Scientific Infrastructure Grant of €2.9 Million for Consortium led by Patrick van der Wel

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded funding to the proposal “Enhanced ssNMR for Nano-materials, Surfaces and Non-Equilibrium Processes (NaSuNe-ssNMR)” under the call ‘Research Infrastructure (RI): National Consortia’. The proposal is one of five successful submissions. NWO is investing over €21 million in projects for innovative scientific infrastructure. These investments will support the development of advanced equipment, data collections, and software.

The enhanced ssNMR research infrastructure will enable researchers to understand how (smart) materials and biological processes behave and function on the molecular level. Combining light and microwaves together with a form of molecular MRI scanning allows for new insights of how molecules move and interact. A central focus is on seeing processes on surfaces of materials, such as catalysts and solar panel materials. These new abilities will be deployed in studies of molecular machines, ‘green’ materials, drug carriers, and ageing-associated diseases.

The Consortium

The new facility will be housed and developed at the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials (ZIAM) of the University of Groningen (RUG), a recognized center for research and characterization of advanced materials. The principal investigator is Prof. Dr. Patrick C.A. van der Wel, leader of the solid-state NMR group at the RUG. The successful consortium brings together interdisciplinary research groups from the University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, TU Delft, Wageningen University, and other institutions across the Netherlands. Beyond the initial consortium, an explicit goal of the facility will be to expand the consortium and the user base toward national and international users.

About the Research Programme

The Research Infrastructure (RI) programme is designed to fund infrastructure that enables innovative science. Through investments from this programme, NWO strengthens the scientific infrastructure that Dutch knowledge institutions make available to the entire research community. To achieve this, researchers from across the Netherlands collaborate to establish new facilities, sometimes in partnership with international collaborators.

About the Current Call

For this funding round, NWO received 35 proposals under the RI programme. An independent advisory committee — comprising scientists from diverse disciplines — assessed the submissions based on criteria such as scientific quality and societal impact. The committee also visited several consortia to clarify aspects of the applications. Ultimately, five of the 35 proposals were awarded grants. The NWO contributions for these projects range from approximately €2.9 million to over €4.8 million.

More information: https://www.nwo.nl/en/news/over-eu21-million-awarded-for-projects-in-scientific-infrastructure

Contact: Prof. Dr. Patrick C.A. van der Wel