NWO awards Spinoza and Stevin Prizes: ‘Greatest gift for a scientist’

The Dutch Research Council NWO has awarded the highest honours in Dutch science: two Spinoza grants, for Judith Pollmann and Thijn Brummelkamp, and two Stevin grants, for Ingrid Robeyns and Ilse Aben. The winners will receive 1.5 million euros each. “A huge recognition.”

The Spinoza Prizes are considered the Dutch equivalent of the Nobel Prizes, recognising groundbreaking scientific research, while the Stevin Prizes emphasise researchers’ contributions to society.

The winners are delighted with the recognition. “It gives you the freedom, time and money to just pursue your own interests, and to bring others along with you”, Spinoza laureate Judith Pollmann said in a response to NWO. “It really is the greatest gift a scientist could wish for.”

Spinoza Prize winners

Pollmann is professor of early modern Dutch history at Leiden University. Using innovative research methods, she explores how people in the past dealt with radical social changes, and the effect this had on their identity.

The other Spinoza Prize was awarded to Thijn Brummelkamp, a cancer researcher and professor at UMC Utrecht, as well as the scientific director of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. Through genetic research, Brummelkamp has managed to shed light on the tactics employed by various pathogens, writes NWO. His work contributes to the development of new drugs for infectious diseases and cancer. Calling the award an enormous honour, he said that it was ‘fantastic to be able to spend the prize money freely on basic research’.

Stevin Prize winners

The first Stevin Prizes were awarded in 2018. One of this year’s winners is a well-known figure in higher education politics: Ingrid Robeyns, professor of ethics at Utrecht University and one of the driving forces behind the protest movement WOinActie. She told NWO that she was ‘extremely delighted’ to receive the award.

According to the research funder, Robeyns’ research on the distribution of justice, wealth and wellbeing offers concrete solutions to challenges around inequality and democratic decline. “Her keen analytical mind, organisational skills and public visibility demonstrate that philosophy can effect real change.”

The other winner is Ilse Aben, one of the inventors of the satellite technology that allows us to detect greenhouse gas emissions. “In doing so, she has made a unique and indispensable contribution to the fight against climate change.” The prize came as a complete surprise to Aben. “Obviously, it’s not something you think about at all in your day-to-day work.”

The official award ceremony for the Spinoza and Stevin Prizes will take place on Tuesday 14 October. This is also when the winners will announce how they intend to spend their prize money.