CIIIC Programme officially launched with first calls
This week marks the launch of the first calls within the National Growth Fund Programme CIIIC (Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition)
The Innovation Impact Challenge and Artistic & Design Research for Immersive Experiences (ADRIE) kick off this week. With that, the programme—aimed at giving the Dutch Immersive Experiences (IX) industry a powerful boost over the next five years—officially begins.
In total, €200 million will be invested to strengthen the sector and position it on the international stage. A large part of this funding will be made available through open calls for innovative projects.
“When creative professionals and entrepreneurs, research institutions and governments work together with people at the heart, we build an immersive world—step by step—for and by everyone.”
The CIIIC Programme
The digital world is on the verge of a major shift. After the rise of the internet and mobile, we’re now entering the third digital wave—a new era where digital and physical worlds blend seamlessly. To ensure the Netherlands plays a leading role in this international development, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) is launching the largest innovation programme in this domain to date: CIIIC.
With €200 million in funding and the combined expertise of top research institutions, the creative industry, businesses, and government, this programme helps shape the future of immersive experiences—always aligned with core public values such as privacy and digital accessibility.
An Immersive World for and by Everyone
Barbera Wolfensberger, Director-General for Culture and Media, Ministry of OCW:
“IX will have a huge impact on our daily lives—from work and education to healthcare and culture. With CIIIC, OCW is committed to shaping and accelerating a specialised labour market for immersive digital content. Designing responsible IX is our shared challenge. That takes collaboration, experimentation, design-based research, and the ability to adopt new knowledge and skills. I firmly believe that by joining forces—creative professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and governments—we’ll build an immersive world for and by everyone.”
Heleen Rouw, Programme Director at CIIIC:
“I’m incredibly proud of this major milestone. The programme is becoming real with these first calls. Now, together with all players in the current and emerging IX field, we can truly ride—and shape—the immersive wave.”
Photography: Ben Houdijk
The First Challenges
We’re kicking off with the Innovation Impact Challenge, a method that allows public authorities to launch innovation competitions. In this case, entrepreneurs are invited to develop solution-driven IX products and services addressing societal challenges. The first challenge focuses on urban development, initiated by the municipalities of Almere and Amsterdam.
Carmen Biemond-Wijermans, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Advisor at RVO, the executing partner behind this challenge:
“The IIC is a method that gives even small businesses and start-ups the chance to develop and test their own technologies, explore the market, understand user needs, and design suitable products.”
In parallel, the Artistic & Design Research for Immersive Experiences (ADRIE) call—executed by the Creative Industries Fund NL—is also open. This call targets newly formed consortia of creatives, institutions and researchers who place artistic and design-based research at the centre of immersive experience development.
Syb Groeneveld, Executive Director of the Creative Industries Fund NL:
“Our mission is to stimulate experimentation, dynamism, and innovation within the design sector. ADRIE will make a key contribution to a strong, forward-thinking and independent immersive ecosystem.”
Before summer, the first calls for research projects and the lab application process will also open—managed respectively by NWO/Regieorgaan SIA and TNO.
Photography: Hilmer Thijs
More information
For more details, contact:
Nils Adriaans – nils@ciiic.nl – +31 (0)6 2420 6873.