Veni grant for Kira Tiedge

Kira Tiedge is one of ten researchers from the University of Groningen and the UMCG who have been awarded a Veni grant of up to €320,000 by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The Veni grants are designed for outstanding researchers who have recently gained a PhD.

NWO selects researchers based on the academic quality and the innovative character of the research proposal, the scientific and/or societal impact of the proposed project, and the quality of the researcher. The Veni grants, together with the Vidi and Vici grants, are part of the NWO Talent Programme. In total, the NWO has provided Veni funding to 174 researchers nationwide.

Designing crops for a salty future

Kira Tiedge, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences
Around the globe, agricultural areas are endangered by an increase of salts in the soil. This salinization reduces the yield and nutritional quality of crops grown in these areas, which poses a serious threat to our food supply. This project investigates how metabolic substances in plants can be used to increase the resistance of important crops to salinization. The results will help to develop new crop varieties that can withstand current and future climate-driven stressors to enable sustainable crop production and ensure food security.