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
Last modified: | 14 November 2024 6.44 p.m. |
More news
-
16 September 2025
The ocean absorbs carbon from the air, but what if the temperature increases?
‘Fortunately, seawater absorbs carbon dioxide (CO₂). If it didn’t, things would have been over and done with already,’ according to climate and ocean researchers Richard Bintanja and Rob Middag. But what actually happens to the ocean's carbon...
-
10 September 2025
Funding for Feringa and Minnaard from National Growth Fund project Big Chemistry
Two UG research projects have received funding from the National Growth Fund project Big Chemistry via NWO.
-
09 September 2025
The carbon cycle as Earth’s thermostat
Earth's natural carbon cycle becomes unbalanced if we, humans, continue to release extra carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. In this overview article about the carbon cycle, you can find out how Earth generally keeps itself in balance and how...