CIIIC Christmas Community Catch-up: a preview of 2026

This morning, Friday, December 12, the CIIIC Christmas Community Catch-up took place at ConcertLab Utrecht, where we also got a behind-the-scenes look at this unique venue. Together with members of the Dutch IX community, we wrapped up the year and looked ahead to 2026.

CIIIC Program Director Heleen Rouw provided a glimpse into the plans for the coming year, including new calls to be launched and an extensive program of community events. You can download the presentation, and we summarize the key points below.

Expected Calls

The main updates:

• In January 2026, in collaboration with Regieorgaan SIA, the CIIIC Kern call will start, focusing on demand-driven practical research for SMEs and the public sector. Expect an information meeting at the end of January.
• In the period of March-April 2026, the Artistic & Design Research for Immersive Experiences (ADRIE) subsidy scheme opens for the second year in collaboration with the Creative Industries Fund NL. After the selection procedure, we expect the 5 consortia to be announced around summer 2026. Interested? On January 28, the Creative Industries Fund NL is organizing a matchmaking meeting.
• Also expected in March 2026: the third Innovation Impact Challenge organized by RVO in collaboration with CIIIC. The societal theme 'social cohesion' will be the main topic of this challenge.
• In our newsletter, you'll find weekly updates on the program. Keep an eye on the Calls page: we will soon publish more information on the website about calls that are being prepared.

Event Outlook

An overview was also given of the various types of events being prepared for 2026:

• Save the date: the big annual CIIIC Annual Meet-Up on April 16, 2026, in Eindhoven.
• We also organize various types of community sessions, such as a community catch-up 4-6 times a year in the region and an online Community Coffee session 4 times a year. Interested parties can also sign up for the community platform via this link.
• CIIIC also naturally aligns with various existing events and initiatives, such as in the first half of the year at IFFR (January 31), XRCC (March), INDIGO (early June), Immersive Tech Week (end of June)
• Internationally, CIIIC is exploring a visit to Laval Virtual (April) and SXSW London (June).