The aim of this programme is to facilitate innovative and high-quality scientific research within the research field of the top sectors Agri&Food and Horticulture & Starting Materials by engaging young talented researchers at the start of their career.

The Top Sectors

The top sector Agri & Food covers everything related to food production; primary production including supply, processing, handling, marketing and distribution including circular raw material chains. Economic and societal developments come with new opportunities and challenges for the availability of healthy and high-quality food; for sustainable food chains in which people, animals and nature are central, and for product utilization and valorisation. The Dutch agri & food sector is frontrunner in these topics and continues to improve itself in order to remain competitive and resilient.

The top sector Horticulture & Starting Materials covers all plant-based chains in the horticulture complex. It is a broad sector, with subsectors that range from vegetables, fruit, nursery stock to flowers and bulbs. Starting materials are products, such as propagating material, planting material and seeds in agriculture and horticulture. The Horticulture & Starting Material sector leads the way in the development of crops that are more resilient or and require fewer crop protection agents, for example. The sector also covers companies that supply, process, trade and distribute horticulture and starting material products.

Both top sectors have stated that the availability of well-trained personnel is a top priority. The expected demand exceeds the current size of the training programmes in the Netherlands. It is therefore vital for companies and organisations to attract and train talented scientists.

TKI Graduate School Green Top Sectors call 2025

The TKI GSGT 2025 calls for PhD proposals written by MSc students in the Plant Sciences to be carried out by knowledge institutes that work together with one or more private partners (public private partnership (PPP)). One or more public partners can also participate. The deadline for the call is Wednesday October 1, 2025.

Who can apply?
This call is aimed at MSc students/young researchers who have written their own PhD project. The research subject must fit within the research missions of the Knowledge and Innovation Agendas of the top sectors indicated in the call text.

Funding
Awarded projects will be funded by TKI funds (this is third stream funding). It is advisable to contact your financial department to provide insight into the financial scheme of this call and to support the pre-project phase.

For advice on whether a research subject fits the research missions of the top sectors T&U and A&F or for other questions, please contact Ingrid.Vleghels@wur.nl.