Stimuleringsfonds

The Open Call Professionalisation and practice development offers designers and makers in the Netherlands and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom the opportunity to develop a strong strategy for a future-proof design practice. Nineteen projects have been selected in this round.

18 December 2025

general impression

The committee was impressed by the keenness of the professionalisation aspects in the selection. The 19 projects present a fitting choice of experts and coaches. They also knew how to explain clearly why their trajectory is now urgent and how it aligns with their current practice.

In addition, attention paid to knowledge-sharing stood out in a positive way. The committee saw various forms recurring: ranging from peer-learning and open-source initiatives to publications. In this, the committee recognises developments that are moving towards collective learning that are visible in the creative industries.

Plans that were less well rated remained too general or showed too little urgency. These plans were worded in very vague terms, or the activities were not clearly defined. Also, sometimes coaches’ letters of intent were missing or contact had not yet been established. The committee stresses that these elements are essential to be able to assess the learning and development outcomes of a plan.

Roos Groothuizen – Artistieke werkplaats .zip
Rotterdam-based artist collective .zip is involved with digital culture, queer futures and alternative art forms. With the project Artistic workshop .zip, the eight members (Roos Groothuizen, Cyanne van den Houten, Louisa Teichmann, Erik Peters, Charlotte Brand, Sophie Allerding, Ginevra Petrozzi and Remco Akkerman) are focusing on professionalising their workshop. The collective is utilising the grant to work on its public programme, communication and more effective use of physical space. They also want to use this trajectory to strengthen their financial strategy and structure the organisation’s roles and tasks. To help them here, they will receive advice from innovation coach Dorian Kingma and spatial designer Jack Bardwell.

Studio ACTE – Reuse in Theory and Practice: Writing, Advising, and Strengthening a Resilient Building Culture
Architectural firm Studio ACTE, founded by architect Estelle Barriol, believes in regenerative and positive architecture. With this project, the studio aims to develop as a specialist and adviser in reuse and biological solutions. The focus is on improving communication, refining positioning, broadening expertise and actively sharing knowledge. To do this, it is collaborating with Andreas Ruby, Nick Axel and Chantal Verhoeven. The ultimate goal is to strengthen Studio ACTE’s visibility and become an active voice in the European debate on reuse.

Leroy van Halen – Discovering New Sustainable Professional Frameworks
Fashion designer Leroy van Halen’s project Discovering New Sustainable Professional Frameworks responds to new European sustainability legislation. The aim of this legislation is to improve products brought onto the EU market in the areas of sustainability, energy performance, recyclability and circularity. This presents both challenges and opportunities for Van Halen’s practice, where sustainability has always been an important focal point. The aim of the professionalisation process is to reposition the Leroy van Halen brand as a research-based and experimental platform. Ultimately, Van Halen wants to work sustainably on his own collections and offer consultancy services to guide other designers in the green transition.

Take a look at all the selected projects in the awarded grants archive (in Dutch)

assessment

To arrive at a selection, the proposals were assessed by the advisory committee according to the following criteria:

Relevance and keenness of the professionalisation aspect
The quality of the planned approach in relation to the intended result
Artistic quality and positioning of the practice(s) within the creative industries
Quality of the collaboration and division of roles

numbers

This round saw an exceptionally high number of applications. From the 82 applications taken into consideration, 19 proposals were selected. This brings the percentage of applications receiving grants to 23%. The selected projects are spread across the disciplines as follows: 10 in design, 3 in architecture and 6 in digital culture.

A budget of € 200,000 was available for this edition of the Open Call Professionalisation and practice development. An additional amount of € 2,211 was added to the budget so that a project on the boundary of the selection could still be fully supported. This brought the total amount awarded to € 202,211. Individual applicants could apply for up to € 8,250, duos up to € 9,500, and collectives up to € 24,500 on the basis of seven designers.

follow-up

Another edition of this open call will be issued in the summer of 2026.

Awarded grants more Awarded grants

Open Call Games Sector Professionalisation and Practice Development – 15 projects selected

Awarded grant2025

more Awarded grants