It was an inspiring and dynamic event where researchers presented their projects through posters and short pitches, sharing their ideas and ambitions with the different teams.

The highlight? Each winning team received a voucher from Tessa Scharringhausen, Managing Director of Utrecht Holdings, to help take their research to the next stage of the valorisation journey.
Turning groundbreaking research into real-world impact starts with ideas like these!

👏 Congratulations to all the winning teams and their projects:
🔹 Deepscreener – Airport Security | Georg Krempl & Jan Meijers
🔹 Sterile Farmed Salmonids | Tatiana Dovgan & Jan Bogerd
🔹 Weetrack Diaper | Anton van den Bedem, Rogier Schroeder & Thomas van Steenbergen
🔹 Hybrid Supramolecular Biomaterial for Bioprinting and Cell Culture | Paulina Nunez Bernal & Riccardo Levato
🔹 Data-driven Prediction of Microbial Establishment via High-throughput Synthetic Community Assembly | Ronnie de Jonge
🔹 NuClear-CF | Ewart Kuijk, Jari Bulkens & Jeffrey Beekman
🔹 Aseptic Drain Pad | Sander Muijs & Eva Bax
🔹 B7H3nano TrikEs | Michael Y. Schakelaar & Niels Bovenschen
🔹 iPhonetype – Portable, Auditable Plant Phenotyping from iPhone Capture to Desktop Analysis | Vinicius Lube
🔹 Universal Building Blocks for Orthoflavivirus Antigen Design | Joost Snijder & Adinda Kok
🔹 Engineering of Potato Immune Receptors through Gene Editing for Broad-spectrum Resistance | Iñigo Bañales, Dmitry Lapin & Guido Van den Ackerveken

We wish all teams the very best of luck in achieving their research goals. We look forward to seeing how these promising innovations develop and make a difference!

A special highlight of the event was hearing from Edwin Veldhuizen and Thomas Martens, previous Make it Matter voucher winners from 2025. They shared their experiences and insights from their own valorisation journeys, offering valuable inspiration to this year’s winners. We are very grateful that they joined us and took the time to share their stories!

A special thank you to Kadans Science Partner for welcoming us to the beautiful Ultra Plus building, and to Vanessa Elliott for hosting the event. Thank you for your hospitality and involvement!

💡 Interested in turning your research into impact?
Do you have an innovative idea and want to take the next step towards valorisation? Make it Matter!
Applications for the next round of Make it Matter vouchers open in Spring 2027. Don’t miss the opportunity to make your research matter!