Four researchers from the RUG and the UMCG have won a large grant. RUG researchers Marleen Kamperman, Lisa Herzog and Ming Cao and UMCG researcher Floris Foijer will each receive a grant of up to 1.5 million euros.
The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) annually awards so-called Vici grants to advanced researchers. With the grant they can develop an innovative line of research over the next five years and further expand their own research group. Vici is one of the largest personal scientific grants in the Netherlands. NWO has awarded 34 Vici grants. Four of these will go to researchers from the RUG and UMCG.
Lisa Herzog (RUG) can use her grant to investigate how democracies should understand and organize work. Marleen Kamperman (RUG) receives a grant for research into (bio)polymer materials. Ming Cao receives a grant for research into the decision making of autonomous robots. Floris Foijer (UMCG) receives the grant for research into cancer cells. Cancer cells often make mistakes in dividing their chromosomes. This is called chromosomal instability. Chromosomal instability occurs in 80 percent of cancers.