Dutch researchers get €140M for 14 T MRI, E-ELT, Lisa and more

In the first of two funding rounds coordinated by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), nine projects have been awarded a total of 140 million euros for the next ten years to set up or improve large-scale research infrastructure. The allocations cover different types of infrastructure, including a 14 T MRI system, instruments for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) and components for ESA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (Lisa). The selection was made by an independent international assessment committee.

The Dutch National 14Tesla Initiative in Medical Science (Dynamic) aims to establish the first MRI system of this field strength in the world. The additional sensitivity combined with the improved ability to discern metabolite signals will offer scientists a powerful instrument for better characterization of a range of diseases and new insights into the workings of the brain. Led by Radboud University, the project is receiving 19 million euros to develop the system and set it up in Nijmegen.

With a mirror diameter of 39 meters, the E-ELT in northern Chile will be the largest optical infrared telescope in the world and is expected to make its first observations in 2028. Headed by the Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA), the alliance of the astronomical institutes of the universities of Amsterdam, Groningen, Leiden and Nijmegen, the NL-ELT consortium is going to contribute to three developments: the mid-infrared camera-spectrograph combination Metis, the multi-object spectrograph Mosaic and the future Epics instrument to study Earth-like planets (links in Dutch). The project has been granted 18 million euros.