NWO Supports State-of-the-Art Research Infrastructure Across Science, Data, Climate and Materials Research

NWO Supports State-of-the-Art Research Infrastructure Across Science, Data, Climate and Materials Research

(IN BRIEF) NWO has awarded €30.5 million to ten consortia to modernise, strengthen or better connect existing Large-scale Research Infrastructures in the Netherlands. The investment is intended to bring facilities to state-of-the-art or beyond state-of-the-art standards, extend their operational lifetime and keep them aligned with scientific and technological progress. The consortia have also raised around €15.7 million in additional investment. The funded projects named in the source cover a wide range of research areas, including plant eco-phenotyping, species recognition, far-infrared spectroscopy, machine learning infrastructure for large-scale physics data, social science panels, proteomics, radio astronomy, ultra-high-field NMR, atmospheric research and high-field magnet science. Examples include upgrades to the Netherlands Plant Eco-Phenotyping Centre, where researchers study how plants grow in relation to their environment, and MAGEX at HFML-FELIX, which will provide large-aperture magnets with record field strengths for research under extreme conditions.

(PRESS RELEASE) THE HAGUE, 13-Jul-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — NWO has awarded €30.5 million to ten consortia to upgrade existing Large-scale Research Infrastructures in the Netherlands, helping modernise, strengthen and better connect facilities that support advanced scientific research.

The funding will enable research infrastructures to reach state-of-the-art or beyond state-of-the-art standards, extend their operational lifetime and remain aligned with the latest scientific and technological developments. Investments may also include measures to make facilities greener.

Large-scale Research Infrastructures are facilities, resources and services used by research communities to carry out innovative and groundbreaking work. They include highly specialised equipment such as large telescopes and high-field magnets, as well as digital infrastructures including scientific computer networks, supercomputers, data collections, sample collections and biobanks.

Since 2016, NWO has published the LSRI Roadmap, which links these projects to the wider Dutch research landscape and supports long-term use by the scientific community. In addition to NWO’s funding, the ten consortia have raised approximately €15.7 million in co-investment.

The awarded projects cover a broad range of scientific fields, from plant research and biodiversity to social sciences, proteomics, radio astronomy, atmospheric research and high-field magnet science.

One of the supported projects is NPEC 2.0, the Netherlands Plant Eco-Phenotyping Centre 2.0, led by Professor M.G.M. Aarts of Wageningen University & Research. The infrastructure enables scientists to study how plants grow in interaction with their environment, supporting knowledge that can help develop robust future crops for climate change, food security and nature. The upgrades will add state-of-the-art equipment, improved data processing and analysis tools, and operational support to integrate new capabilities into the existing facility.

AccellARISE, led by Professor J.C. Biesmeijer of Naturalis Biodiversity Center, will upgrade the ARISE infrastructure for species recognition. The project will use technologies such as genome skimming and micro-imaging, while strengthening capacity and artificial intelligence pipelines to accelerate the identification of challenging species groups including microalgae, plankton, fungi and small invertebrates.

Another project, Double & Dump: Unlocking Spectroscopy and Dynamics in the Far-Infrared, led by Dr S. Brünken of HFML-FELIX, will upgrade a powerful infrared laser system. HFML-FELIX combines Europe’s strongest magnetic fields with intense laser light to study molecules and materials. The upgrade will allow researchers to investigate fundamental processes relevant to areas such as energy-efficient data storage and the lifecycle of interstellar molecular dust.

The MERGE project, Machine Learning E-Infrastructures for Results on the Global Exascale, led by Professor J. D’Hondt of Nikhef, will strengthen digital infrastructure for research into the origin and fate of the universe and the forces between fundamental particles. The project will use accelerated computing, machine learning and artificial intelligence to handle rapidly growing data volumes from facilities such as KM3NeT and the LHC.

ODISSEI Deepfield, led by Dr T.E. Emery of Erasmus University Rotterdam, will expand the Dutch infrastructure for social science research. The project will double the LISS panel from 5,000 to 10,000 households, giving researchers deeper insight into society through monthly survey data that can be linked to government records.

PICTURE, the Proteomics Infrastructure Upgrade led by Professor A.J.R. Heck of Utrecht University, will modernise the Netherlands Proteomics Centre. The upgrade will support long-term operations through new equipment, new protocols and artificial intelligence-based analysis, helping researchers make advances in biomedical research, precision medicine and therapeutic development.

VOLTRON, the Volume Tested Radio Observatory Network led by Professor V. Impellizzeri of ASTRON, will strengthen the Netherlands’ role in radio astronomy. The project will upgrade the Dutch data hub for the SKA telescope, improving efficiency, lowering barriers for astronomers and supporting new multi-instrument science.

The uNMR project, led by Dr H. van Ingen of Utrecht University, will reinforce and advance Dutch ultra-high-field nuclear magnetic resonance infrastructure. By upgrading high-end NMR and MRI equipment in Utrecht, Leiden, Wageningen and Nijmegen, the project will support detailed molecular analysis across multiple scientific disciplines.

ROVRE, the Ruisdael Observatory Virtual Research Environment, led by Professor M.C. Krol of Wageningen University & Research, will create a virtual research environment for atmospheric science. The project will connect large data streams, support automated workflows and improve access and reuse of data for weather forecasting, climate research, air-quality monitoring, renewable energy forecasting, emissions monitoring and urban climate studies.

MAGEX, led by Dr S.R. Wiedmann of HFML-FELIX, will develop a wide-bore resistive magnet platform for research under extreme conditions. The upgrade will provide large-aperture magnets with record field strengths and more room for experiments, supporting research in physics, quantum materials and extreme states of matter.

The funding call forms part of NWO’s broader work to support research infrastructure in cooperation with its partners. NWO aims to improve accessibility, renewal and continuity of major research facilities and to help build a balanced, future-proof ecosystem of high-quality infrastructure for all scientific domains.

About LSRI
LSRIs are facilities, resources and services used by a research community to carry out innovative and groundbreaking research in their field. Since 2016, NWO has been publishing the LSRI Roadmap, to which all these projects are linked. This ensures that the projects are firmly embedded within the Dutch research landscape and can be utilised over the long term. In addition to the funding allocated by NWO, the ten consortia have also raised approximately 15.7 million euros in investments themselves.

NWO invests in research infrastructure
This call is part of NWO’s efforts on research infrastructure. Together with its partners, NWO works on broad accessibility, renewal and continuity of research infrastructure. This includes highly specialised equipment such as large telescopes or high field magnets, but also digital infrastructures, such as scientific computer networks and supercomputers, and data and sample collections or biobanks. Such facilities are essential for breakthroughs in all fields of science.

Thanks to its independent position and its overview of the science system, NWO can take the lead in developing a joint long-term strategy for research infrastructure. In addition, NWO takes a coordinating and important (co-)funding role in the implementation of this strategy. The goal is a balanced and future-proof ecosystem of high-quality research infrastructure for all science domains.

Media Contact:

Dr Laurens Kirkels
Programme Officer
+31 (0)70 3494545
roadmap@nwo.nl

SOURCE: NWO