From theory to practice
UMCU researchers get EU grants
Hester den Ruijter is one of the UMCU scientists who have been awarded a fellowship. Photo: UU video
With 15 of the 134 grants awarded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Netherlands scores as many as fellow leaders Germany and Italy, and one more than Spain and the UK.
Most of the grants awarded to the Netherlands are going to researchers from Leiden University and the Utrecht University Medical Centre. One of the UMCU projects is looking for a better way to prevent brain haemorrhages, for example.
The first round of proof of concept grants was awarded in the summer of 2024. Counting this second round, 245 out of 698 applications have been honoured (35 per cent).
The scholarship has been in existence since 2011. The two thousandth grant went to Italian researcher Nanda Rea in July so she can develop a new satellite navigation system further. The astronomer, who worked in the Netherlands for several years, has been working in Barcelona since 2016.
The Utrecht-based scientists awarded grants in this round are Ynte Ruigrok, Hester den Ruijter and Joost Sluijter. All three are affiliated with the University Medical Centre Utrecht.
| Proof of concept 2024, second round | ||||
| Universiteit Leiden | 3 | |||
| Universitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht | 3 | |||
| Rijksuniversiteit Groningen | 2 | |||
| Universiteit Maastricht | 1 | |||
| Universiteit van Amsterdam | 1 | |||
| Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum | 1 | |||
| Universiteit Twente | 1 | |||
| Radboud Universiteit | 1 | |||
| Wageningen University | 1 | |||
| Nederlands Kanker Instituut | 1 | |||
| Total | 15 |