Veni grants for Christiaan van der Kwaak, Tom Boot and Björn Mitzinneck

Three researchers of the Faculty of Economics and Business will receive a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council ( NWO ) worth up to €250,000. The grants provide the laureates with the opportunity to further develop their own research projects during a period of three years.

The Veni grants are aimed at excellent researchers who have recently obtained their doctorate.

Dean Peter Verhoef is proud: 'As a faculty we are very pleased that all 3 interviewed VENI candidates have received this grant, as this is an exceptional performance. It shows the talent we have among our junior staff.'

The Veni grants are awarded to dr Christiaan van der Kwaak, dr Tom Boot and dr Björn Mitzinneck.

Van der Kwaak received the grant for his research on u nconventional monetary policy and financial crises. Ever since the financial crisis, central banks have purchased government debt in previously unheard-of quantities. The literature has only studied the effects of such policies in mitigating financial crises. This research goes beyond this and examines whether such policies can generate new crises and, if so, how to prevent this.

Boot’s research focuses on forecasting accuracy. This is routinely measured on average over long time periods. In times of crises, major political shifts and unconventional policies – times when accurate forecasts matter most – these measures are uninformative. This project develops adaptive accuracy measures that lead to accurate forecasts in such extraordinary circumstances.

Mitzinneck will look at collaboration models for the future, how the energy transition can be done together. For the energy transition to succeed, quick implementation of sustainable technologies is essential. Organizing effective collaborations between municipalities, businesses and citizens can help. However, we lack knowledge on how such different partners can best work together for mutual benefit. This research investigates organizational structures and practices to balance everyone’s interests.