With a big smile, Prof Dr Bram Nauta received the Stevin Prize on Wednesday, 4 October. Together with the Spinoza Prize, the prize is the highest award given in the Netherlands for scientific research. The festive ceremony took place in the Diligentia Theatre in The Hague. The Stevin Prize was also awarded to Prof. Dr. Corien Prins of Tilburg University, the Spinoza Prize to Prof. Toby Kiers of the VU and Prof. Joyeeta Gupta of the University of Amsterdam.
Photo credits: Freek van den Bergh
Stevin Prize
The Spinoza Prize and the Stevin Prize are the highest awards in science for a researcher in the Netherlands, with the Stevin Prize being for a scientist who has achieved particular success in knowledge utilisation for society. By knowledge utilisation, NWO understands the "application of knowledge through productive interactions with an interested target group to create societal - including economic - value". Knowledge utilisation must have demonstrably led to innovative applications, ideas and networks in practice, in which the researcher himself has played a decisive role.
To receive the prize, researchers must be nominated. NWO awards a maximum of two prizes per year; one is earmarked for the social sciences and humanities and one for the sciences/life sciences (including engineering and medical sciences).
Groundbreaking work
Bram Nauta, professor of Integrated Circuit Design at the University of Twente, is a globally recognised expert in on-chip circuit design. His innovations have had a direct impact on widely used electronics. Smartphones became more compact, and microelectronics became more energy efficient thanks to innovations such as the 'Nauta circuit'. His pioneering work was also behind wireless communication technologies such as 5G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Read the full rationale for awarding the Stevin Prize to Bram Nauta on the NWO website here: https://www.nwo.nl/en/professor-bram-nauta
Curiosity-driven research
Stevin Prize laureates receive a financial contribution of 1.5 million euros, which they may spend on research and activities related to knowledge utilisation. The financial contribution offers Nauta the opportunity to invest in a number of activities that take his field and department further. Bram Nauta: "Chip design research is mostly demand-driven, in which we work closely with industry. At the same time, we obtain a lot of new insights from our research that are potentially promising, but finding that potential is more complex. By investing these funds partly in this what we call curiosity-driven research, we hope to make a great contribution to our leading position worldwide."
In addition, the funds will be used for the purpose of optimising lab infrastructure and further raising the profile of the field. "In this way, I hope to transfer my enthusiasm for electronics to a new generation, so that we can continue to welcome a lot of new talent at MBO, HBO and university level in the future," Bram adds.
