Earth and Life Sciences News

Progress NWO theme Sustainable Earth

• The Governing Board of NWO has made a bonus of ?4 million available for the development of this theme.
• On 22 May, the National Partnership Sustainable Earth was signed.
  This partnership harmonises the Dutch research streams in the area of Sustainable Earth. Research areas covered within the Sustainable Earth theme are: Energy and emissions; Changes in the climate system; People and environment. Signatories to the partnership were Pier Vellinga on behalf of Knowledge for Climate, Hans de Wit for Sustainable Energy Research and Gerbrand Komen on behalf of NWO. The document was also signed by the Dutch Minister for Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, Jacqueline Cramer.

ALW Board

As of 1 July 2008, Prof. P.A.M. Andriessen will step down as vice chair of the ALW Divisional Board. He will then have completed the maximum two terms. Currently it is undecided who will take over the position of vice chair.

Former Chairman Wim Harder (69)

Professor Wim Harder passed away on June 18th, 2008, while attending a meeting at the NWO-building. Wim Harder, microbiologist at Groningen University , was chairman of the Earth and Life Sciences council from 1999-2002. Wim Harder had a broad scientific interest and proved to be an ambitious, yet considerate chair who, amongst other achievements, strongly stimulated the co-operation between the earth- and life sciences disciplines. The Earth and Life sciences division of NWO will remember Wim Harder as a dedicated researcher and esteemed colleague.

NWO/Spinoza Award for Prof. W. de Vos

One of the four Spinoza prizes went to ALW researcher Willem de Vos, microbiologist at Wageningen University. He investigates microorganisms in food. The Spinoza award is the highest Dutch award in science and is worth 1.5 million euros.

Book, entitled: ?Tegenpolen. Op zoek naar contrastrijke poolgebieden.? [Antipoles: in search of strongly contrasting polar areas] A new popular book has been published as part of the International Polar Year. This richly-illustrated volume examines the exploration, exploitation and future of the North and South poles. Various Dutch researchers have written a total of 19 chapters. The book has been published to mark the opening, on 13 June, of the exhibition bearing the same name at MuZEEem in Vlissingen. NWO-ALW has contributed to both the book and the exhibition.

Grants awarded

Recently, the ALW Board awarded grants in the Open Programme and in the joint programme with SRON, User Support Programme Space Research.

• Open Programme: 9 of the 24 proposals submitted were honoured (Ruessink, Van der heijden, Van Haasters, Weissing, Komdeur, Verhoeven, Drijfhout, Smeekens, Braakman) See overview
• User Support Programme Space Research: 15 of the 31 proposals submitted were honoured. See overview.

For the programme Investment Subsidy NWO Large, ALW issued a positive recommendation for two of the nine studies honoured, namely: NIOB-KNAW, Prof. J.C. Clevers, and VU University Amsterdam, Dr E.J.G. Peterman. The Governing Board of NWO has awarded these grants.

Launch Netherlands Life Watch Network

On 10 June 2008 the Netherlands Life Watch Network was launched. This is an initiative from Dutch researchers, policy makers and representatives of various interested organisations in the area of biodiversity. The network aims to provide a detailed picture of Dutch knowledge and interest areas with respect to biodiversity. Read more here.

Programme news

First call The Value of Animal Welfare

On 11 June the first call for the LNV/NWO programme ?The Value of Animal Welfare? was opened. The deadline for submission of the mandatory preproposal is Tuesday 23 September 2008. A maximum of ? 3.2 is available for this call.
Further information available here and on the website.

Deadlines

Deadline 2 September: Brain and cognition
Deadline 22 September: Investment Subsidy NWO Medium
Deadline 23 September: The Value of Animal Welfare
Deadline 15 October: ERA-NET CRUE, call Flood resilient communities

Further information available here.

Press releases

Determining Cretaceous-Tertiary transition

The transition from the Cretaceous to the Tertiary period is an important geological boundary. Many species became extinct during this period, including the dinosaurs. Dr Klaudia Kuiper, Veni researcher, received funding from ALW's Open Programme for this research, in which she combined two dating techniques.

PhD student uses mathematics to improve understanding of heart biology

PhD student Martijn Kusters has used mathematics to improve the understanding of heart biology. This PhD research was a mathematical contribution to the research of Dr A. Theuvenet into the role of calcium for the electrical supply of body cells, and was funded from the ALW programme Physical Biology.

Variable snowfall leads to changes in height of an Antarctic ice cap 

Variations in snowfall, and not only the flow rate of glaciers, affect the height of the Antarctic ice cap. Science Express published this finding, made by researchers from the IMAU Institute in Utrecht. Satellite observations of height changes can be corrected using these results.