NWO has awarded Veni funding of up to EUR 320,000 to 174 promising researchers from across the full breadth of science. This will allow the laureates to further develop their own research ideas over the next three years.
The Veni is a personal scientific grant, is part of the NWO Talent Programme and is aimed at researchers who have recently obtained their PhDs. They will conduct research within the full breadth of science. The projects receiving funding therefore focus on a wide variety of topics: from the use of algorithms and AI in criminal justice to the role of gut bacteria in our mental health, and from correcting quantum errors like Sherlock Homes to the distribution of colonial profits in the Netherlands between 1850 and 1860.
The 174 grants from the 2023 Veni round are divided between 53 at Domain Science (ENW), 69 at Domain Social and Humanities (SGW), 25 at Domain Applied and Technical Sciences (TTW) and 27 grants at Domain Health Research and Development (ZonMw).
The overview of the awards contains the names of all laureates, the knowledge institutions they are affiliated with and brief summaries of their research projects (in Dutch and English).
Facts & figures
Venis are awarded annually by NWO. The 1308 applications included 669 (51 per cent) men, 573 (44 per cent) women. Of 66 applicants, the gender was unknown. Of the 174 awards, 86 went to male and 85 to female applicants; award rates of 13 and 15 per cent respectively. Of 3 awarded projects, the gender of the researcher is not known. In the fields of Exact and Natural Sciences (ENW) and Applied and Technical Sciences (TTW), extra money is available to stimulate female researchers in STEM. In these domains, this led to the allocation of 6 additional Veni grants to female researchers.
Total Veni-round 2023:
| Gender | Proposals | Awarded | Award rate |
| M | 669 | 86 | 12,9% |
| F | 573 | 85* | 14,8% |
| Unknown | 66 | 0 | 4,5% |
| Total | 1308 | 174 | 13,3% |
* Includes the granting of 6 additional proposals from female applicants.
NWO-domain Health Research and Development (ZonMw):
| Gender | Proposals | Awarded | Award rate |
| M | 98 | 13 | 13% |
| V | 133 | 14 | 11% |
| Total | 231 | 27 | 12% |
NWO-domain Applied and Engineering Sciences (TTW):
| Gender | Proposals | Awarded | Award rate |
| M | 66 | 12 | 18% |
| V | 51 | 13* | 25% |
| O | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 132 | 25 | 19% |
* Includes the granting of 3 additional proposals from female applicants.
NWO-domain Science (ENW):
| Gender | Proposals | Awarded | Award rate |
| M | 223 | 26 | 12% |
| V | 91 | 24* | 26% |
| O | 51 | 3 | 6% |
| Total | 365 | 53 | 15% |
* Includes the granting of 3 additional proposals from female applicants.
NWO-domain Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH):
| Gender | Propoals | Awarded | Award rate |
| M | 282 | 35 | 12% |
| V | 298 | 34 | 11% |
| Total | 580 | 69 | 12% |
Talent programme
The NWO Talent Programme gives researchers the freedom to pursue their own research based on creativity and passion. The programme encourages innovation and curiosity. Curiosity-driven research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow's society. That is why NWO focuses on a diversity in terms of researchers, domains, and backgrounds. Together with the Vidi and Vici grants, Veni is part of the Talent Programme.
NWO selects researchers based on the academic quality and the innovative character of the research proposal, the scientific and/or societal impact of the proposed project, and the quality of the researcher.
Click here for answers to frequently asked questions about the Talent programme, including on gender distribution.
Source: NWO
Research programme
NWO-Talentprogramma
Type
Toewijzing
Contact
Beleid: Daphne Kortbeek
Communicatie: Belinda van der Gaag