ERC Advanced Grant for a healthy start
Research aimed at ensuring a healthy start for everyone has received additional funding. Pediatrician Vincent Jaddoe, together with cell biologist Jurgen Marteijn and gastrointestinal and liver specialist Maikel Peppelenbosch, has been awarded a €2.5 million ERC Advanced Grant to support their work.
The European Research Council (ERC) provides funding for pioneering research across Europe. Its Advanced Grant is among the most prestigious and competitive awards, designed for established and leading researchers pursuing ambitious and innovative projects.
A healthy start for all
Vincent Jaddoe is dedicated to the idea of “a healthy start for everyone.” He considers the period before conception and the early weeks of pregnancy as a crucial window for achieving this goal. “What factors and biological processes in both women and men influence the health of the unborn child?” he asks.
Through his ERC project Preconception Origins, Jaddoe will study the early development and prevention of cardiovascular disease. His research focuses on the formation of egg cells, sperm cells, embryos, and the placenta. To support his work, he draws on data from initiatives such as Rotterdam’s Generation R and Generation R Next studies, as well as the EU Child Cohort Network.
A key aspect of his work is translating research findings into practical applications. He collaborates with fellow scientists, healthcare professionals, and prospective parents through our Convergence Healthy Start program. Jaddoe emphasizes, “Health should not depend on where you are born, yet this is still the reality. How can we prevent social and ethnic inequalities in health from emerging from the very beginning of life?”