“We know that most people are far more musical than they think,” says Henkjan Honing, professor of Music Cognition.

The technology will have an immensely positive effect for new applications in (bio)pharma, life sciences, and materials science.

There’s still no vaccine for HIV: the world’s second deadliest infectious disease. But researchers Rogier Sanders and Tom Camiels from Amsterdam UMC have taken a significant step forward.

“On average, it takes 17 years for knowledge to become practice,” says Diane Schöller. As an impact developer at IXA, she knows what she’s talking about.

Which researchers will be exploring the feasibility and commercial potential of their science-based innovations?

"Generative AI is already at the core of many scientific fields nowadays, Nebula enables VU researchers to do it in a fully replicable, fair, and ethical way." says Ivano Malavolta.

VU startup ReadLer has received a convertible loan of €350,000 from the Innovation Fund Noord-Holland for the development of Speaklee — a digital speech assistant for children with language and speech disorders. With this support, ReadLer takes an important step toward equal opportunities and better access to speech therapy.

VU startup Mycofarming is known for its innovative use of fungi in agriculture. To test their products, Mycofarming recently received funding from the VU IXA-GO Impact Fund. Their technology uses the natural filtration power of fungi to remove harmful substances such as nitrogen and phosphorus from water, before these pollutants enter the environment.

A common theme among the speakers was the potential of valorisation: the healthcare sector already holds a wealth of knowledge about necessary solutions, and it is in the journey toward realizing these solutions that we can learn from one another.

There is a huge global need for psychological support, especially in conflict zones and low-income countries where mental health care is often lacking. The new Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Academy (MHPSS Academy) aims to address this by supporting training programs for local individuals to provide effective, science-based mental health and psychosocial support worldwide.

What languages are spoken in Amsterdam? Who speaks them, and why do they matter? Linguist Eva van Lier (University of Amsterdam), together with the Buurtcampus of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, showcases the city’s rich linguistic landscape through a new digital map — a visual starting point for conversations about the value of multilingualism in urban life.

The investment will support the commercial development and market launch of StrokePointer™, a portable device that can diagnose a stroke while the patient is still in the ambulance.