/RVO regulations.  

Individuals can have a background in any of research, education or policy, and a desire to contribute directly or indirectly to quantum technology development and impact through research, valorisation, entrepreneurship, education, communication or policy, by bringing in new concepts or expertise to our ecosystem. 

*By ‘prospect’, we mean either a signed contract or a statement from the employer confirming that they are in the process of hiring and intend to hire. Please note that a successful application in the TTI cannot be a precondition for hiring; the employer must intend to hire regardless of the TTI outcome. 

• Added value to ecosystem 

• Excellence of applicant/leading in their field (top 10%) 

  • Factual criteria determining whether a candidate is considered top in their field can be challenging to outline. The applicant must their provide proof of excellence through support letters, a detailed CV, history of publications, and other project-specific demonstrations of excellence. 

• Plan (summary) must fit QDNL scope. 

• Applicant has a (prospect of) an employment contract in NL. 

Applications are welcome from individuals with a permanent appointment in the Netherlands. Applications must be completed and submitted within six months after the start of their employment and should be officially endorsed by employer/employing organisation based in the Netherlands.  

In case there is no available contract yet, the employer / employing organisation should provide an “intention to employ the individual” as part of the endorsement. In the event of a positive decision by QDNL, the subsidy will be granted under the condition that the candidate will accept that position and start working in the Netherlands.  

An individual can apply only once. 

Within this Call for Proposals, an applicant can apply for a minimum budget of €100.000 and up to a maximum of € 300.000. In case there is a very large cost involved in the proposed plan (e.g. in an academic experimental physics project), the amount may be increased to €400.000. The personnel costs can amount to maximum of € 300.000. The maximum duration of the project is three years.

All costs would be at the discretion of and approved by QNDL, in accordance with to RVO conditions. 

In principle, we have set no boundaries on the topics that can be submitted. However, we do want to share some inspiration: 

• To develop new concepts in quantum technology, both at a fundamental research level as well as the applied level. 

• To develop a new educational or societal or artistic initiative. 

• To develop a policy initiative to increase a certain topic area. For example: entrepreneurial awareness. 

• Applications can be submitted throughout the year. 

• Applicants can apply, at the latest, 6 months after they started in their new role in the Netherlands. 

1. Candidates should send their Intention to Submit to talent@quantumdelta.nl, and Cc their (future) employer in the Netherlands. Following receipt of the intention to submit, QDNL will arrange a call to discuss intention and process. 

2. Application Requirements 

• Summary: Summarise your project plan and describe your fit to the QDNL programme. 

• Project plan: The proposed project must fit topically to one of the CATs or Action Lines (ALs) or with NanolabNL. 

• Candidate assessment: The selection committee will review if the application is admissible based on the following 

  • Profile of candidate (CV + description of key outputs and achievements). 

  • Support letters indicating the candidate is a top talent in their field. 

• Endorsement by host institution. 

This is a free format. Maximum word count: 2500. 

The main goal of the TTI is to support talented individuals within the top 10% of their fields. The assessment part of the application process will be focused on the candidate. If the candidate is assessed positively as a top talent, s/he has ample space to propose a suitable project. The main criterium for the project is fit within the QDNL programme. 

The assessment process is managed by the QDNL programme office. The assessment consists of 4 steps: 

1. Eligibility check by QDNL, including a financial check. 

2. Check on fit, or conditions of partial fit, with QDNL. 
   

3. Interview with the top talent committee: In an online interview the committee intends to get a good view on the excellence of the candidate. An interview is deemed crucial to have a broader perspective for the committee than just CV + support letters to make a proper assessment. During the interview, the committee and the candidate will discuss the proposal, provide/receive feedback and, if necessary, further discuss how to improve fit to the QDNL ambitions.

4. The committee will give an official advisement to the QDNL-board, who will make the decision on the candidate. 

   In case of a positive decision by the board, the candidate will receive a grant letter. 

• Intentions, questions and the application can be sent to talent@quantumdelta.nl  

• Contact person for additional information: Pieter de Witte