5 Vidis for Leiden researchers
Of the 87 Vidi research subsidies awarded by NWO, five have been awarded to Leiden researchers. This represents almost 6 per cent of the successful applications.
The Leiden awards
Dr Milan Allan -
Leiden Institute for Physics
A new perspective on a mysterious quantum soup
For the first time, researchers will be able to image individual electrons in a mysterious quantum soup that fluctuates both in space and time. To achieve this, they will be developing a unique microscope with a resolution at the level of a single electron.
Dr Jörg Meyer - Leiden Institute for Chemistry
Chemical reactions - hot or not?
When molecules react with surfaces, they release energy and heat up their environment. The researchers will develop and apply computer simulations in order to analyse what happens at atomic scale. They will study different reactions, ranging from sustainable energy to the formation of planets.
Dr Damian Pargas - Institute for History
Slave refugees in North America
In the nineteenth century thousands of American slaves attempted to flee. Many escaped to free areas such as the North, Canada and Mexico. Others went into hiding in southern cities, for example, where they pretended to be free blacks. This research looks at the migration and assimilation experiences of these slave refugees in the period from 1800 to 1860.
Dr Richard Davis - LUMC, anatomy and embryology
Measuring heartbeat with light
Heart rhythm disorders are generally caused by abnormal electrical activity in the heart. Heart cells from pluripotent stem cells can help us understand the role of genes, but current methods are slow. Davis wants to develop a faster approach using new imaging techniques to identify patients who are at risk of (hereditary) heart rhythm disorders.
Dr Joris Rotmans - LUMC,
renal disorders
Make your own new blood vessel
The current plastic blood vessels that are used in vascular surgery become less effective over time. The researchers are developing an innovative method in which the patient can be the engineer of his own natural new blood vessel that grows not in the lab, but in his or her own body.
Vidi: subsidy for leading innovative researchers
A Vidi subsidy enables researchers who have already spent several years doing postdoctoral research to develop their own innovative lines of research, and to appoint one or more researchers. Vidi is one of the three types of funding that make up NWO's Innovation scheme. The other two types of funding are Veni (for researchers who have just obtained their PhD) and Vici (for very experienced researchers).
NWO selects the Vidi winners on the basis of three criteria: 1) the quality of the researcher, 2) the quality, the innovative character and the scientific impact of the research proposal, and 3) knowledge utilisation. The winners receive a subsity of a maximum of 800,000 euros.