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EMBO members are elected for the significant contributions the made in their research areas. The membership is regarded as an honor and, like the Nobel Prizes, researchers can only be nominated by their peers. Geurts’ election as an EMBO member recognises his research on symbiosis between bacteria and plants, in which bacteria extract nitrogen from the air and deliver it to plants [More information]. Pieterse’s research focuses on how plants defend themselves against harmful microbes and insects. His team maps out the plant's defense system at a molecular level. This knowledge can help scientists develop stronger crops that need fewer [...]

Congratulations to Michael Nodine for receiving the grant for the Open Competition Domain Science-M programme of NWO. M-grants are intended for innovative, high-quality, fundamental research and/or studies involving matters of scientific urgency. Small RNA inheritance in plants: from molecules to mechanisms Dr Michael Nodine (Wageningen University & Research) Small RNAs are ideal molecules for parents to use to control the initial growth of their offspring as well influence their future behavior. Although this is being increasingly recognized in animals, hardly anything is known about small RNA inheritance in plants in which there is great potential for agricultural improvement. This research [...]

Matsumura (Virology) and co-applicant D'Adamo (Bio Process Engineering) receive funding for their grant proposal “Plug & Play”: Combining plant virus-derived VLPs and microalgae production platform towards a toolkit for biotechnological applications. The NWO Open Technology Programme provides funding for application-oriented technical-scientific research that is free and unrestricted and is not hindered by disciplinary boundaries. “Plug & Play”: Combining plant virus-derived VLPs and microalgae production platform towards a toolkit for biotechnological applications. Promoting human quality of life not only demands rapid pharmaceutical measures for human diseases, but also requires developing novel therapeutics and alternative production and delivery approaches. Virus-like particles (VLPs) [...]

In recognition of outstanding research in the field of Natural Sciences, Dr. Casper van der Kooi will receive the Heineken Young Scientists Award. Van der Kooi studies how flowers and animals such as butterflies get their colors and how those colors are used to attract pollinators or mates. According to the jury, his work is scientifically advanced and of great social value. The prize is an unrestricted amount of EUR 15,000. The Heineken Young Scientists Awards are designed to provide additional encouragement to the next generation of talented researchers. They are awarded in September to four young scientists, simultaneously with the international [...]

Researcher Gert Kema has been awarded the 2024 KNPV Prize by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Plantenziektekundige Vereniging (KNPV). The prize is awarded to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the development of resilient crops. Kema is praised by the jury for his vision, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit, and for making his international research projects visible through media interviews and scientific publications. Over his long career, Gert Kema has made exceptional contributions to scientific research and education in crop protection, the jury concludes. His work includes research on Septoria leaf blotch in cereals and crop-threatening fungal diseases in bananas, [...]

Digging up hidden treasures for novel antibiotics Dr. S. (Sandra) Irmisch (Universiteit Leiden) New antibiotics and medicines counteracting antibiotic resistance are urgently needed. However, few new antibiotic discoveries are being made from microorganisms. Plants produce hundreds of thousands of unique, structurally diverse small molecules, some of which are used as medicines. While plants are sources of some of our most important anticancer and antipain medications, their potential as sources of antibiotics has not been well investigated. Here we will discover novel antibiotics and compounds counteracting antibiotic resistance from underexplored sources, specifically below-ground bulb-like organs of plants. This will open new [...]

Photosynthesis is necessary to sustain life on earth, but it is very inefficient. Biophysicist Roberta Croce receives an ERC (European Research Council) Advanced Grant for her research into improving photosynthesis. Currently, less than one percent of accessible solar energy is turned into biomass in crops, and plants only utilize visible light, discarding more than half of the sunlight that reaches us. This is particularly limiting for crops. Limits of photosynthesis When plants grow close together, the lower leaves receive almost exclusively far-red light, which has been thought to be unusable for oxygenic photosynthesis. Recent discoveries, however, show that certain cyanobacteria, [...]

The Open Technology Programme provides funding for application-oriented technical-scientific research that is free and unrestricted and is not hindered by disciplinary boundaries. The programme offers companies and other organisations an accessible way to participate in scientific research that is intended to lead to societal and/or scientific impact. Effector-based screening of lily for resistance to Botrytis elliptica (Fire blight)  Cultivation of lily currently suffers from crop loss by fire blight, a disease caused by the fungus Botrytis elliptica. Intensive application of pesticides is required to reduce the loss of flowers and bulbs. Breeding for resistance can be accelerated and become more [...]

The gravitation programme awarded 22,5 millions to the consortium van GreenTE: Green Tissue Engineering. This programme supports a partnership between the best researchers from the Netherlands in one or more disciplines All living organisms are subject to the laws of physics, and are exposed to mechanical forces. These included stresses caused by neighboring cells, but also by pathogens that are trying to invade. The researchers will study how plant cells – with an internal pressure exceeding that in a champagne bottle – perceive mechanical forces, and how such forces control growth, development, and immunity. Armed with this knowledge, the consortium will develop [...]