Grant round with an impact: green light for innovative research
This year, the Leiden University Fund received over 90 applications in its annual grant round for research and teaching projects. Behind each proposal is a unique story. We spoke to three researchers whose applications were successful and who can now put their plans into action.
Researcher: Dr Christianne Groeneveldt (Medicine/LUMC)
Project: Overcoming Secondary Resistance to Cancer Immunotherapy
Grant: De Klerk-Waller Fund and Leiden University Fund
Could you explain what you are going to research?
‘Activating our immune system to destroy tumour cells is proving highly effective for an increasing number of cancer patients. However, after initially shrinking, tumours often “evade” the immune system and continue to grow. In this project, we aim to uncover the biological mechanisms behind this immune evasion, in order to make immunotherapy more durable and effective for a larger group of cancer patients.’
What does this grant mean to you?
‘For me personally, receiving this grant is a great boost; for our team, it is recognition of the importance of this research. In practical terms, it gives us the opportunity to investigate whether disabling several key targets in tumour cells can prevent tumour evasion after therapeutic vaccination, thereby improving the effectiveness of this form of immunotherapy.’
Anything else you would like to share?
‘I’d like to say a big thank you to the donors to the De Klerk-Waller Fund and the Leiden University Fund.’
The LUF received over 90 applications for this spring’s project grant round. Based on the Committee for Academic Expenditure’s assessment, the available funds and, where relevant, the decisions of external foundations, we were able to award 28 grants.
Although these project grants represent just a proportion of the total number of grants that the LUF awards each year, they highlight the diversity and innovative strength of the Leiden University community. On behalf of this community, we would like to thank all donors who support research and teaching at Leiden University.
Researcher: Dr Miles Kellerman (Governance and Global Affairs)
Project: Bankers on the Frontlines: Analysing the Role of Financial Institutions in Sanctions Enforcement
Grant: Gratama Fund and Leiden University Fund
Could you explain what you are going to research?
‘From advanced microchips to critical minerals, international smuggling networks often undermine export controls. This project will investigate the little-understood role financial institutions play in chasing smugglers through their transactional data. By analysing both historical and contemporary enforcement practices, the project will produce practical policy lessons relevant to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the global battle for technological superiority.’
What does this grant mean to you?
‘This grant provides the essential resources to bring this research to life. It enables me to conduct vital archival research in the UK on historical economic warfare, and to interview contemporary financial compliance practitioners and policymakers across G7 countries. This critical fieldwork is the engine that will drive the project’s investigation into the enforcement dynamics of global trade security.’
Anything else you would like to share?
‘I am deeply grateful to the LUF donors. Public debate on economic statecraft pays relatively little attention to the practical challenges of private enforcement. Your support will directly empower me to fill this gap, producing policy lessons that are directly relevant to many of the world's most pressing geoeconomic conflicts.’
Researcher: Dr Marleen Reichgelt (Humanities)
Project: The People Among the Plants: Indonesian (Forced) Labourers in Natural-History Collections
Grant: Dirkse-Bergsma Fund
Could you explain what you are going to research?
‘The research aims to shed light on the Indonesian labourers – including forced labourers – who played a crucial role in European scientific expeditions in colonial Indonesia. By analysing photo collections with the aid of contextual archival materials, we aim to reconstruct their roles and backgrounds. This is important because they have long remained a largely invisible group in these histories, despite their essential contribution to the development of scientific knowledge and collections.’
What does this grant mean to you?
‘The Dirkse-Bergsma Fund will enable me to appoint a student assistant to help catalogue and describe relevant photo collections at Naturalis Biodiversity Center. The grant will also make it possible to organise an expert meeting with Indonesian and West-Papuan partners, with a view to making the photographs more widely accessible and exploring them from a variety of perspectives. I look forward to analysing these natural history collections from a historical perspective to seeing how they can contribute to a broader understanding of the Indonesian individuals in the photos.’
What do you hope to achieve?
‘Our aim is to place Indonesian figures at the centre of the history of colonial science. Photos are particularly valuable in this regard: they make individuals and their work visible for a broad audience.’
Would you like to contribute to innovative scientific research? We would be delighted to welcome you to our network of committed donors: the LUF Key Family. Discover the different key roles, including Friend or Keyholder, or donate online with a one-off gift or a recurring contribution.