Last year marks the inaugural presentation of the AUF Starting Grant to eight promising young scientists at Amsterdam UMC. Each recipient is granted 25,000 euros to advance their innovative research or educational project, propelling their careers to new heights. The Starting Grant is made possible by the Spinoza Fund of the Amsterdam University Fund (AUF).

Research on urgent medical topics

These young scientists are delving into urgent medical issues. For instance, Patrick de Jonge from the Amsterdam Gastroenterology Endocrinology Metabolism (AGEM) research institute aims to unravel the connection between specific viruses in the intestines and cardiovascular diseases. Lotta Seppala from the Amsterdam Public Health (APH) research institute will utilise her grant to develop a tool that reduces falls in the elderly. The other researchers also aspire to achieve groundbreaking results with their research. 

The AUF Starting Grant recipients are:

AUF Board Member Chantal van der Horst, Mat Daemen, Professor and Chair of this round from Amsterdam UMC and AUF Director Melchior Bussink with winners Laura Bosmans, Maarten Steinz, Patrick de Jonge, Fons van den Berg, Lucas Baudouin, Lotta Seppela, Alessandra Tammaro, Alexander de Porto @amsterdam UMC (picture by Michael Niamut)

Eligibility for the AUF Starting Grant 

To qualify for a AUF Starting Grant, applicants must have earned their doctorate less than five years ago, hold a temporary contract with Amsterdam UMC or AMR, and have their application endorsed by one of the eight research institutes at Amsterdam UMC or be integrated into the regular education programmes of the Faculty of Medicine at the UvA. 

New call in 2024 

The next call for the AUF Starting Grant will be launched in 2024, probably in spring. Interested young scientists can find additional information on this website (will be updated this spring). Contact address: rs-startstipendium@amsterdamumc.nl.