Bas Dutilh wins NWO Vidi grant

Bas E. Dutilh has received one of this year’s prestigious Vidi grants from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) for his research. The grant consist of 800,000 euros which can be spent to do 5 years of independent research. He will use the money to discover new human gut-associated bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) and investigate their role in structuring the human intestinal flora (also known as the human gut microbiome). The main part of the work will be performed at Utrecht University and Wageningen University, but international scientists on six continents will collaborate in the project. The grant was awarded by the Earth and Life Sciences (ALW) division of NWO after a heavy selection that included a review by anonymous international referees, a rebuttal, and a live interview by a panel of 16 professors from the earth and life sciences. A total of 87 Vidi grants were awarded in 2015, 11 of which within the ALW division. More information.

An article on the application process for ten applicants, including Bas Dutilh, has been published in De Volkskrant of Saturday May 23rd.