Three Vici grants for UT researchers

Friday 28 February 2025

Three researchers from the University of Twente, Sarthak Misra, Ivo Vellekoop and Wiebe de Vos, have been awarded a Vici grant of 1.5 million euros from NWO within the Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) domain. This prestigious grant will enable them to pioneer a groundbreaking new line of research while further strengthening and expanding their esteemed research group. With an impressive three out of the five highly competitive AES grants awarded, the University of Twente has secured a truly exceptional achievement.

The Vici grant is one of the largest personal scientific grants in the Netherlands and is intended for experienced researchers. The grant is part of the NWO Talent Programme, which consists of three funding rounds: Veni (for recent PhDs), Vidi (for researchers with several years of experience) and Vici.

The Vici grant is designed for researchers at the stage of consolidating their expertise and further developing their leadership and research group. For Misra and De Vos, this prestigious award is especially meaningful, as they have previously received both the Veni and Vidi grants. This achievement places them among a select group of researchers who have secured all three grants—a testament to their excellence, leadership, and lasting contributions to their field.

Read more about their research projects below:

MERCURY – Magnetically-actuated sensorized probes for robotic micro-surgery

Prof Dr Sarthak Misra - Faculty of ET

Flexible probes are frequently employed in minimally invasive surgery, yet their manual control can be prone to imprecision, resulting in potential complications. Misra’s Vici project aims to revolutionize this practice by developing a magnetically-actuated robotic system, ensuring the precise and reliable delivery of diagnostic instruments and therapeutic micro-robots.

By seamlessly integrating ultrasound and fluorescence imaging for real-time feedback, the project aims to pioneer groundbreaking clinical interventions, including on-site diagnosis and the precise delivery of targeted therapies. Through the innovative use of magnetic actuation, smart materials, and advanced miniaturized sensing technologies, MERCURY will introduce next-generation intelligent micro-medical devices. These cutting-edge tools have the potential to reshape the landscape of surgical robotics, enhancing the precision, efficiency, and effectiveness of minimally invasive procedures for years to come.

This innovative technology will offer a reliable and cost-effective platform for microsurgery, leading to faster recovery times and improved outcomes for patients. The substantial funding will further propel the Surgical Robotics Laboratory (SRL), enabling the advancement of pioneering technologies that are poised to redefine the future of surgical interventions and transform patient care on a global scale.

Learning to see

Prof Dr Ivo Vellekoop - Faculty of S&T

Ever since the first observation of single-cell organisms by van Leeuwenhoek, microscopy has been the driving force for understanding life and disease. Nobel-prize winning breakthroughs, have pushed optical microscopy to sheer perfection. That is, in the ideal world…

The reality is that microscopes only work well for thin, transparent structures, which, for most researchers, are not too interesting to look at. If researchers want to observe cells inside a tube or culture chamber, below a rough surface, or even through a transparent plastic plate, they are out of luck: these structures change the direction of the light, preventing a clear image from forming.

Vellekoop and his team believe there is a better way. If the 3D structure of the sample is precisely known, it is theoretically possible to compensate for the structure and again produce sharp images. But what if the structure is unknown? Vellekoop will develop a self-learning microscope that automatically maps out the structure and compensates for it, introducing a revolutionary method for ‘impossible’ microscopy.

Foaming sustainable membranes

Prof Dr Wiebe de Vos - Faculty of S&T

Membranes clean water but are themselves made using large quantities of toxic, unsustainable and non-renewable organic solvents. In this project, De Vos and his team will prepare membranes in a completely new way, where the pores are formed by the generation of very small air bubbles.

Via this approach, De Vos will prepare foamed membranes from green solvents or even completely from water, with unique pore structures and functionalities. These membranes will be immediately applied to produce highly clean water, or for efficient separations in the dairy and chemical industry.

In the future, these innovative membranes will eliminate the need for toxic and non-renewable solvents to supply the world with clean and safe water.

NWO Vici Grants

The Vici are awarded annually by NWO. The Vici grant allows researchers to develop an innovative line of research and expand a research group over the next five years. Vici is one of the largest person-centred science grants in the Netherlands and is aimed at advanced researchers. The funding instrument allows researchers to conduct research of their own choice. This is how innovative scientific research gets a boost.

This year, 369 preliminary applications were submitted (140 by women and 229 by men). Of these, 130 full proposals were submitted (48 by women and 82 by men), of which 43 were awarded (16 to women and 27 to men).