diff --git a/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.html b/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.html
index 6b94feca8b..005ebc614e 100644
--- a/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.html
+++ b/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.html
@@ -47,8 +47,10 @@
         </span>
         <span class="fill-remaining-space"></span>
         <span>
+            <!-- check each 'selected' property in addition to the forms validity because the form is actually valid when fetching ontologies and resource classes  -->
             <button mat-raised-button type="button" color="primary"
-                [disabled]="!selectResourceForm.valid || this.errorMessage" (click)="nextStep()" class="form-next">
+                [disabled]="(!selectedProject || !selectedOntology || !selectedResourceClass || !selectResourceForm.valid) || this.errorMessage" (click)="nextStep()" class="form-next">
+                <app-progress-indicator *ngIf="loading" [status]="0" [color]="'primary'" class="next-progress"></app-progress-indicator>
                 Next
             </button>
         </span>
diff --git a/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.spec.ts b/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.spec.ts
index 168a247e7d..3f368c1232 100644
--- a/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.spec.ts
+++ b/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.spec.ts
@@ -179,6 +179,10 @@ class MockSelectPropertiesComponent {
 
     @Input() parentForm: FormGroup;
 
+    @Input() currentOntoIri: string;
+
+    @Input() selectedResourceClass: ResourceClassDefinition;
+
     parentResource = new ReadResource();
 
     constructor(private _valueService: ValueService) { }
@@ -494,22 +498,32 @@ describe('ResourceInstanceFormComponent', () => {
             }
         );
 
+        const nextButton = await loader.getHarness(MatButtonHarness.with({ selector: '.form-next' }));
+
         const selectProjectComp = resourceInstanceFormComponentDe.query(By.directive(MockSelectProjectComponent));
 
         (selectProjectComp.componentInstance as MockSelectProjectComponent).form.controls.projects.setValue('http://rdfh.ch/projects/0001');
 
+        testHostComponent.resourceInstanceFormComponent.selectedProject = 'http://rdfh.ch/projects/0001';
+
         testHostComponent.resourceInstanceFormComponent.ontologiesMetadata = MockOntology.mockOntologiesMetadata();
 
         testHostFixture.detectChanges();
 
+        expect(nextButton.isDisabled).toBeTruthy();
+
         const selectOntoComp = resourceInstanceFormComponentDe.query(By.directive(MockSelectOntologyComponent));
 
         (selectOntoComp.componentInstance as MockSelectOntologyComponent).form.controls.ontologies.setValue('http://0.0.0.0:3333/ontology/0001/anything/v2');
 
         (selectOntoComp.componentInstance as MockSelectOntologyComponent).ontologySelected.emit('http://0.0.0.0:3333/ontology/0001/anything/v2');
 
+        testHostComponent.resourceInstanceFormComponent.selectedOntology = 'http://0.0.0.0:3333/ontology/0001/anything/v2';
+
         testHostFixture.detectChanges();
 
+        expect(nextButton.isDisabled).toBeTruthy();
+
         const selectResourceClassComp = resourceInstanceFormComponentDe.query(By.directive(MockSelectResourceClassComponent));
 
         expect(selectResourceClassComp).toBeTruthy();
@@ -524,8 +538,6 @@ describe('ResourceInstanceFormComponent', () => {
 
         expect(testHostComponent.resourceInstanceFormComponent.selectResourceForm.valid).toBeTruthy();
 
-        const nextButton = await loader.getHarness(MatButtonHarness.with({ selector: '.form-next' }));
-
         await nextButton.click();
 
         const selectPropertiesComp = resourceInstanceFormComponentDe.query(By.directive(MockSelectPropertiesComponent));
diff --git a/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.ts b/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.ts
index 2768e8d867..0ed84e0e06 100644
--- a/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/workspace/resource/resource-instance-form/resource-instance-form.component.ts
@@ -262,6 +262,8 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
                 // assign the selected iri to selectedProject
                 this.selectedProject = projectIri;
 
+                this.loading = true;
+
                 this._dspApiConnection.v2.onto.getOntologiesByProjectIri(projectIri).subscribe(
                     (response: OntologiesMetadata) => {
                         // filter out system ontologies
@@ -273,8 +275,11 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
                         if (!this.selectOntologyComponent && response.ontologies.length === 0) {
                             this.errorMessage = 'No data models defined for the select project.';
                         }
+
+                        this.loading = false;
                     },
                     (error: ApiResponseError) => {
+                        this.loading = false;
                         this._errorHandler.showMessage(error);
                     }
                 );
@@ -318,6 +323,8 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
 
                 this.selectedOntology = ontologyIri;
 
+                this.loading = true;
+
                 this._dspApiConnection.v2.onto.getOntology(ontologyIri).subscribe(
                     (onto: ReadOntology) => {
                         this.resourceClasses = onto.getClassDefinitionsByType(ResourceClassDefinition);
@@ -331,8 +338,11 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
                         if ((!this.selectResourceClassComponent || this.selectOntologyComponent.form.controls.ontologies.valueChanges) && this.resourceClasses.length === 0) {
                             this.errorMessage = 'No resources defined for the selected ontology.';
                         }
+
+                        this.loading = false;
                     },
                     (error: ApiResponseError) => {
+                        this.loading = false;
                         this._errorHandler.showMessage(error);
                     }
                 );
@@ -348,7 +358,6 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
      * @param resourceClassIri
      */
     selectProperties(resourceClassIri: string) {
-
         // reset errorMessage, it will be reassigned in the else clause if needed
         this.errorMessage = undefined;
 
@@ -356,6 +365,7 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
         if (resourceClassIri === null) {
             this.selectResourceClasses(this.selectedOntology);
         } else if (resourceClassIri) {
+            this.loading = true;
             this._dspApiConnection.v2.ontologyCache.reloadCachedItem(this.selectedOntology).subscribe(
                 (res: ReadOntology) => {
                     this._dspApiConnection.v2.ontologyCache.getResourceClassDefinition(resourceClassIri).subscribe(
@@ -400,16 +410,11 @@ export class ResourceInstanceFormComponent implements OnInit, OnDestroy {
                                 this.errorMessage = 'No properties defined for the selected resource.';
                             }
 
-                            if (this.resourceClasses.length > 1 && !this.userWentBack) {
-                                // automatically go to the next step when a resource class is selected
-                                // but not in case the user went back to previous form
-                                this.nextStep();
-                            } else {
-                                // or update the title because the user select another res class
-                                this.updateParent.emit({ title: this.resourceLabel, subtitle: 'Create new resource' });
-                            }
+                            this.loading = false;
+
                         },
                         (error: ApiResponseError) => {
+                            this.loading = false;
                             this._errorHandler.showMessage(error);
                         }
                     );
diff --git a/src/assets/style/_elements.scss b/src/assets/style/_elements.scss
index bc1b19597a..68305550ef 100644
--- a/src/assets/style/_elements.scss
+++ b/src/assets/style/_elements.scss
@@ -576,7 +576,8 @@ $gc-small: $form-width - $gc-large - 4;
   }
 }
 
-// progress indicator icon on submit button
+// progress indicator icon on next and submit buttons
+.next-progress,
 .submit-progress {
   display: inline-block;
   margin-right: 6px;