6.7 million euro grant for PRELIFE from Dutch Research Agenda

An interdisciplinary research consortium consisting of 16 universities and research institutes in the Netherlands, including the Kapteyn Institute, has been awarded a €6.7 million NWO grant for the PRELIFE project. The consortium is led by Inge Loes ten Kate (UU, UvA). From the Kapteyn Institute, Tim Lichtenberg, Inga Kamp, Floris van der Tak, and Veronica Allen are involved in the project. The consortium will investigate the origin of life on Earth and in the universe.

This is an award within the Research on Routes by Consortia (ORC) programme of the Dutch Research Agenda (NWA). In the projects that receive funding, researchers from multiple universities collaborate with knowledge partners and civil society organizations.

PRELIFE - Pathways, Reactions, and Environments leading to LIFE: een interdisciplinaire benadering

The origin of life is one of science's greatest unsolved puzzles. Several theories exist, but there is no consensus. PRELIFE is built on an interdisciplinary approach in which astronomy, biology. chemistry, computer science, earth and planetary sciences, education science, mathematics, and physics work together on the question 'How and under what conditions did life arise on earth, and how common are these conditions in the universe?' These questions are also alive in society, which is why teachers, schoolchildren and the public will be involved in the search for answers, through educational projects and collaborations with artists and museums.

More information:

Negen consortia ontvangen financiering binnen de NWA-ORC ronde 2023 | NWO