Research schools

A research consortium from TU Delft and Leiden University receives an NWO Summit Grant of 35 million euros, as a long-term support and to continue their prominent role internationally. They aim to investigate the fundamental limits of quantum physics. In total five consortia from different Dutch universities will receive a total of 188 million euros to strengthen the position of Dutch science.

New findings from a spaceborne monitoring team of University of Houston, TU Delft and DLR indicates the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine may have been already ongoing before the war with Russia, with deformations in the dam pre-dating the actual collapse. The results were published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment this month.

For Marjan Popov it is clear: our society is at a crossroads. “We are undertaking perhaps the biggest engineering challenge of our time – we are radically changing the electricity grids.” According to him, the complexity of the electricity grids is comparable to the human body. “Similar to how patients are treated, in terms of taking care of their health, we should always monitor, control, and protect the electricity grids. I make this comparison because both the human body and the electricity grid are vulnerable to many different diseases, or disturbances, and some of them can have serious consequences. Therefore, undertaking comprehensive security and safety measures is an essential part of our energy transition.”

“What is life? How does a living cell emerge from lifeless molecules?” wondered a multidisciplinary team of Dutch scientists. To answer these questions the research team, led by the TU Delft, aims to build a living synthetic cell from lifeless biomolecules, using laboratory evolution and artificial intelligence for the first time. The ten-year research programme to do so, entitled “Evolving life from non-life” or simply “EVOLF”, was awarded 40 million euro by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) as part of the Summit grants scheme.