Everything you need to know about the WBSO subsidy: questions from the RFO on your WBSO

The Wet Bevordering Speur- en Ontwikkelingswerk (WBSO) is an attractive subsidy for companies in the Netherlands engaged in research and development (R&D). This subsidy, offered by the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), helps companies reduce their innovation costs by providing tax relief for labor costs, materials, and outsourced work.

But before you can claim this grant, your application must be approved, and that means your project will be carefully evaluated by the RFO. After submitting the application, it is common for the RFO to ask substantive questions about your project. In principle, this could be anything, but below we have listed the most common questions from the RFO for you. 

Questions from the RFO that can be asked

The question to further explain the technical principle

The RFO may feel that the project is described too generally. They want to know specifically what you are going to develop, but also how you plan to develop it. 

The question in a collaboration: who does what? 

If you have declared a partnership, the RFO would like to know what the division of labor is. Are both parties doing R&D work? Where does the knowledge and expertise lie? A clear distinction must be made. 

Which individuals will be working on the project and what is their technical knowledge and background?

It may also occur that the RFO wants to know whether there is sufficient knowledge in the company to demonstrate the operating principle. Experience shows that this is often the case with software applications. 

Technical drawings or sketches

Technical drawings are sometimes asked for in support of the project, this way the reviewer can get a clearer picture of the product. 

So all in all, the RFO wants to see a concrete and clear plan. Got any questions on your project? Don't hesitate to contact us, and we'll take a look with you. That could just make the difference between an approval or a rejection!