Lakens is an associate professor in the Human-Technology Interaction group at the Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences. He received the fellowship for his research on meaningful ways to interpret effects in psychology, which aims to help scientists think more clearly about what their research findings mean.

Zijlstra is an associate professor of molecular plasmonics in the molecular biosensing research cluster at the Faculty of Applied Psychology. He receives the grant for the development of an optical platform for tracking weak protein interactions. To that end, he is developing an advanced measurement system that uses light to detect these interactions at the molecular level.

The Vici grant of up to 1.5 million euros is intended for “very experienced” scientists. With that money, they can further expand their research group and conduct innovative research over the next five years.

12 percent awarded

Of the 369 preliminary applications NWO received for the Vici round 2024, 12 percent were ultimately honored - one percentage point more than in the previous round.

The flag can fly at Utrecht University, where six researchers were awarded prizes.TU Delft (4), the University of Leiden (4), the University of Amsterdam (4) and the much smaller University of Twente (3) are also doing well.

The Vici grants, along with the Veni and Vidi grants, are part of the NWO Talent Program. They are intended for scientists at different points in their careers.