Three new projects launched within NXTGEN Hightech
Three new consortia have been awarded a combined total of over €4 million for research into hightech equipment. The projects were granted funding through the latest NXTGEN Hightech / NWO open call and focus on the development of advanced hightech technologies. One of the projects is working on AI-driven software to support diagnosis and therapies for muscle diseases, while another focuses on developing a new generation of liquid sensors.
An overview of the new projects
An AI model for skeletal muscle to aid in diagnosis, unravelling mechanisms of disease, and therapy development
Main applicant: prof. dr. W.W.M. Pijnappel (Erasmus MC)
Co-applicants: prof. dr. ir. S.M. van der Maarel, prof. dr. S. Abeln, prof. dr. G.U. Weitzel
In this project we will develop software in which artificial intelligence will be used to predict diagnosis, disease mechanisms, and response to therapy for muscle disorders. We will treat human mini-muscles in the laboratory with small molecules. The contractile forces will be recorded and used to generate the artificial intelligence software. To enable this work, a new consortium has been founded consisting of academic experts and the company Sophion Biosciences.
Securing Closed-Source Software in Society-Critical Systems
Main applicant: dr. F. Verbeek (Open University)
Co-applicants: dr. ir. A. Continella
Almost all high-tech equipment contains software. Examples include smart greenhouses that use complex software to regulate the climate. Often, we cannot access the source code of the software in these systems: it is closed-source. How can we then know whether or not the software contains bugs? Or whether or not the software can introduce security risks? In this project we will research and develop capabilities to find bugs and anomalies in the closed-source software present in high-tech equipment such as used by defence, but als in smart green houses or satellites.
VISCUS: viscosity ultrasound sensors
Main applicant: prof. dr. J. Schmitz (University of Twente)
Co-applicants: dr. ir. R. Loendersloot, dr. ir. C. Salm, prof. dr. P.G. Steeneken, dr. G.J. Verbiest
Flow sensors for measuring the speed of liquids find application in many industrial setups where the dosage of a liquid must be controlled, such as food processing, drug production, microchips and solar panels. In this project, a flow sensor that works with ultrasound is further developed so that other fluid properties can also be determined, especially viscosity. This allows the quality of the liquid to be automatically monitored and enables quick intervention when the liquid unexpectedly changes composition.