PERSPECTIEF RONDE 2010

NIEUWE ONDERZOEKSTHEMA’S in het kader van Perspectief.

De deadline voor het indienen van programma-ontwerpen is verstreken. Op 25 juni heeft het STW-bestuur 12 van de in totaal 32 ingediende programma-ontwerpen geselecteerd voor nadere uitwerking en deelname aan het verdere selectieproces. De 12 geselecteerde thema’s die uitgewerkt mogen worden tot definitieve programmavoorstellen bestaande uit een set coherente onderzoeksprojecten zijn hieronder weergegeven. Geïnteresseerde onderzoekers/ potentiële gebruikers kunnen contact opnemen met de hoofdindiener om mogelijkheden tot aansluiting te onderzoeken. In deze ronde is circa M€ 19 beschikbaar waardoor er in principe uiteindelijk ca. 4 á 5 programma’s kunnen worden gehonoreerd.

Deadlines
Deadline indiening programmavoorstellen: 12 november 2010, 12:00 uur
‘s middags

Klik hier voor alle informatie omtrent Perspectief ronde 2010.

GESELECTEERDE PROGRAMMATHEMA’S

Door op de titel van de onderstaande programmathema’s te klikken, komt alle informatie beschikbaar.

P10-06. Unobtrusive Personal Health Systems (uPHS)

New extramural healthcare concepts that are integrated in daily-life provide an individualized alternative to current in-hospital healthcare, which is overloaded, fails to prevent illness and is not adequately directed towards optimizing daily life with a chronic disease. Such extramural concepts require personalized on-body ICT based health systems to provide continuous daily-life monitoring and treatment. Key roadblocks for this new generation of personalized health care are: - the unavailability of adequate unobtrusive technology, including on-body electrophysiological and mechanical sensing, actuation, and intelligence. Such systems need to be integrated in clothing or implanted, so the user can forget about them. - the lack of adequate health care concepts and demonstrator applications for daily-life prevention, monitoring and therapy, for example directed towards healthy living or daily-life monitoring and motor training of people with a chronic neurological disorder. This research program will provide a concerted effort to develop an open toolkit of unobtrusive technology for personalized health systems (first phase) and demonstrator applications in close collaboration with user parties (second phase).

Initiatiefnemer(s)

P. Veltink, H. Hermens (Universiteit Twente, Roessingh Revalidatiecentrum), J. Bergmans, M. Mischi, O. Amft, R. Aarts (TUEindhoven)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof.dr.ir. J.W.M. Bergmans email
  • Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
  • Faculteit Electrical Engineering
    Postbus 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven
  • +31-40-2474438

P10-08. Wireless turns Green

The number of applications for wireless systems is increasing rapidly, both in broadcast and telecommunication systems and in newer application areas such as wireless sensor networks and body-area networks. In parallel, most applications are developing in ways that require increased data rates across the wireless link, requiring higher bandwidth as well as an increase in bandwidth efficiency. This increasing need for bandwidth, together with the rapidly increasing number of devices, is the driver for the development of a new generation of wireless systems. The ambition of the proposed program is to develop new techniques to optimally use the EM spectrum for data communication to overcome these increasing bandwidth and co-existence needs. We think that a cross-layer and multidisciplinary approach is the only route to address this. This will be done in the “Next Generation Wireless System”-program in which the following aspects will be addressed: co-existence of many radio systems, huge bandwidth communication, minimizing EM-radiation exposure and new techniques for next generation wireless systems.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

M. Bentum, B. Nauta, F. van Vliet (UT); P. Baltus, A. van Roermond (TU/e); A.J. van der Veen, H. Nikookar, I. Niemegeers (TUD); J.G. Bij de Vaate (ASTRON).

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Dr.ir. M.J. Bentum email
  • Universiteit Twente
    Postbus 217
  • 7500 AE Enschede
  • 053-4892108

P10-12. TRIAD: Novel fabrication technologies of functional 3-D systems by self assembly

As an alternative to traditional ‘top-down’ fabrication techniques, self-assembly is a ‘bottom-up’ method whereby a target structure is constructed from a set of small scale subelements with little external intervention. The subelements represent the fundamental building blocks of the final device and can be manufactured or synthesized at any time prior to the final assembly. Top-down device fabrication approaches based on lithography are essentially two-dimensional in nature and require that the various components of a device can be manufactured using compatible fabrication technologies. Self-assembly offers distinct advantages over these top-down fabrication techniques in that they enable the fabrication of 3D structures from non-uniform subelements. In this program we wish to exploit the use of directed self-assembly as a possible way forward in the design and creation of three-dimensional systems and new materials composed of units in a range of sizes from tens of nanometers to hundreds of micrometers. In supramolecular chemistry self-assembly is a well-known structuring method. Since the principles of molecular assembly also seem to apply for units of up to a millimeter in size, we recognize the importance of self-assembly in nano- and microtechnology over a wide range of applications and as a fundamental new type of fabrication technology. In micro- and nanotechnology self-assembly may provide a route to manufacturing three-dimensional systems. It could potentially enable us to build devices comprising complex arrays of different materials or functionalities which would be impossible to achieve using traditional techniques. Directed self-assembly also offers potential advantages over traditional pick-and-place methods including spatial resolution (since very small subelements can be synthesized), higher assembly rate (due to increased parallellism), lower device costs and fewer problems with undesired adhesion. Additionally, it also provides possibilities for packaging and combining systems made by incompatible fabrication methods. Finally, top-down and bottom-up technologies can meet in self-assembly when complex three-dimensional systems or materials are self-assembled from units having internal properties, beginning with simple ones such as having an electric or magnetic moment to more complex internal functions such as electronic circuits, antennae or sensors. This way three dimensional computing, three dimensional memories and supermaterials with unprecedented properties might be synthesized. The consortium in this program combines groups and companies based in supramolecular chemistry, polymer science, colloidal crystals, and microtechnology. We expect a strong cross-fertilization from the collaboration in such a multidisciplinary program.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

TUD: Klaas Besseling, Jan van Esch, Paddy French, Ernst Südholter; UT: Leon Abelmann, Miko Elwenspoek, Joost van Honschoten, Jurriaan Huskens, Julius Vancso, Willem Vos; WUR: Martien Cohen Stuart; TU/e: Bert Meijer, UU: Alfons van Blaaderen, RU: Alan Rowan

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof. dr. M.C. Elwenspoek email
  • Universiteit Twente
    MESA+, Postbus 217,
  • 7500 AE Enschede
  • 0031-(0)53-4893845

P10-13. H-Haptics: Human-Centered Design of Haptic Interfaces

In many state-of-the-art systems, the physical connection with the environment is missing. Examples include the mouse or joy-stick for computer interactions with a virtual environment, most tele-operation devices, minimally invasive techniques using forceps and catheters, drive-by-wire cars, fly-by-wire airplanes. In complex systems, the poor information transfer about the state of the end effector to the human is often severely limiting the benefits and applicability of these new enabling technologies. The objective of the ‘H-Haptics’ program is to provide a paradigm shift, where a strong focus on human capabilities and limitations forms the basis for designing a new generation of intuitive interfaces that use haptic (~ force) feedback to optimally assist the human in interacting with high-tech systems. Systems with optimal haptic feedback can optimally combine the creativity and intelligence of humans with the precision and possibilities of machines. The core element in the approach of ‘H-Haptics’ is the use of detailed quantitative models of human capabilities and limitations, both in sensing and actuation of the neuromuscular, tactile, visual and vestibular system, and also including the cognitive system. The broad applicability of this approach can be demonstrated within the program with the development of haptic interfaces for master-slave configurations as used in surgery, nuclear and chemical plants, space robots and therapeutic or assistive robotic devices, but also for intuitive support for drive-by-wire and fly-by-wire systems as used in cars and airplanes.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Frans van der Helm (TU Delft), Maarten Steinbuch (TU Eindhoven), Herman van der Kooij (Un. Twente/TU Delft), Henk Nijmeijer (TU Eindhoven), Kees van Hee (TU Eindhoven), Stefano Stramigioli (Un. Twente), Astrid Kappers (Un. Utrecht), Thom Warmerdam (Philips), Piet Lammertse (MOOG)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof.dr. F.C.T. van der Helm email
  • Technische Universiteit Delft
    Mekelweg 2
  • 2628 CD Delft
  • 015-2785616

P10-15. Super-resolution microscopy (“nanoscopy”): from sharp images towards imaging of molecular interaction

Super-resolution microscopy (sometimes called “Nanoscopy”) is an emerging field in microscopy technology. Maturation of this technology will disclose a new view on cell-biology, bio-technology and pharmaceutics. In the last few years, research groups have given a proof of principle that Abbe’s Law (optical theory (1873) that describes the limited resolution of the light microscope (~250 nm)) can be broken by using non-linear optics (STED, SIM, 4PI) and switchable fluorescent probes (STORM and PALM). Although the first results are promising (resolution down to 20 to 50 nm), there are a number of essential technological problems to be solved: E.g. super resolution imaging is time consuming, there are still no dedicated fluorescent probes available, images do not provide quantitative molecular information. Due to such deficiencies, super resolution microscopy is still not broadly applicable in cell biology, pharmaceutics, biomedical studies and material science. A group of Dutch scientists together with allied industrial partners will jointly work on the maturation of this technology. It is our aim 1) to design special fluorescent probes and genetically encoded biomarkers, 2) to develop dedicated ultra fast detectors (SPAD-arrays), 3) to develop new illumination strategies that will decrease the noise level (spatially modulated light sources in combination with high power lasers), 4) to enhance spatial resolution (down to 10 nm), 5) to monitor the dynamic behavior of molecules by enhancing the temporal resolution (down to 10 msec), 6) to obtain spectroscopic information at molecular level (FRET, fluorescence life-time, Raman spectra and anisotropy) and 7) to correlate 3D positions of individual molecules in order to analyze molecular interactions. Newly developed technologies in this program will be tested in biological and biomedical applications.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Erik Manders (UvA), Kees Jalink (NKI), Hans Gerritsen (UU), Erwin Peterman (VU), Adriaan Houtsmuller (EUR), Marloes Groot (VU), Dorus Gadella (UvA), Cees Otto (UT), Nynke Dekker (TUD), Ron Hoebe (AMC), Peter Drent (Nikon Instruments BV), Sander de Jong (Lambert Instruments), Joris van Nunen (Coherent BV)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof. Dr. E.E.M. Manders email
  • Universiteit vban Amsterdam
    PO Box 94215
  • 1090 GE Amsterdam
  • 020-525 6225

P10-16. Fundamentals and Application of Silicon Heterojunction solar cells (FLASH)

Goal: enhance research on silicon heterojunction solar cells in the Netherlands Universities will apply for STW subsidies (PhD students, Post-Docs) to perform basic research on silicon heterojunction cells. ECN and industry can be seen as end-users of that research. More details will be given at the open workshop. Project summary A solar cell is a device that converts light directly into electricity. One of the current bottlenecks is the higher costs of so-called solar electricity. Methods to reduce these higher costs are to improve the conversion efficiency, to use abundant materials, and to apply low-temperature processing methods. Conventional silicon solar cells have the same structure and are made in a similar way as simple silicon diodes. Thus far, high-temperature process steps to form the pn junction (the emitter) and a highly doped layer at the rear (the so-called back surface field) have been used for this purpose. Another technique to create these highly doped regions is Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). Using this method, thin amorphous silicon-based layers will be deposited on crystalline silicon substrates at low temperatures, and it will result in higher conversion efficiencies. The Japanese SANYO (currently PANASONIC) is the only company that manufactures this type of cells with efficiencies above 20%. Others are approaching 20% cell efficiency by extensive development. The fundamental knowledge to understand the heterojunction formation of this type of solar cell is lacking as well as the relation with the processing method. The objective of FLASH is to study this cell concept in all its aspects, to obtain a better fundamental understanding leading to lower costs of solar electricity. Goal of the program: Enhance research on silicon heterojunction solar cells in the Netherlands Universities will apply for STW subsidies (PhD students, Post-Docs) to perform basic research on silicon heterojunction cells. ECN and industry can be seen as end-users of that research. More details will be given at the open workshop.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Utrecht University: Prof. Dr. R.E.I. Schropp Eindhoven University of Technology: Prof. Dr. M.C.M. van de Sanden Delft University of Technology: Prof. Dr. M. Zeman Radboud University Nijmegen: Prof. Dr. R.A. de Groot Energy research Center of the Netherlands: Dr. A.W. Weeber

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof.dr. R.E.I. Schropp email
  • Universiteit Utrecht
    Postbus 80.000
  • 3508 TA Utrecht
  • 030-2533170

P10-18. ONTIME: how to fix a broken (biological) clock

It is essential for survival and function that organisms organize changes in metabolism, physiology and behaviour in a coordinated way. A key player in this synchronization is the circadian biological clock which effects biology at all levels – including the cell, the organ and the individual. Accordingly, as modern life pushes daily activity to ‘un-natural’ times, pathologies such as cancer and metabolic syndrome are associated with e.g. shift work. Another aspect of daily biological timing that concerns society as a whole is the increasing age of the entire world population and the natural decrease in functioning of circadian clocks in the elderly, a feature that likely contributes to the onset and/or progression of age-related diseases. Although our knowledge concerning circadian clock mechanisms is developing at an impressive speed, as a field we have not yet crossed the bridge to chronobiological applications. In ON TIME, we propose to bring together chronobiologists and commercial parties for the development of ‘applied chronobiology’. We will study clock-associated disease on one hand and develop clock-assisted strategies for health on the other. The ON TIME consortium envisions the implementation of chronobiological protocols in these major areas: • applications concerning daily timing of metabolism as it relates to diabetes and obesity (metabolic syndrome) and integrity of DNA (aging an cancer). • psychological well-being – in the realm of cognition, alertness, performance, and sleep consolidation - that comes with living with the biological clock, not against it. We envision applications from lighting products to nutritional supplements to pharma, as well as lifestyle products that will allow everyone to appreciate – and indeed to regulate - their own biological time zone. ON TIME is strategically conceived to bridge the gap between basic research in chronobiology, as has been practised for decades, and applications that potentially impact the entire human population in their everyday life.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Martha Merrow (University of Groningen) Domien Beersma (University of Groningen) Menno Gerkema (University of Groningen) Joke Meijer (Leiden University Medical Center) Stephen Michel (Leiden University Medical Center) Tom deBoer (Leiden University Medical Center) Bert van der Horst (Erasmus Medical Center) Eus van Someren (Netherlands Brain Institute) Dries Kalsbeek (Amsterdam Medical Center)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof.dr. M.W. Merrow email
  • Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
    Postbus 14
  • 9750AA Haren
  • 0646485553

P10-26. Optics for Solar Light Management (OSLiM)

The effective use of solar energy in the built environment asks for major breakthroughs. The goal of OSLiM is to approach the underlying optical problems in both photovoltaics and daylight integration and control from many different directions. Despite decades of research, the costs associated with photovoltaic cell production are too high to allow widespread use without subsidy. One way in which these costs have been reduced is through the use of concentrator technologies. Commonly available concentrators, based on focusing or reflective optics, are still very expensive and mostly only applicable in large-scale devices. One of the goals of OSLiM is to develop concentrator optics for use in the built environment as well as (off-grid) lighting and lifestyle products. Several aspects of concentrators will be addressed: the use of gratings and nanostructures for spectral splitting and directing light to PV cells, design of lenses using nano- and micro-scale materials, enhancement of lens function, and the use of luminescent solar concentrators. Another increasing priority is the need to control light passage in the built environment. In particular, the costs associated with building lighting and heating/cooling make up a significant fraction of the operating expenses. Natural lighting would be an obvious choice, but to date the losses incurred with conventional systems restricts its usage to simple objects like skylights. We wish to use our expertise to enhance the effective penetration depths a natural lighting system could have in a building, as well as allow the inclusion of infrared-eliminating features to aid in heat management. The projects will synthesize knowledge from nanotechnology, lighting science, optics experts, materials synthesis, design, architecture, and photovoltaic research to produce devices capable of reducing the cost of using sunlight for electricity, lighting and/or heating.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Michael Debije (TUE), Dick Broer (TUE), Wilfried van Sark (Utrecht), Andries Meijerink (Utrecht), Theo Hoeks (Sabic), Paul Urback (TUD)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Dr. M.G. Debije email
  • TU/e, Faculteit S&ST, Den Dolech 2, Postbus 513
  • 5600 MB Eindhoven
  • 040 247 5881

P10-27. Systems microscopy technology for anticancer drug target discovery (SYSMICTECH)

Efficient treatment of cancer is hampered by the lack of tumor specificity of the treatment, the (acquired) drug resistance of tumor cells as well as their metastatic spreading..The molecular mechanisms underlying these tumor phenotypes are complex and vary between tumor type and patients.. Recently, functional genomics approaches identified numerous genes and pathways involved in tumor cell proliferation and migration. These studies have been based on end-point measurements and did not incorporate the dynamics and kinetics of molecular events leading to these abnormal phenotypes. To allow the identification of novel candidate drug targets for cancer therapy, improved technologies are necessary to assess these dynamic and kinetic parameters of cellular processes and the role of individual proteins therein. Systems microscopy is an emerging research field that connects ultrafast high resolution live cell imaging with automated image analysis in combination with RNA interference-based gene knock down or small molecule perturbation. At this moment the cellular read-outs are based on relative low resolution and lack quantification of signaling pathways. The primary goal of our program proposal is to develop more advanced systems microscopy, including high-end image acquisition technologies in relative high-throughput manner and advanced image analysis programs, to assess functional determinants of two key biological processes that are relevant for cancer drug resistance and metastasis: DNA damage response and cell migration/invasion. The objectives of our STW perspectives program are: 1) to develop advanced systems microscopy technologies for rapid high throughput functional genomics screening; 2) to establish informative (live) cell imaging-based high throughput biosensor reporter systems for the DNA damage response and tumor cell migration/invasion; 3) to assess functional determinants for the DNA damage response and tumor cell migration in cancer tissue; 4) to relate our findings to relevant in vivo models of cancer progression and drug resistance; 5) to translate our findings to the patient for improved drug therapy or diagnosis.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

1) Bob van de Water/Erik Danen (Universiteit Leiden); 2) Leon Mullenders/Harry Vrieling (LUMC); 3) Rene Bernards/Roderick Beijersbergen (NKI) 4) Jan Hoeijmakers/Wim Vermeulen (ErasmusMC)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof.dr. B van de Water email
  • LACDR; Einsteinweg 55
  • 2333 CC Leiden
  • 071-5276223

P10-28. Integral design of multifunctional flood defences, 100x safer, 10x smarter

The worldwide number of Fatalities and Economic Damage of Floods has been dramatically increased in the past decades. The main reason is that it is economically very attractive to live in the Delta regions. Also, in the Netherlands, people live and work below sea level. It is widely recognized that living in Delta areas is economically very attractive. And people like to live near river and coastal fronts, because it is attractive to live there. Although we have a lot of beautiful historic urban Delta en River fronts in the Netherlands (for example Rotterdam, Kampen, Deventer), there are almost no new developments. The key question is: why? This research program will address the critical issues of new challenges in urban delta fronts, such as: - how to assess the risk of failure of these urban fronts and what is the acceptable contribution to the flood risk? - how to design attractive urban concepts which are ‘flood proof’? - what are critical factors from a legal, economic and public administration point of view? - How to combine the three ‘layers’ of flood risk reduction: building dikes, spatial planning and disaster planning? - Is it wise to build along our flood defences in view of expected climate change?

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Chris Zevenbergen (Unesco-IHE) Matthijs Kok (TUD / HKV) Ellen Tromp (Deltares)

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • prof.drs.ir. J.K. Vrijling email
  • Technische Universiteit Delft
    Westvest 7
  • 2611 AX Delft
  • +31 15 2151844

P10-30. Mucosal vaccination against viral infections

The objective of this program is the development of innovative strategies, tools and reagents and the generation of vaccines that will protect against viral diseases via the induction of mucosal immunity. Mucosal surfaces are prominent in the respiratory gastrointestinal and urogenital tracts, and provide portals of entry for pathogens. A large number of emerging pathogens are mucosally transmitted and must cross mucosal barriers to infect the host. Thus, our ultimate defence against new and re-emerging infectious diseases will require effective mucosal vaccines. Mucosal inductive sites in humans, such as the Peyers patches in the intestinal tract and the nasal-associated lymphoreticular tissue in the oropharyngeal cavity, stand as sentinels to the intestinal and respiratory tracts and represent the major sites where mucosal immune responses are initiated. Although mucosal application of vaccines is attractive for many reasons, only a few mucosal vaccines have been approved for human use. The programme will develop new vaccination strategies and vaccines to induce mucosal immunity in animals and man, including the development of needle-free intranasal vaccines, adjuvants and live attenuated vaccines.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Xander de Haan, Universiteit Utrecht Peter Rottier, Universiteit Utrecht Ben Berkhout, AMC/Universiteit van Amsterdam Jan Wilschut, Universiteit Groningen

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Dr. C.A.M. (Xander) de Haan email
  • Universiteit Utrecht
    Afdeling Virologie, Yalelaan 1
  • 3584 CL Utrecht
  • 030-253 4195/2462

P10-32. H2Otherwise

The water sector is facing new challenges. In the past, technology development was aimed at removing pollutants, either to meet standards for surface water, or to produce drinking water of high quality. Differentiation in water quality was hardly an issue: drinking water was also used for less demanding applications as industrial process water. Focus in treating residuals – such as sludge, and filtration returns – was on minimizing waste removal costs. The challenges of today are to make maximum use of the value contained in the residuals (energy and reusable materials), to produce water ‘fit for use’ (avoiding unnecessary treatment), and improve sustainability (footprint). Key to this change of focus is selectivity in treatment, and new processes enabling efficient energy production and mining of reusable materials. Breakthroughs in technology are needed. Examples of such new technologies are: nanotechnology, membranes, new adsorbants (including zeolites), ion-exchange, enhanced reduction and oxidation, supercritical sludge gasification.

Initiatiefnemer(s)

Dr. Ir. J.P. van der Hoek – Waternet; prof. dr. Ir. L.C. Rietveld – TU Delft; prof. dr. Ir. J.B. van Lier – TU Delft; dr. ir. G. Zeeman – WUR; prof. Dr. W.P. de Voogt – UvA; ir. J. van Agtmaal – Evides; dr. Ir. J. Boere – KWR Watercycle Research Institute; dr. ir. A. van Nieuwenhuijzen – Witteveen en Bos; A. Garlich (MBA) – DSM; ir. M. Kruisweg – Akzo; ir. H. van Lier – Akzo/DSM.

Contactpersoon/ trekker van het thema

  • Prof. Dr. Ir. M.C.M. van Loosdrecht email
  • Technische Universiteit Delft
    Postbus 5046
  • 2600 GA Delft
  • 015 – 278 1618