黑料福利网

These grants, each worth 鈧�2.5 million, are awarded by the (ERC) to leading scientists who aim to carry out original, high-risk/high-reward research. The funding enables the researchers and their teams to pursue their projects over the next five years.

Bert Koopmans 鈥� Department of Applied Physics & Science Education

Bert Koopmans, Professor of Physics of Nanostructures, will use his ERC Advanced Grant for the TOP Design project, Topological Magnetism by Photonic Design. 鈥淭he rise of AI and the technological advances that come with it are creating an increasing demand for energy and computing power. With this project, we aim to contribute to the development of faster and more energy-efficient technologies for the future,鈥� says Koopmans.

Foundation for further development

Koopmans and his team are developing new ways to control whirling magnetic textures at the nanoscale. In the TOP Design project they will use short pulses of light to generate unique structures with properties that are intrinsic to their topology, providing particle-like behavior and movement without dissipation. Ultimately, this could lead to applications in photonic systems.

To access complementary expertise and experimental facilities, Koopmans will be working with several institutes, including researchers from in Nijmegen and the in Berlin. Results from the project will provide a foundation upon which other scientists can further develop the technology into practical applications. According to Koopmans, this emphasizes the importance of this type of fundamental research.

Pushing boundaries of science

Koopmans sees the ERC Advanced Grant as recognition of his body of work: 鈥淎fter more than twenty years, everything comes together in this research. It gives us the freedom to think long-term and push the boundaries of science.鈥�

Remco van der Hofstad 鈥� Department of Mathematics & Computer Science

Remco van der Hofstad, Professor of Probability, will use his grant for the project Dynamics.org, Dynamics on and of Random Graphs. The main goal is to develop a new universal theory for so-called double randomness: which are random processes on random networks, such as the internet or social networks.

Phase transitions

Van der Hofstad explains: 鈥淚 mainly focus on phase transitions, because that鈥檚 where the most interesting phenomena occur. Just as water turns into ice, phase transitions describe how tiny changes in microscopic parameters can give rise to dramatic changes in macroscopic observables.鈥�

He continues: 鈥淩ecently, we discovered that differences within networks, for example, when some nodes have far more connections than others, can lead to smoother phase transitions. This is described by the order of the phase transition.鈥�

Broad perspective and extra energy

In his ERC proposal, Van der Hofstad described how he believed his field of research should develop, based on his ideas and aspirations. To achieve this, he鈥檚 working together with eight partners from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Vietnam, and United States.

鈥淚 have worked successfully with them for a long time. They add a broad perspective and extra energy to my team. It鈥檚 valuable to discuss tough challenges with experienced researchers I know well and enjoy working with. Many of these problems have been around for more than fifteen years.鈥� He hopes the project will provide long-awaited solutions, and he is therefore very pleased to have been awarded the grant.

An additional benefit of this grant is increased visibility for network research at 黑料福利网. 鈥淭his research has already gained significant exposure and visibility due to the NETWORKS Gravitation grant, in which 黑料福利网 was the largest partner. This ERC Advanced Grant is an important next step. I hope that when my international colleagues think of 黑料福利网, they will associate it with a strong research group in the foundations of network science,鈥� says Van der Hofstad.

Willem Mulder 鈥� Department of Biomedical Engineering

Willem Mulder, Professor of Precision Medicine at 黑料福利网 and Radboudumc/Radboud University, launches the project DEFLAME, Delineating and Eradicating cardiovascular inFLAMmagEing, with his ERC Advanced Grant.

It鈥檚 a bioengineering project that tackles one of the root causes of cardiovascular disease: the accelerated aging of the immune system. Cardiovascular disease drives this aging process in the bone marrow, specifically in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs).

Treating cardiovascular disease at its origin

Mulder explains: 鈥淚n DEFLAME, we use specialized nanoparticles (aNPs) to deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) directly into the bone marrow. This enables the local production of immune-regulating proteins that rejuvenate stem cells. At the same time, we will deploy MarrowMap 鈥� our novel whole-body mapping tool 鈥� to map every relevant bone marrow site involved in this immune-aging process. This dual approach, precise mapping plus targeted mRNA therapy, represents a completely new way to treat cardiovascular inflammaging at its source.鈥�

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. With this approach, Mulder and his team seek to develop precision immunotherapies that target the root cause, inflammaging. 鈥淲e aim to reduce the burden of heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure, promote healthy aging, and ultimately lower healthcare costs. The technology we develop can also be applied to other inflammation-driven diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders鈥�, adds Mulder.

A serious player in Europe

For Mulder, who has now received his second ERC Advanced Grant, this recognition opens the door to new international collaborations, clinical translation, and potential spin-off activities. 鈥淭his allows us to keep building and innovating. It positions 黑料福利网 and its biotech incubator as a serious player in the European biotech and nanomedicine landscape and demonstrates that we can successfully bridge engineering excellence with clinical impact. It also helps attract top talent and further strengthens the Brainport region as a hub for next-generation immunotherapies.鈥�

About the current ERC Advanced Grants

A total of 319 established, leading researchers have been awarded ERC Advanced Grants, including 22 in the Netherlands. Altogether, 鈧�838 million has been allocated. These grants, worth an average of 鈧�2.5 million, support experienced researchers over five years in establishing projects, building teams, and developing their most promising ideas.

Founded by the European Union in 2007, the ERC is Europe's premier funding organization for frontier research. It supports creative researchers of all nationalities and ages in carrying out projects across Europe. The ERC offers four main funding schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, and Synergy Grants.