International Vouchers

With International Vouchers, the Fund wants to contribute to enhancing the international practice, experience and exchange of designers, architects and makers who are based in the Netherlands. The grant is intended to be a contribution to the expenses relating to a foreign activity, through which the scope, impact and visibility of an applicant’s ongoing project and/or practice can be increased in an international context.

Please note: International Vouchers is an ongoing grant scheme. This means you can submit a voucher application at any time once the grant scheme has opened. The first period is open as long as the budget is sufficient. If the budget, or grant ceiling, is exceeded during the time period, the scheme closes earlier than scheduled and any proposals submitted after that will not be considered.

This grant scheme is open to Dutch-based professional designers, architects, makers and observers working in the fields of design, architecture, digital culture and all possible crossovers. Cultural institutions, organizations and collectives can also apply for a voucher. In that case, the voucher is linked to one person within the organization.

previously positive assessed
At the time of submission, the applicant must have received a positive assessment within one of the Creative Industries Fund NL’s grant schemes or open calls in the last five years. Project partners who have made a significant contribution in a positively assessed application in the past five years are also eligible for Vouchers International. The activity for which the voucher application is made, does not to relate to the project with which the applicant or project partner was previously positively assessed.

Please note: A positive assessment within the International Vouchers Grant Scheme will not be considered as a positive assessment in any future voucher applications.

a maximum of one voucher per year
No more than one International Voucher can be issued per applicant per calendar year. This also applies to institutions, organizations or collectives. In that case, other persons within the organization or other members of the collective can only submit an application in a personal capacity for a trip that is not related to the institution, organization or collective.

hourly fee, travel expenses and accommodation expenses
Grant applications can cover the hourly fee, travel expenses and accommodation expenses that are directly related to a foreign activity. For example, a presentation, participation on a panel, a lecture or another international activity ensuing from the applicant’s practice. The activity concerned may be small in scale, for example participation in an expert meeting or a workshop, just as long as the activity contributes to enhancing the applicant’s international practice, experience and exchange.

motivated invitation
In addition, the application must include a motivated invitation written by a foreign party. A voucher is always linked to a person - even within an organization. A foreign party may issue no more than two invitations per calendar year on the basis of which a voucher can be applied for.

financial contribution
The inviting foreign party must cover part of the hourly fee, travel and/or accommodation expenses. This foreign party’s financial contribution must be in proportion to the invitation. A contribution application can only cover the budget deficit.

Within this procedure, no grants can be awarded for:
- participation in a conference as a visitor;
- participation in a commercially-oriented fair;
- carrying out of self-initiated research;
- participation in a residence programme;
- trips that take place in the framework of ongoing projects that the Fund already supports; and
- applicants who are currently receiving support from the Talent Development Grant Scheme.

Please refer to Section 2 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme for all conditions and grounds for rejection.

For International Vouchers, a distinction is made between trips within and outside Europe:
- For trips within Europe (zone 1), you can apply for a contribution to the expenses of no more than two days up to a grant not exceeding € 1,500.
- For trips outside Europe (zone 2), you can apply for a contribution to the expenses of no more than four days up to a grant not exceeding € 2,500.

You can check this list of countries to determine if your trip is in zone 1 or 2:
Zone 1: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldavia, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Vatican City.
Zone 2: All other countries outside the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Please note: For applicants from the Caribbean part of the Kingdom, all countries outside the Kingdom of the Netherlands are considered Zone 2. The voucher cannot be applied for activities within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Grant applications can cover the hourly fee, travel expenses and/or accommodation expenses. The following additional conditions apply to this:
- Hourly fee: If it appears from the invitation that the inviting foreign party does not cover or insufficiently covers the maker’s time investment in the activity, the Fund will contribute a minimum of €35 and a maximum of €82.50 per hour to the applicant’s fee. The allowance can be calculated for the hours taken to prepare, the travelling time and carrying out the activity. The amount of the allowance must match the applicant’s practice.
- Travel safety: The board will check whether, at the time of the planned trip, any travel restrictions or urgent advice apply/applies to international travel to the country or region in question. The travel advice on www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl is decisive for the board. Grants may not be used for trips to areas which, at the time of travelling, have travel advice that is colour coded orange or red.
- Sustainability: The board encourages sustainable travel. If a train journey for the foreign activity is eight hours at most, the board will only compensate the costs for travelling by land.
- Tickets: For flights, only the cost of an economy ticket will be reimbursed. For train journeys, only the cost of a second-class train ticket will be reimbursed. Travelling by car or coach is also possible.
- Accommodation expenses: For accommodation expenses, a maximum contribution of €150 euro per day applies.
- Start of activity: Applications can be submitted from five months up to five weeks before the activity is due to start. Please allow for a processing time of four weeks from the time the application is fully submitted.

Applications can be submitted at any time within the period via the Fund’s online application environment. Select the ‘International Vouchers’ grant scheme.

An application should consist of:
- Application form: A fully completed application form, in which the objective of the foreign trip, the personal motivation and the setup of the activity is explained in more detail;
- Invitation: A signed or digitally signed invitation from a foreign party (2 pages at most, A4 in PDF format), including:
• a description of the inviting foreign party;
• a description of the activity;
• a substantive motivation for the invitation;
• a financial commitment for part of the costs for an hourly fee, travel expenses, including any visa expenses, and/or accommodation expenses, that are in proportion to the invitation;
- Budget and financial plan: A balanced budget, including a financial plan, (1 page at most, A4 in PDF format); the three cost items – hourly fee, travel expenses, including any visa expenses, and accommodation expenses – must be clearly set out in the budget. The finance plan gives insight into the foreign party’s contribution and the grant requirement;
- CV: A concise CV of the person going on the trip (2 pages at most, A4 in PDF format);
- Extract from the Dutch Chamber of Commerce: A digitally certified extract, issued no more than one year ago, from the Commercial Register of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce or from one of the Chambers of Commerce that fall within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

If the application does not meet the description above, no assessment can take place. The moment the application is complete is deemed to be the moment of submission.

Before submitting your application, please read through the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. Prevent disappointments: when in doubt, please contact the Fund beforehand.

Complete applications will be assessed internally by the Fund based on the following conditional criteria:

Previously positive assessed: The Dutch-based applicant received a positive assessment within one of the Creative Industries Fund NL’s grant schemes or open calls in the last five years prior to the time of submission. The activity for which the voucher application is made does not need to relate to the applicant’s previously positively assessed project.
Motivated invitation: There is a motivated invitation from a relevant, foreign party, showing that a financial contribution will be made to the hourly fee, travel expenses and/or accommodation expenses. The invitation relates to an activity, as described in this procedure, ensuing from the applicant’s professional practice. The invitation’s relevance is apparent from the extent to which the inviting party or the activity is of importance to and matches the applicant’s practice.
Contribution to the professional practice: The application specifies how the objective and set-up of the foreign activity contribute to the applicant’s professional practice. This is apparent from the application form which asks for a description of the objective, and the activities that are going to be carried out to reach this objective.

After you have submitted the application, you will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt.

assessment
The manner of assessment and subsequent advice to the Creative Industries Fund NL’s board on granting or rejecting the application is described in Article 9 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. The Fund will endeavour to meet a processing period of four weeks.

accountability
If the advice is positively assessed, the entire grant will immediately be fixed and transferred. All applicants who receive a voucher will be invited to fill in a short questionnaire within 12 months after the voucher has been issued. You are therefore not required to account for the voucher in a financial and substantive report.

obligations
There are certain obligations attached to receiving a grant. These obligations are described in Section 5 of the Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme. In any case, the grant may only be used for activities that are described in the application. The applicant must immediately report any changes to the set-up and implementation of the trip or changed circumstances, if they affect the trip’s objective and set-up.

International Vouchers (the text in this pdf corresponds to the text above)
Voucher Procedure Grant Scheme