Studio space search, funding opportunities, and operational loose ends.
Looking for 30–50m² in Utrecht with accessible ventilation for a sintering oven. Ideally creative/industrial space — not office. Processes are non-toxic and use renewable binders (methylcellulose from biomass). Tracking candidates in a shared sheet.
Leads so far: Werkspoor — no availability. Hooghiemstra — office only, not suitable. Gemeente Utrecht contacted via Luc Heestermans (Senior Beleidsadviseur) — awaiting further suggestions.
Open Space Tracker ↗Slide deck covering customer discovery findings and business model development.
Open Slide Deck ↗Reviewed Dutch and EU grant landscape as of March 2026. All programs below require an active btw-nummer and eHerkenning — resolve VAT registration first.
40% credit on the first €380K of qualifying R&D wages (starter rate). Applies to Bruce's DGA salary hours spent on Keramos R&D — freeze casting, sintering parameter research, binder formulation, CPOS development. Rolling applications, but must apply before the period starts. Apply at english.rvo.nl/subsidies-financing/wbso. Requires eHerkenning level 3 (pending VAT resolution).
Next step: Apply for May 1 start — submit by April 30.
Provincie Utrecht grant for feasibility research before a technically or financially risky R&D project. Covers literature review, market analysis, patent search, and early experimental work. Subsidises up to 35% of total project costs, maximum €20,000. Project must start within 4 months of approval and run no longer than 1 year. Applications open 7 April 2026 at 09:00 and close 15 September 2026 — but the €744,000 budget is typically exhausted on day one via lottery. Estimated acceptance rate: ~40%.
Next step: Submit on 7 April at exactly 09:00. Online form not yet live — check the subsidy page closer to the date.
For collaborative R&D between at least two Dutch SMEs. Strong fit for Keramos under the Advanced Materials and Circular Economy topsector missions. Currently closed nationally. Ben (Boulder) doesn't count — need a Dutch/EU partner. Worth identifying a potential materials lab or ceramics supplier to partner with now, ready for when the call reopens.
Next step: Identify an EU SME partner. Monitor rvo.nl/mit for reopening.
Risk-bearing loan covering 35–45% of project costs. Requires Proof of Principle from prior research, 55% self-funding from other sources, and a minimum project scope of €150K. RVO takes first lien on all project IP and assets until fully repaid (principal + 15% markup + 3% annual interest). Not appropriate yet — no experiments completed, no self-funding capacity, too early to encumber IP.
Next step: Revisit once experiments validate approach and capital is available.