This year, the NWO domain Exact Sciences and Natural Sciences (ENW) is awarding the NWO Domain Science Awards for the sixth time. In recent years, many winners have received the awards. Why does the NWO domain ENW find it so important to present these awards? And what does this recognition mean for winning researchers and initiatives?
The five awards are given to exact and natural scientists of all levels who go the extra mile for societal impact, team science, diversity, or communication in their research. The winners receive a cash prize, with which NWO aims to contribute to the continuation of their initiatives and achieving their goals. Currently, nominations for the 2025 awards are open. Over the past five years, many exceptional researchers and initiatives have been showcased at the NWO Domain Science Awards.
Ferdinand Grozema is a board member of the ENW domain board. Why does the NWO domain ENW find it so important to present these awards?
‘As the ENW domain, we value not only scientific excellence but also the way we collaborate in science. Scientists are usually focused on the technical content of their projects and are assessed on that. However, there are so many other important aspects: valorizing knowledge, collaborating with others, diversity, and communicating science to society. As a domain, we want to make these aspects visible and valued. That is why we present the NWO Domain Science Awards. We aim to highlight inspiring examples and role models, and we hope this encourages others! What’s even more beautiful: the awarded prize money is used to continue and strengthen the awarded initiatives.’
Professor Hannah Dugdale won one of the awards last year: the Athena Award for outstanding female researchers.
Her research focuses on evolutionary biology, and she is committed to diversity and inclusion in many ways. What has this recognition, winning the Athena Award, brought her?
‘The visibility of my research group has grown since winning the Athena Award, both in our research on the evolution of aging and our work in diversity, equality, and inclusion. It is fantastic to see that funders, colleagues, and students recognize the importance of equal opportunities in science. It also has a direct effect on the next generation of scientists. Mentees tell me, for example, that they find it motivating to have an Athena Award winner as a mentor. And we use the prize money to attract new students from underrepresented groups.’
Ellen van den Oever is, as part of No Guts No Glory, also one of the winners.
The initiative, a dietary intervention study for people with a brain disorder, won the Communication Initiative Award in 2024. What has this meant for her and the initiative that they won this award?
‘Winning the award has meant a lot to me personally. After being seriously ill, I wanted to make a real difference for society with my work one more time. By participating in No Guts No Glory, I could bring my ideas to life and connect science with practice. It was the icing on the cake when we won the Communication Initiative Award with this initiative. Under the leadership of Professor Iris Sommer, No Guts No Glory has continued to creatively convey the message after winning the award. Beautiful examples of this are the exhibition ‘Brainstorm’ at the University Museum in Groningen and ‘Science on Wednesday,’ where students from the Minerva Academy created artworks based on 50 scientific findings about the brain.’
Who do you nominate for an NWO Domain Science Award?
Researchers of all levels can be nominated, and anyone can submit a nomination. The brochures on the awards pages list all the conditions a candidate must meet to be eligible for an award and the criteria on which the winner is selected. Note: the conditions vary by award. Using a short nomination form with instructions, you can indicate why this researcher or team deserves the award. All Exact and Natural Sciences (related) research can participate, both large and small.
Nominations can be submitted until June 12, 2025, at 14:00. Who do you nominate?