It is not yet known what causes the severe chronic illness ME/CFS. The new ZonMw research programme should change this situation and make treatment possible. Neuroscientist Michael VanElzakker and microbiologist Rogier Louwen look ahead to the programme and the possibilities it offers for biomedical research into the disease.
In 2020, ZonMw became part of EURECO, a European collaboration platform of academic researchers and service providers working on inclusive community planning and development of in the perspective of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). EURECO develops a network of academic researchers and research affined service providers specifically interested in developing inclusive communities.
In the research world, everybody now knows that good research goes hand-in-hand with the input of peer experts. But how can that participation best be realised? We asked Christine Dedding who, as Associate Professor at Amsterdam UMC, is specialised in participation and co-creation. ‘We need to go and discover and shape things together.'
An impact study published on 13 December 2021 in the journal PLOS ONE reveals that systematic reviews increase the transparency and quality of animal research. Accordingly, systematic reviews contribute to better animal research, increase the quality of medical research and contribute to open science. In 2012, ZonMw started to fund the training, coaching and conduct of systematic reviews for animal research.
The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded 89 highly promising young scientists from the ENW and ZonMw domain a Veni grant worth up to 250,000 euros. The grant provides the laureates with the opportunity to further elaborate their own ideas during a period of three years.
This publication provides a recap of the online symposium ‘Microplastics and human health research in The Netherlands’ that was held on 4 November 2021. About one hundred researchers and policymakers exchanged knowledge about the latest research results from fifteen breakthrough projects within the ZonMw research programme ‘Microplastics and Health’. Attention was also paid to MOMENTUM, Microplastics & Human Health Consortium, the new...
This article shows that the impact of nano- and microplastics on human health is still largely unknown. Follow-up research is therefore needed because for decades, people have come into contact with the small plastic particles in their living environment via the air, water and food. These small particles vary in size from nanometres to micrometres.
While the pharmaceutical, medical technologies, chemical, cosmetics and food industries are increasingly seeking solutions to improve, for example, their prediction of clinical efficacy and/or risk and safety assessments without the use of animals, the solutions are still insufficient;
Societal demand for animal-free testing is increasing and there is a need for new innovations to improve human health, a stimulation of this research field is therefore needed.
Persons with disabilities, with care needs or with psychiatric illnesses are particularly affected by the impact of the digital divide in society. The EURECO 2021 conference will focus on approaches to promote the development of equal digital participation for these vulnerable groups as well.
Do you face challenges in finding an animal-free innovation in research and industry?
Sign up for the online matchmaking event on 10 February 2021 at 13:00h CET of Create2Solve by sending an e-mail to mkmd@zonmw.nl.
