Include a brief motivation on why you are applying for this grant and what you aim to accomplish. Be reflective about how you see your project delivering a contribution to AI & data in relation to the Port domain while considering at least one of these topics:
– Role of AI in supporting decisions or improving processes in the port domain
– Innovative methodologies that incorporate AI
– Explainable, trustworthy and / or collaborative AI
– Legal and/or ethical aspects of AI
– Responsible data sharing and AI
– Co-evolution of AI and other relevant technologies

It is preferred but not mandatory for the proposal to include researchers from both AI Port Center and convergence partners during the project (TU Delft, Erasmus University Rotterdam). The principal applicant should represent one of the Convergence partners. Other (academic) partners are welcome as co-applicants too, and it is seen as a decisive advantage.

You are encouraged to collaborate with external partners and match with existing impact initiatives and seeding grants within the universities.

Each researcher can only apply as the main applicant for one Catalyzer grant and as a co-applicant for one other Catalyzer grant per funding cycle.
A maximum of 40% of the funding can be allocated to external parties (with a fixed, fundable maximum hourly tariff of €100), such as consultancies for event planning and communications delivery. Exceptions can be made for purchasing research materials, prototyping, and lab facilities.
The funding cannot be used to compensate existing academic staff with permanent contracts, but it can be used to hire new temporary staff or expand existing contracts (e.g., extending postdoc positions, hiring junior research assistants). In addition, all project expenditures need to be made before August 2026 and at least 50 % of the project budget needs to be spent in 2025.  
Your faculty project management office and department head must check and agree upon the budget allocation proposed and agree to provide back-office and project management support.

Successful applicants will be expected to co-create a clear project monitoring structure and impact outlook with AI Port staff, in the form of a mid-term meeting and a living document of deliverable(s). Applicants may also be asked to present their AI Port supported work at interim or final project stages, subject to mutually aligned opportunities. Successful applicants will help to shape the research agenda of AI Port.

This Catalyzer projects are regarded as an important first step toward developing future research. The multiplier effect is foreseen through strategic engagement with existing AI Port and Convergence networks, building momentum for more ambitious and applied research collaborations. These projects are intentionally designed to serve as a start for larger, interdisciplinary follow-up proposals within TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam.