Wim van der Putten and Martijn Bezemer nominated for the Huibregtsen Prize

Jury report

'Soil transplants globally recommended by UN'

The jury report attributes great impact to the research of Van der Putten and Bezemer. 'The fact that soil transplants are carried out worldwide today to restore vulnerable nature is in part thanks to Wim van der Putten and Martijn Bezemer.' According to the jury report, the impact of their work in Reijerscamp is also evidenced by the fact that the United Nations now recommends soil transplantation for restoring ecosystems worldwide. 'Van der Putten and Bezemer contribute to nature restoration in a constructive and friendly way at a time when the debate around nature and climate is actually polarised.'

The Huibregtsen Prize was established in 2005 by the board of the Evening of Science & Society Foundation. The prize is intended for a recent research project that combines scientific quality and innovation with special social added value. The prize is named after the founder of the Evening of Science & Society, Mickey Huibregtsen, who passed away on May 20, 2022.

At the Evening of Science & Society, October 9, 2023 in the Pieterskerk in Leiden, jury chairman Marileen Dogterom (president KNAW) announced that this year's Huibregtsen Prize has been awarded to 'A cheap, portable and sustainable MRI system for brain scans in developing countries' from Andrew Webb and Johnes Obungoloch. The prize was presented by Robbert Dijkgraaf, outgoing Minister of Education, Culture and Science.