Venture Centre

HBO Take Off

Your product can be the solution to a social challenge. You therefore want to investigate the feasibility of your innovative idea by mapping the technical and economic opportunities and risks. The coordinating body SIA gives you this opportunity by financing feasibility studies for your idea that arises from research. HvA Venture Centre and IXA help you with your application for the HBO Take-Off. Below you will find how to make an appointment to discuss the options.

The HBO Take-Off Arrangement

This arrangement finances a feasibility study. You can do a patent search, make an inventory of available technology or perform a market analysis.

You can apply for a minimum of 10.000 euros and a maximum of 40.000 euros.

AUAS Students (entrepreneurs) and employees who want to research the feasibility of an innovative idea can submit an application. These applications are assessed on 4 criteria that count equally in the assessment:

  • knowledge base and innovation
  • commercial potential
  • quality of the team
  • quality of the project plan

The university of applied sciences is the applicant

It is important to know that if a Take-Off higher professional education project proposal is approved, the SIA Governing Body pays the money to the university of applied sciences, which bears the financial responsibility for the correct implementation of the project plan. With that money, the university college will reimburse the costs of the feasibility study in accordance with the budget included in the application. How and on what are applications assessed? The submitted proposals are assessed by an independent committee. This committee consists of entrepreneurial researchers from various research areas, entrepreneurs, external experts and private funders. After an initial written assessment, you will be invited to briefly explain your plans to the committee. This is an important part of the assessment process. The feasibility study The HBO Take-off is intended for conducting a study into the technical feasibility and / or market feasibility. In short, the funding is intended to investigate or validate one of the three following things the technology or process to deliver a particular value the need of the intended target group to solve a problem with the help of the product the commercial feasibility of getting a solution to the target group Finally, it is not uncommon to include a risk inventory in this study. Below is a video explaining the value of conducting a feasibility study.

Starting with an application

If you, as a student or alumnus of the AUAS, want to apply for an HBO Take-off subsidy for your project or company, you can. You can request a meeting with one of our coaches by filling in this form.

It is important to take two things into account:

  1. At the AUAS, a lectorate must be involved in the application, check the AUAS website in advance to see if there is a lecturer or researcher who would be a logical match in terms of expertise as a partner for this project (https: //www.hva.nl/research/lectorates)
  2. The subsidy has two fixed if moments and the writing and preparation of a good application takes 1 to 2 months - for students we recommend that you first follow the 10K Pre-Incubator program. (www.hva.nl/10K)

Upcoming submission rounds:

  • spring 2022 - deadline 29 March 2022
  • fall 2022 - deadline 20 September 2022

Also possible: Take-off Phase 2

In addition to the HBO Take-off, a Take-off Phase 2 application is also possible. This arrangement focuses on early phase trajectories and provides subsidies in the form of a loan of a minimum amount of € 50,000 and a maximum amount of € 250,000 to newly started companies (start-ups) for the implementation of early phase trajectories based on knowledge innovations from Dutch universities, research institutes recognized by NWO (WO), recognized TO2 institutions, and Dutch universities of applied sciences (HBO).

An early phase trajectory consists of the steps and activities to ensure that the idea/concept becomes commercially viable, that the process or service can and goes successfully on the market, that the business will grow and that money will be made.

The early phase trajectories are exclusively intended for innovative new business. In addition, "new" must be understood as demonstrably not older than 5 years at the time of submission of an application, calculated from the date of registration with the Kamer van Koophandel.

You can also contact us if you, as an AUAS student, employee or alumnus, are interested in this scheme.

Published by  Entrepreneurship Regieorgaan SIA 17 January 2022