Five groups of scientists to split a sum of 174 million euros in grants

Five groups of scientists will split a total sum of 174 million euros. This money is enough for them to conduct ten years of research. "In this way, the position of Dutch science will be strengthened for a long time," the Dutch Research Council (NWO) explained. It is called the Summit grant.

One of the research groups that will receive the money is led by nanotechnologist Cees Dekker of the Delft University of Technology. Biophysics Professor Marilyn Dogterom is also involved in this research. She is building an artificial living cell to understand life and how it works better. This team will receive 40 million euros.

Marianne Verhaar of UMC Utrecht wants to develop smart implants that the human body could use to recover broken tissue and organs. The NWO thinks that this could be a solution for a big problem in society: "maintaining the health of an aging population with chronic illnesses while at the same time keeping health care affordable." Verhaar and her team will receive 37.5 million euros.

Delft Professor Lieven Vandersypen will receive 35 million euros to research quantum technology, the technique behind lightning-fast computers of the future. This technology is based on the concept of elements that can be in several places at the same time and have several characteristics at the same time. They only exist in theory and are one of the more mysterious parts of physics.

A team led by earth scientist Appy Sluijs of Utrecht University will use 30 million euros to research how climate change reinforces itself. For example, a rise in temperatures can lead to the thawing of frozen ground in the Arctic (permafrost), releasing more carbon dioxide and causing temperatures to rise further.

Sociologist Rafael Wittek's research group at the University of Groningen will receive 30 million euros for studying divisions in society. Researchers from other areas will join him in researching "how connections between individuals, groups, and institutions contribute to new routes to forming social cohesion."

Outgoing science minister Robbert Dijkgraaf said that top science is only possible "because Dutch researchers work together like no other. And because there are finances that, just like their science, are aimed for the long term. The Summit grant is based on both cooperation and long-term financing. Only in this way can we, as the Netherlands, continue to push the boundaries of knowledge."

Dijkgraaf added that he is happy that he could provide the grant before the end of his term as minister as he is concerned by the cuts announced in the coalition agreement.

He called the group of scientists "the Champions League of science" and believes it is essential for them to have a lengthy perspective.

There has also been criticism of the grant. The Volkskrant quoted a researcher from the University of Amsterdam who said that scientists are more likely to receive more grants after being given a large research grant in the past, which gives them an unfair advantage over lesser-known names. The minister defended himself by saying he has also invested in budding scientists.

Dijkgraaf called large projects like this "a kind of tent poles, over which the big tent of science hangs." The minister thinks it is in everyone's interest to invest in this, especially now, because he predicts some more challenging times for society in the future.