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BY PETER KLAREN · UPDATED 19 SEPTEMBER 2026 · SOURCE: RVO WBSO MANUAL 2026
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5 RVO assessment questions · Explanatory versus descriptive · What does technical mean? · Must it be new worldwide? · TWO versus development project · TWO examples · When is it not TWO? · AI and data science · Description in the application · Administration · Costs and expenditures · Frequently asked questions
When does research qualify as technical-scientific research for WBSO?
In the official project form, RVO successively asks about the phenomenon, existing knowledge, research questions, research design, intended new knowledge and technology field. Translated into five questions:
- Phenomenon: which technical phenomenon do you not yet understand?
- Existing knowledge: why does existing public and internal knowledge not provide an explanation?
- Research questions: which specific research questions do you want to answer?
- Research design: how will you investigate this systematically and according to a plan?
- New knowledge: which new technical knowledge do you expect to obtain?
If you can answer these questions convincingly, the work may qualify as TWO. The final answer does not have to be known in advance; there must in fact be a genuine risk that the explanation will not be found.
Explanatory versus descriptive research
This is the most important distinction for TWO. The research must explain rather than merely establish, describe, observe, inventory, code, classify or translate. Merely finding correlations is also insufficient.
| Research | TWO? | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Establishing the temperature at which a material deforms | Usually not | Descriptive/measuring; no explanation. |
| Investigating which mechanism causes deformation at that temperature | Possibly | Explanatory research into the underlying mechanism. |
| Testing different process settings and selecting the best setting | Usually not | Optimising/descriptive; no explanation is sought. |
| Investigating why an unexpected material reaction occurs | Possibly | Explains the operating mechanism. |
| Analysing historical data to predict failures | Not in itself | Predictive/correlative, not explanatory. |
| Investigating the mechanism behind unexpected corrosion | Possibly | Explanatory technical research. |
| Comparing different preservation methods | Usually not | Establishes an effect; does not explain it. |
| Investigating cellular mechanisms behind different behaviour | Possibly | Seeks to explain an underlying mechanism. |
What does “technical” mean for TWO?
RVO accepts research within technical technology fields such as physics, chemistry, biotechnology, production technology and information and communication technology. Economic, social and psychological research does not fall under TWO, even if carried out systematically.
| Research field | Technical in principle? |
|---|---|
| Materials physics | Yes |
| Chemical reactions | Yes |
| Biotechnology | Yes |
| Production technology | Yes |
| ICT / information technology | Yes |
| Corrosion mechanisms | Yes |
| Consumer behaviour | No |
| Economic models | No |
| Organisational research | No |
| Psychological research | No |
Must the research generate knowledge that is new worldwide?
No. For WBSO, you do not have to discover a new law of nature or scientific theory. The research must generate theoretical or practical technical knowledge that is new to your company because the explanation for the phenomenon under investigation cannot be derived from generally accessible or internally available knowledge.
RVO also does not require the outcome to be demonstrated as reproducible or statistically significant in the way academic research may require.
TWO versus a development project
RVO formally distinguishes between two project types: development projects and TWO.
| Aspect | Technical-scientific research | Development project |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Why does this happen? | How do we solve this technically? |
| Objective | Obtain an explanation | Realise a technically new operating principle |
| Result | New knowledge | Prototype, model, principle or software |
| Risk | The explanation may not be found | The technical solution may not work |
| End of project | Research question has been answered | Operating principle has been demonstrated |
Both types of activity can occur within one broader innovation programme; the WBSO application must then distinguish them correctly in substantive terms. Are you mainly developing a technical solution? See WBSO product development or WBSO process development.
Examples of technical-scientific research
Our own practical example: research into crystallisation behaviour in a coating process for which no existing model describes the behaviour. See this case in detail among the composite WBSO cases.
Chemistry
Why does crystallisation behave differently under certain temperature cycles?
PHENOMENON → INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE → RESEARCH QUESTION → METHOD → NEW INSIGHT
Corrosion
Which mechanism causes unexpectedly rapid corrosion?
PHENOMENON → INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE → RESEARCH QUESTION → METHOD → NEW INSIGHT
Biotechnology
Why does the activity of a protein change under certain conditions?
PHENOMENON → INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE → RESEARCH QUESTION → METHOD → NEW INSIGHT
Materials
Which mechanism causes delamination after cyclic loading?
PHENOMENON → INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE → RESEARCH QUESTION → METHOD → NEW INSIGHT
Production technology
Why does unexpected instability occur during scale-up?
PHENOMENON → INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE → RESEARCH QUESTION → METHOD → NEW INSIGHT
ICT
Why does a complex technical information system display particular unexplained behaviour?
PHENOMENON → INSUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE → RESEARCH QUESTION → METHOD → NEW INSIGHT
These are anonymised example situations, not claims about specific clients.
When is research not TWO?
- merely establishing effects without explaining the underlying mechanism;
- searching for the best setting or variant without an explanatory research question;
- merely analysing historical data for correlations or predictions;
- routine testing, measurement or quality control;
- market research, consumer research or user research;
- economic, social, organisational or psychological research;
- literature research without your own explanatory research.
Unsure whether your research is sufficiently explanatory? Test it against the five RVO assessment questions above.
AI, machine learning and TWO
AI can be a research tool within TWO, but the use of AI is not decisive. The question remains whether you are trying to explain an unexplained technical phenomenon and thereby generate new technical knowledge.
Deep learning as an instrument in explanatory research into a protein mechanism may fit within TWO. A data model that uses historical data to predict an optimal cleaning strategy will generally not qualify as TWO because the research is not explanatory.
A predictive model that merely extracts correlations from data is therefore not automatically TWO.
How do you describe TWO in a WBSO application?
Use the exact structure of the current RVO form for TWO projects:
- Background / phenomenon: what are you trying to explain?
- Why existing knowledge is insufficient: which public and internal knowledge has already been investigated?
- Research questions: which specific questions are you asking?
- Practical research design: how will you investigate this systematically?
- Intended new technical knowledge: what do you expect to learn?
- Technology field: which technical domain does the research fall within?
- Phasing and own activities: which S&O hours are planned?
Have your TWO project assessed in advance so that the application answers these points convincingly and specifically.
Administration for technical-scientific research
RVO requires the research process and results to be recorded transparently. This may include:
- research questions and, where relevant, research hypotheses;
- experimental design;
- test and measurement data;
- models and simulations;
- interim findings;
- revised research directions;
- technical interpretations;
- conclusions;
- S&O hours spent.
See the full requirements under WBSO project records.
Costs and expenditures for TWO
In addition to S&O hours, costs and expenditures directly attributable to the research may also be relevant for TWO, such as specific consumable materials or research equipment. If actual costs and expenditures are used, strict rules apply regarding direct attribution and whether they serve the S&O work.
View WBSO costs and expenditures →
Frequently asked questions about WBSO technical-scientific research
What is technical-scientific research for WBSO?
Explanatory research into a technical phenomenon for which existing knowledge does not provide an adequate explanation, carried out systematically and according to a plan, aimed at generating new technical knowledge.
Must TWO be fundamental research?
No. It may generate either theoretical or practical new technical knowledge; academic fundamental research is not a requirement.
May TWO have a commercial application objective?
Yes. A practical objective does not exclude TWO; the determining factor is that the research itself is explanatory.
Is testing automatically TWO?
No. Merely establishing effects or finding the best setting is generally insufficient without an explanatory research question.
Is data analysis technical-scientific research?
Not automatically. Predicting or finding correlations is different from explaining a technical phenomenon.
Do I need a hypothesis?
A hypothesis may form part of the research design, but RVO assesses more broadly whether the research is systematic, planned and explanatory.
What is the difference between TWO and product development?
TWO seeks to explain why a phenomenon occurs; development seeks a technically new solution to a bottleneck.
Would you like to know whether your research qualifies for WBSO?
Have us assess, without obligation, whether your research question is sufficiently explanatory for technical-scientific research.
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SOURCES AND SUBSTANTIVE REVIEW
RVO — WBSO Manual 2026
Reviewed by Peter Klaren, WBSO specialist since 2004. Last substantive update: 21 September 2026.