FAQ Comenius programme

An overview of frequently asked questions about the Comenius programme. Missing the answer to your question? Please contact comenius@nro.nl.

  • International Staff / non-Dutch speaking applicants

    Can I submit my proposal for a Teaching Fellowship or Senior Fellowship in English?

    Yes, you can. Please use the English application form, which you can find here and here.

    Can I send a question in English to the NRO office?

    Yes, you can. You can e-mail us at comenius@nro.nl with your question.

  • Procedure Comenius programme 2024

    Where can I find the new calls for proposals?

    The English calls for proposals 2024 are available here. The Dutch calls are available here.

    Does the assessment procedure for the Comenius programme 2024 differ from previous years?

    Each year, NRO improves the calls for proposals based on current events and experience with previous subsidy rounds. Please read the calls for proposals (CfP) for a full overview of this year’s procedure. Some changes compared to last year’s round are:

    When are the deadlines and what do I have to submit?

    1. Letter of Intent

    A brief statement in which you state that you intend to submit an application. This is not yet assessed in terms of content, but serves to give applicants and the NRO office an indication of the interest in the various rounds and themes. The word limit for the summary of the project proposal Is 250 words.

    The number of letters of intent received will be announced per email. Submitting a letter of intent is a prerequisite for submitting a full application.

    Deadlines Letters of Intent

    • Teaching Fellows: Tuesday the 19th of September 2023 at 14:00:00
    • Senior Fellows: Tuesday the 12th of September 2023 at 14:00:00
    • Leadership Fellows: Tuesday the 14th of September 2023 at 14:00:00

    2. Teaching and Senior Fellows: preliminary application

    Precise guidelines for this preliminary application are published in the Calls for Proposals.

    The preliminary applications are assessed by an assessment committee. After the assessment, the applicant receives a positive or negative advice for submitting a full application.

    Deadlines Preliminary applications

    • Teaching Fellows: Tuesday the 17th of October 2023 at 14:00:00
    • Senior Fellows: Tuesday the 10th of October 2023 at 14:00:00

    3. Teaching, Senior and Leadership  Fellows: Full proposal

    Teaching Fellows and Senior Fellows: it is strongly advised to submit an application only when the advice for submitting a full proposal was ‘positive’. This is not applicable to the Leadership Fellows. Guidelines for the full application are listed in the Calls for Proposals.

    Deadlines Full Proposals

    • Teaching Fellows: Tuesday the 17th of January 2024 at 14:00:00
    • Senior Fellows: Tuesday the 9th of January 2024 at 14:00:00
    • Leadership Fellows: Thursday the 14th of October 2023 at 14:00:00

    4. Senior Fellows and Leadership Fellows: rebuttal

    Full applications in the round Senior Fellows are presented to members of the assessment committee for preliminary assessment (pre-advice). Applicants receive these pre-advices and are given five working days’ time to formulate a rebuttal of up to 1000 words.

    Applications in the round Leadership Fellows are presented to international referees for first assessment (referee reports). Afterwards, members of the assessment committee will write a preliminary advice (pre-advice) based on the referee reports and their own reading of the application. Applicants receive these pre-advices and are given five working days’ time to formulate a rebuttal of up to 1500 words.

    In the subsidy round Teaching Fellows, there is no opportunity to write a rebuttal.

    Deadlines for the rebuttal

    Senior Fellows can expect to receive the preliminary assessments around the end of February 2024. The applicant will be given five working days after receiving the committee’s comments to formulate a rebuttal.

    Leadership Fellows can expect to receive the preliminary assessments and the referee reports around the end of January 2024. The applicant will be given five working days after receiving the committee’s comments to formulate a rebuttal.

    5. Leadership Fellows: interviews

    After the assessment meeting, the applicants of the most promising proposals will be invited for an interview with the committee. Invitations will be sent no later than one week before the interviews. The invitation lists the topics for discussion. 

    I did not hand in my letter of intent/preliminary application/full application in time. Can I still participate in the assessment procedure?

    All letters of intent, preliminary applications and full applications that are handed in after the deadline as stated in the calls for proposals, will not be considered in the rest of the assessment procedure. This means that applications that are handed in after 14:00:00 on the day of the deadline, will not be considered for a grant. The only extenuating circumstance is if there are technical problems with ISAAC at the NRO’s side, that prevent you from handing in on time. Forgotten deadlines, a bad internet connection etc. are not considered extenuation circumstances. Please, always hand in your application well before the deadline.

    I made a mistake in my application. Can I still correct this?

    All applicants are given a one-off timeframe of 5 working days to correct any mistakes in a handed-in application that the NRO has indicated as breaching the eligibility criteria. During this period, no other adjustments to (the content of) the application can be made. Applicants are asked to make sure they are available during this period after the deadline, should NRO contact them. Applications that still do not meet the eligibility criteria (see par 4.2 of the CfP) after handing in a new version will be declared ‘ineligible’ and will not be considered in the rest of the assessment procedure. When in doubt about one of the by the NRO noted mistakes, please contact the secretary of the subsidy round in question.

    Who can apply?

    The requirements that applicants have to meet are described in the Call for proposals 2024.

    Applicants who were rejected in the previous rounds can still submit in 2024. Please note the changing themes in the Teaching and Senior Fellows rounds. From 2020 onward, the maximum number of unsuccessful applications that can be submitted to the same ‘tier’ of the grant programme will be limited to two full applications in subsequent years. Applying for a different tier is still possible. NB: a preliminary application that receives a negative advice is not considered an unsuccessful full application.

    Who can no longer apply for 2024?

    Institutions to which a Leadership Fellows was granted in 2023 are excluded from applying to a Leadership Fellowship in 2023. Note that this does not apply for institutions that were granted a Leadership Fellow in 2022.

    A Comenius Fellow who received a Comenius grant in the past, can ‘climb’ within the programme, but cannot apply for a grant in the same or a lower ‘tier’ in the programme. Applications for the next tier in the programme can be handed in in the last year of the duration of the running Comenius project. The start of a new project can follow directly upon the end date of the running project, but the projects may not overlap during the implementation fase of the project.

  • Submitting a letter of intent

    I do not have an ISAAC-account

    You can create your own account via www.isaac.nwo.nl.

    I have a question about ISAAC

    You can contact the ISAAC helpdesk if you have any technical questions about ISAAC. Please read the ISAAC manual before consulting the helpdesk. The ISAAC helpdesk can be contacted from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 17:00 hours CEST on +31 70 344 0600. You can also send your queries by email to isaac.helpdesk@nwo.nl. You will receive an answer within two working days.

    My institution, faculty or institution is not yet registered in ISAAC, or the details are incorrect / outdated

    Please send an e-mail to relatiebeheer@nwo.nl to make sure that the NWO secretariat can register the correct details. Please include:

    • Complete official name of the institution / department
    • Address (postal address and visiting address)
    • Phone number

    Check at least one week before the deadline whether your institution is registered correctly so that NWO staff can change this in time!

    Where can I find the form for the letter of intent?

    There is no specific form for the letter of intent: you can submit your “letter” through the online application system ISAAC.

    You can contact the ISAAC helpdesk if you have any technical questions about ISAAC. The ISAAC helpdesk can be contacted from Monday to Friday between 10:00 and 17:00 hours CEST on +31 (0)20 346 71 79. The NRO employees will not be able to assist you themselves, as they do not have access to the applicant’s environment in ISAAC.

    What should I include in my letter of intent?


    The following applies to the Teaching and Senior Fellows:

    The letter of intent must be completed directly in ISAAC. A letter of intent consists of two input fields: the title and the summary. Enter the title of the application in the first input field. This can still be changed when submitting the preliminary application. In the summary input field you should at least include the following: the theme under which the application is submitted, the faculty from which the application is submitted, and a brief summary of the project proposal of up to 250 words.

    The following applies to the Leadership Fellows:

    The letter of intent must be completed directly in ISAAC. A letter of intent consists of two input fields: the title and the summary. Enter the title of the application in the first input field. This can still be changed when submitting the full application. In the summary input field you should at least include the following: a brief summary of the project proposal of up to 250 words, the provisional composition of the project team, a maximum of 3 possible suggestions for non-referees.

    Will my letter of intent be more successful if I do…

    The letter of intent are not assessed the assessment committee and/or referees, and, therefore will not be assessed on its quality. By submitting a letter of intent, you are granted access to the next stage of submitting a full application.

    The letters of intent give as an estimate of the (maximum) number of applications in a specific theme and indicate what expertise the members of the assessment committees should have. Information on the number of submitted letters of intent will be sent to the applicants shortly after the deadline.

    Do note that the summary of the letter of intent submitted for Leadership Fellows will be used to approach international referees. They have to be able to judge on the basis of this summary whether they are willing and able to assess the full application.

    Do I need a signature of my coordinator / dean / executive board for the letter of intent?

    No, you only need this for the preliminary application (Teaching and Senior Fellows) or the full application (for Leadership Fellows).

    However, we do advise all applicants to start as early as possible to discuss their intention to submit a proposal with their supervisors. This is especially important for Senior and Leadership Fellows, because of the application limit of one per faculty resp. institution.

    If the NRO office notes that more than one letter of intent per faculty / institution is submitted, all applicants and central staff of the institution will be notified. If more than one preliminary application or full application per faculty/institution is submitted, all of them will be disregarded. Therefore, we advise you to contact the grant officer within your institution, because they probably monitor the potential applications and organize a selection procedure.

    Do I have to submit all the names of the members of my team in the letter of intent?

    When submitting a letter of intent for the round Teaching Fellows or Senior Fellows you do not have to list your project team members yet. If you chose to do so (in the summary) it will be possible to change these names in the final application. However, when submitting a letter of intent for the round Leadership Fellows, we ask you to provide a preliminary composition of the project team.

    Can I get an extension for submitting the letter of intent?

    No, we cannot grant any extensions. The letter of intent has been made as accessible as possible:: only the name of the applicant and the theme (Teaching / Senior Fellows) cannot be changed after submitting the letter of intent. You are allowed to make changes in the summary and the members of your team. In fact, it is not mandatory to submit a full summary or details on the team. Therefore, the deadline provides sufficient time to submit the letter of intent.

    I would like to withdraw my letter of intent.

    You can do this by logging in to your ISAAC account. Go to the page of your letter of intent, and click on the button ‘withdraw’.

    When cancelling your letter of intent, you are not obliged to state the reason for doing so. However, in order to evaluate this first ‘complete round’ of the Comenius programme, it will be very much appreciated if you take the time to tell us. Please send an e-mail to comenius@nro.nl

    I did not receive a confirmation

    Some universities’ servers or spam filters filter the e-mails sent out automatically by ISAAC. If you do not find a confirmation in your spam-folder, but you do see your application as ‘submitted’ in ISAAC, please send an e-mail with a screenshot from ISAAC to comenius@nro.nl

    Can I change the title and summary of my (preliminary) of my application with respect to the letter of intent?

    Yes, you can. 

  • From the letter of intent to the (preliminary) application

    I would like to withdraw my letter of intent.

    You can do this by logging on to your ISAAC account. Go to the page of your letter of intent, and click on the button ‘withdraw’.

    When cancelling your letter of intent, you are not obliged to state the reason for doing so. However, in order to evaluate this first ‘complete round’ of the Comenius programme, it will be very much appreciated if you take the time to tell us. Please send an e-mail to comenius@nro.nl

    I did not submit a letter of intent. Can I still submit a full application?

    No. The letters of intent are used to inform both the NRO office and the applicants on the (maximum) number of applications submitted in a round and theme. Without letter of intent, you cannot submit a proposal.

    I submitted a letter of intent, but would like to promote a colleague as applicant. Can I change this?

    This is not allowed, and is also not possible to do by yourself, since both the letter of intent and the application are submitted through the ISAAC-account of the applicant.

    Can I change the theme of my application?

    No, this is not allowed. (Please see the question about submitting an application without submitting a letter of intent).

    Can I change the title and summary of my application, in comparison to the letter of intent?

    Yes, you can. However, please notify us via comenius@nro.nl if you decide to change the title. You do not have to notify us on changes in the summary.

    I received a (positive) recommendation and I want to convert my preliminary application into a full application. Can I change the parts that were already part of the preliminary application (e.g. summary of the project proposal, problem outline)?

    Yes, you can. In the case of a positive recommendation probably only minor changes are required. In the case of a negative recommendation, you are strongly advised to submit a new proposal next year, rather than revise the whole plan in a short time span.

  • The application form(s)

    I did not receive a confirmation

    Some institution’s servers/spamfilters filter the mails that are automatically sent by ISAAC. If your spam folder does not contain your confirmation either, but your application is noted as ‘registered’ in ISAAC, please send us a screenshot of what you see in ISAAC at comenius@nro.nl.

    The ‘drop-down’ menu in the first part of the MS-Word form do not seem to be working

    This a communication error between MS-Word and (some versions of) Word and/or other text formatting software used on Apple computers. This problem is solved by opening the form on a Windows-computer.

    I cannot insert a scan of the signature of my coordinator / dean / executive board in the application form.

    If this problem persists you can attach a separate declaration to the application form (please submit this in one PDF).

    Am I allowed to change the form?

    No, you are not allowed to make substantial changes to the format of the preliminary application/application form.

  • Advice on preparing an application for the Comenius programme

    Is it possible to view examples of successful applications from last year?

    We cannot publish applications from previous years. However, you can find the summaries of previously successful applications on our website. They will be published here.

    I have a project in mind with objective [x]. Which theme can I choose best? What are my chances?

    These questions cannot be answered by the NRO office. In the Call for Proposals you will find a tool for selecting the right theme. In the application, the applicant has to justify the link with the chosen theme.

    Who can I contact for advice on preparing the application?

    The NRO office and members of the assessment committee cannot advise you on writing a (specific) application. The NRO office does not make substantive comments about proposals. When preparing the application and the project plan as a whole, it is recommended that you seek assistance from an educational advisor / educational researcher and a subsidy advisor at your institution. In addition, it is recommended that the application is read at least by one colleague and one outsider (the latter to check on jargon, because the assessment committee is a ‘science-wide’ committee, with members from different academic disciplines).

    Why would I contact a grant officer of my own institute?

    Many institutes have a guidance programme for submitting a Comenius application. In addition, in many institutes there is a selection procedure for submitting a Senior or Leadership Fellow application because of the limit on the amount of applications per institute. In the application we ask for permission to let the grant officer of the applicant’s institute know who applied for a grant because this will allow grant officers to establish contacts with all applicants.

  • Target group and focus of the projects

    We envision a teaching professionalisation project, aimed primarily at teachers. Students are, at this stage / for the duration of the project not (directly) involved. Can we submit an application for a Comenius grant?

    No, in principle you cannot. The projects in the Comenius programme should benefit students at Dutch Higher Education institutes. The project and/or the intervention should therefore take place in the learning environment of the students.

    This does not mean that teacher professionalisation cannot be a part of a Comenius project. In fact, in case of the Senior and Leadership fellow projects, this is very likely.

    We envision a research project that has the potential to lay the foundations for an educational innovation. The innovation / intervention will take place after the duration of the proposed project (with different funding). Can we apply for a Comenius grant?

    No, in the Call for proposals you will find that the innovation has to be implemented during the course of the project. In projects with a longer duration (Senior and Leadership) it is allowed to take some (more) time for initial research.

    My project is primarily aimed at students at a different, non-Dutch institution. Can I submit a proposal?

    No, projects should be aimed primarily at innovating and improving higher education in the Netherlands.

    My institution is a publicly funded higher institution, but the programme is not, because it is a post-initial  and/or non publicly funded programme. Can we still apply?

    No, you cannot. Projects in the Comenius programme should take place in initial higher education programmes and/or programmes that aim to improve access to initial higher education.

    This is because the funds for the Comenius programme stem from funds that have become available after the start of the student loan system. Projects should be aimed at students who would ‘otherwise’ have received a student grant.

    Can I carry out a project within the Comenius programme in response to initiatives that have arisen after the corona measures?

    Applications can be submitted for innovation projects focusing on campus as well as distance learning. The Comenius programme is therefore explicitly open to educational innovations that arose during the period that Dutch higher education institutions were bound to distance education as a result of the measures taken to limit the spread of the Corona virus – as long as the aim of the intended project is consistent with one of the themes.

  • About the applicant

    At, the moment, my  position at a higher education institute is shorter than the full duration of my project, but I might receive this if the grant is awarded to my proposal. Can I submit an application?

    Yes, but only if you also submit a guarantee signed by the department/faculty that your contract will be extended for the full duration of the project. This also applies if your appointment is smaller than the required 0.5 fte. The context in which your project is implemented is crucial for the success of the project. It is therefore necessary that your contract and/or the people you can work with are not in question. When you do not have any contract yet, you cannot apply.

    I have a position at a Dutch Higher Education institute, but gained the majority of my experience in teaching at the higher education level abroad. Can I submit a proposal?

    Yes, you can.

    My team members work in a different team with another supervisor and/or at another faculty. Should we include declarations and signatures of every single supervisor/dean?

    No, you will not have to. Please make sure that in the declaration of the supervisor / dean of the applicant, the undersigned declares that he/she discussed the role of all members of the team with their supervisors. If necessary, you could further expand on the way other departments/teams are involved in the description of the plan and/or the team.

    Do I need to upload a separate CV along with my proposal?

    No, you don’t have to. In the application form you will find space to list your professional experience relevant to this project. Aside from the budget form, you cannot upload separate documents to ISAAC.

    How do I know whether my total amount of years of experience matches the required amount to submit a proposal for Teaching / Senior / Leadership Fellowship

    You can add the years of experience gained at different institutions in the Netherlands and/or abroad. The minimum number of years of teaching experience are counted from the moment the project would start in case it is granted. It is therefore possible that you do not meet the minimum requirement yet when handing in your proposal, as long as you will by the start date of the project.

    How important is my (teaching) experience? How does this relate to the assessment of my vision for higher education?

    The committee uses both your listed experience and the Professional Statement to assess whether your profile suits the Teaching / Senior / Leadership profile and whether your experience matches the proposed project.

    In a strong professional statement, the applicant connects his/her teaching experience, vison on education, the proposed project and further professional development.

    If I am listed as a team member in a Senior or Leadership Fellow proposal, and the proposal is granted, will I be allowed to apply for a Teaching or Senior Fellowship myself in future rounds?

    Yes, since it is only the applicant who is ‘formally’ named as Fellow, you can still submit your own projects on other tiers in the programme.

  • Budget estimate & budget restrictions

    What do the “maximum fees” as listed in the call for proposals mean?

    This means that the fees you list for the persons on the budget estimate cannot exceed this amount. If the real costs are below these fees, you are advised to use the real costs. These fees are explained in further detail in the Manual Tariffs Dutch Government (Handleiding Overheidstarieven (HOT) 2022), which is available here (only in Dutch).

    To determine the actual costs at your institution, please contact the financial controller at your department.

    What does the phrase “Of the total days for which budget is requested, at least 30% must be for the applicant/project leader” (call for proposals Teaching Fellows) mean?

    This condition is installed to guarantee that at least a considerable part (30% of the total time spent on the project) is carried out by the applicant / project leader. This does not mean that at least 30% of the budget for salary costs should be reserved for the applicant. Because of the variations in hourly fees, this can vary.

    This condition is not applicable for the Senior and Leadership Fellows, since these teams are bigger and more diverse.

    Can I include costs for user-licenses for software that has been developed before the start of the project and/or has not been developed by me as material costs in the budget estimate?

    No, you cannot, even if these licenses are required specifically for the project. Do you wish to include these costs in the total budget for the project? Please show that these costs are covered by co-financing from your department/institution. Note that co-financing has to be guaranteed at the moment of submitting your proposal.

    I work with a partner institution which is also a publicly funded HE institute. Can we list the costs of personnel of the other institution under ‘Staff costs’?

     Yes, costs for personnel who are employed by other publicly-funded higher education institutions can be included under staff costs. The grant is paid to the institution of the main applicant. Depending on the duration of the project, the payment is made in tranches. It is then up to the institution of the main applicant to divide the amount among the consortium partners.

    I work with an organisation that is not a publicly funded Higher Education institute. Can I list the personnel costs of the partner institution on our budget estimate under ‘ staff costs’?

    No you cannot. This is because the funds in the Comenius Programme are primarily aimed at Dutch higher education institutes. You could however file these costs under ‘material costs’. Please keep in mind that the material costs can be at most 20% of the total budget requested. An alternative could be to fund these hours as co-financing (in kind, in the form of personnel costs). Please keep in mind that the total co-financing budget cannot exceed the total requested budget.

  • Assessment procedure

    When will I receive news on my application?

    The planning for every round in the Comenius programme is listed in the call for proposals. All communication is sent to the e-mail address of the applicant as registered in ISAAC.

    Who are in the assessment committee?

    To prevent external influences / pressure, the names of the persons in the assessment committees are confidential. A profile of the committee as a whole is listed in the calls for proposals.

    The assessment committee for the preliminary applications is usually part of the assessment committee of the full applications.

    Who are in the interview panel (Leadership Fellows)

    When you are invited for an interview, you will receive a list of the members on the panel.

  • For project leaders: progress and financial reports

    When do I have to submit progress and completion reports?

    For the Senior Fellows we request a progress report once during the duration of the project, and twice for the Leadership Fellows during the duration of the project. We do not request a progress report for Teaching Fellows. We request a final report for all three subsidy rounds. The deadline of the final report is by default three months after the end date.

    In the reports, the project leader addresses the progress/completion of the project. With this report you show that the obligation of effort as formulated in the call for proposals has been met. If no report is submitted, the NRO (or for rounds previous to 2023: the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science) reserves the right to (partially) withdraw the subsidy.

    The NRO shares the progress reports with the ComeniusNetwork. Furthermore, knowledge and insights from completed projects will be shared via onderwijskennis.nl.

    How do I submit any financial accounts of the project?

    For projects for which grants have been awarded before 2023, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science does not ask for a separate project account. Rather, the spending of the budget on the project should be shown in the regular financial report of the institution. The guidelines for these reports are known by the financial controllers at every institution.

    For projects for which grants have been awarded from 2023 onward, there is no need to submit a financial statement for the Teaching and Senior Fellows. The grant recipient is obliged to report if part of the allocated budget has not been spent at the end of the term. A financial statement must be submitted for the Leadership Fellows. The NRO provides a format a few months before the end date.

    Can we spend money before the official start of the project?

    For projects for which grants have been awarded before 2023, this is allowed by the ministry of Education, Culture and Science. However, please also consult the controllers at your own department.

    For projects for which grants have been awarded from 2023 onward, this is not permitted by NRO; all costs must be incurred during the duration of your project

    The progress of my project is delayed / will have to be postponed

    Should your project be subject to delay, please send an e-mail with a request for an extension to projectbeheer@nro.nl with comenius@nro.nl. If the extension is granted, the end date will be changed in ISAAC, and you will receive requests for a progress and/or conclusion report later than originally planned.

    The composition of my team changes, should I report this?

    If this does not concern the project leader, you can mention this in the progress and/or concluding reports. If the project leader changes, please send an e-mail with an explanation and the name and e-mail address of the new project leader to comenius@nro.nl. If the change does not have (significant) consequences for the progress and character of the project, the change will be cleared by NRO. The new project leader will receive all further communications from NRO. With regards to the membership of the ComeniusNetwork, please contact info@comeniusnetwerk.nl

    My project cannot take place as described in the application. What should I do now?

    Contact projectbeheer@nro.nl and we will look for a suitable solution.

  • Other

    My question is not listed in the FAQ

    Please send an e-mail to comenius@nro.nl

    If you send us an e-mail with a question on a specific tier, please mention “Teaching Fellow”, “Senior Fellow or “Leadership Fellow” in the subject line.