Infrastructure Fund honours four Faculty of Science projects

The Executive Board has granted funding for four investments in research infrastructure in which Faculty of Science researchers are involved. The four projects will receive a total of almost 3.5 million euros. In June, the Executive Board announced that a total of eight proposals had been honoured with funding, for a combined total of 5.9 million euros in grants from the Infrastructure Fund set up to reinforce Utrecht University’s research position.

Faculty of Science researchers are involved in the following four proposals:

Lattice Light Sheet Microscope

This project will use the funding to purchase a Lattice Light Sheet Microscope. This revolutionary new microscope technology makes it possible to produce quick, three-dimensional high-resolution images of cellular processes in living cells and tissues. The technology will give Utrecht a completely new method for studying complex biological processes, and will also be used to study complex (nano)materials. The Lattice Light Sheet Microscope will be part of the Biology department’s Biology Imaging Center.

Utrecht Metabolism Expertise Centre

  • main applicant Celia Berkers (Veterinary Medicine / Chemistry)
  • grant: 904,000 euros.

The Utrecht Metabolism Expertise Centre will provide high-quality support for metabolomics. The funding will be used to set up a cellular metabolomics facility, which will include a mass spectrometer and a fluid chromatography system. The facility’s home at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine will make it possible to combine metabolomics and lipidomics research.

AI4UU & Data Science HPC Federation: Core Infrastructure and Governance for Campus-wide AI

  • participants include Johan Jeuring (Computer Science) and Joost de Graaf (Physics)
  • main applicants UMC Utrecht and the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences.
  • grant: 610,000 euros

The new AI4UU facility will make it possible to implement artificial intelligence, especially deep neural networks, in Utrecht University’s IT infrastructure. Recent developments in artificial intelligence present major opportunities for education and research throughout the university. The AI4UU facility will be part of the new Data Science HPC Federation, which will enable researchers to easily apply artificial intelligence and high performance computing (HPC) within their own research groups.

Mass Spectrometry Imaging

The participating researchers will use this grant to purchase a mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) instrument. This mass spectrometry technique makes it possible to locate proteins, lipids, and so-called ‘small molecule medicines’ in biological tissues, based on their molecular mass. MSI can be used to study the role these substances play in biochemical processes and illnesses, but also to compare their distribution with the structure of the tissues and cells. The instrument will be installed at UMC Utrecht.