The Dutch Research Council (NWO) is investing 197 million euros in 11 infrastructure projects that will be of great value to science and society. Leiden University and the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) are participating in eight of the eleven proposals.
The funds made available to NWO by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science will make it possible to build or upgrade essential research facilities. 'The Netherlands is one of the world leaders in scientific research, and that benefits us all,' said Gouke Moes, Minister of Education, Culture and Science in an article on the ministry's website. 'State-of-the-art research requires advanced research instruments, such as medical scanners or energy system simulators, but that research infrastructure is very expensive. By supporting the development and purchase of equipment, the government is laying a solid foundation for new research that will strengthen our economy and help resolve major challenges.'
The projects
Leiden University and the LUMC are involved in eight projects:
1) EMPower: A national infrastructure to resolve life's secrets at the molecular level. (Leiden University / LUMC)
Understanding and designing molecular structure is key to innovations in science and technology. This is facilitated by electron microscopy (EM). The EMPower facility will support this technology and pave the way for new discoveries and scientific advances in medicine and technology
2) KM3NeT++: A telescope at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea for neutrinos and beyond (Leiden University)
The KM3NeT collaboration is building a neutrino telescope at two locations at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. The telescope will be used to investigate properties of neutrinos - elementary particles we do not fully understand. The telescope will also search for neutrinos from the cosmos and perform neutrino astronomy.
3) The Macroscope (Leiden University)
This facility will enable researchers to securely access and analyse large amounts of sensitive, interconnected data. This will make it easier for researchers to investigate complex societal issues at scale.
4) AMICE - The Dutch Infrastructure of Advanced Multimodal Imaging Centers (LUMC)
Imaging inside living beings helps us understand how life develops, how healthy bodies work and how diseases begin and progress. It requires specialised equipment and knowledge. AMICE will develop new and improved imaging techniques and bring them into a nationwide infrastructure for researchers.
5) BioMotive: Imaging the biomechanics of the internal human body in motion (LUMC)
Medical imaging only captures the human body in a static, horizontal view, which doesn't reflect the forces and functions that occur during everyday activities like standing or exercise. BioMotive aims to revolutionise this with an advanced MRI infrastructure that can scan the body upright and during movement. This will allow us to see how muscles, bones and even the heart behave under real-life conditions, such as during exercise. It will provide deeper insights into conditions of the muscles, digestion and blood circulation.
6) BioBeyond_NL: Molecular Complexity Beyond the Genetic Code (LUMC)
Researchers want to improve our understanding of cellular biological processes, which lie at the basis of human health and disease, but also animal, microbial and plant biology. BioBeyond_NL will provide access to techniques such as mass spectrometry, spatial biology and glycoscience. It will enable researchers to unravel biological information beyond the genetic code.
7) EBRAINS-Neurotech: Assembly Line for Brain Reading and Writing (LUMC)
Neurotechnology is an emerging field that develops devices that interact with neural systems to read out brain signals and/or alter brain activity. It offers novel ways to understand the brain but also unlocks innovations to treat brain disorders. EBRAINS-Neurotech will create an infrastructure for users developing smart materials for brain-machine interfaces, testing brain implants and designing computer models to better understand how these interfaces influence brain activity.
8) The Netherlands Cohorts Consortium
The Netherlands Cohorts Consortium (NCC) brings together health data from almost half a million Dutch people. These data will be used for research to improve our understanding of the causes of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression, and of why these are occurring at increasingly younger ages. NCC will build a state-of-the-art infrastructure, also for future data collection, with excellent IT facilities for joint data analysis, while guaranteeing the privacy and safety of the data. By combining the data, we will gain valuable insights into how to prevent these diseases and promote longer and healthier lives.
