Photo: Shutterstock The knowledge coalition between WUR, TU Eindhoven, Utrecht University and the UMC Utrecht is to invest 50 million euros in joint projects in the area of health, energy, nutrition and sustainability over the coming years.
Young researchers can enter into unusual collaborative research combinations in the Center for Unusual Collaborations (Cuco).
The knowledge coalition aims to generate innovative research through unusual collaborations. This is why the young academies will be awarded 6 million euros in the next four years for joint research projects.
Teams
The idea behind this plan is that young, promising researchers will search for collaboration opportunities with colleagues from other institutes with whom they normally do not interact. This should lead to teams consisting of researchers from at least three different institutes, that can apply for a grant in the sum of 50,000 to 300,000 euros.
The way the subsidies for unusual research is distributed is new. The money is to be distributed in consultation between all the teams that submit a research proposal. If no agreement is reached, a committee of young academy members will decide who gets funding. The institutes hope that the projects lay a foundation for long term collaboration in new domains.
At this time, the universities seek a physical location for Cuco, where the participating researchers may meet one day a week, for example, and also meet other teams.
Presentation
The knowledge coalition between Utrecht, Eindhoven and WUR presented their plans for collaboration on 2 November during an online meeting with education minister Van Engelshoven. This meeting was originally planned for the spring of 2020 but was postponed due to the corona pandemic. Meanwhile, the young academies of the participating institutes went ahead. They freely exchanged ideas and proposals, which led to the Cuco.
In total, the universities aim to invest 50 million euros in preventive healthcare, sustainable energy and circular food supplies. To this end, the coalition seeks partnerships with other institutes and businesses to double this investment.
Resource interviewed rector Arthur Mol a year ago at the official launch of this collaboration. ‘We know we can’t meet the global challenges alone,’ he stated at that time.