Christian Bröer’s project ‘Making Time: How Couples Navigate Time, Relationships, and Health After the First Child' will examine the practical, physical and material ways in which new parents make their lives manageable: weekly planning, improvising when routines break down, and recovering from conflicts. By investigating how the management of these everyday frictions influence both the quality of the relationship and well-being, the project will provide insights and concrete starting points for parents and professionals alike to support sustainable family rhythms.  

Marlies Glasius’ project ‘Why Are the Super-Rich So Tax Averse?' will investigate the reasons behind the super-rich’s efforts to minimise their tax payments, which exacerbates financial inequality, reduces government revenue and undermines the tax morale of other citizens. The project will develop and test two key theories: one suggests that the super-rich are, as rational actors, seeking to avoid unnecessary costs. The other suggests that they learn from their social environment that tax avoidance – and perhaps even tax evasion – is legitimate and socially acceptable. 

Rosa Sanchez’s project ‘The Politics of Emotions in the Age of Affective Machines’ (AIFeels) will examine the ways in which policymakers use emotion-sensitive GenAI and the implications for policy-making. The output from Generative AI can associate emotions with specific groups, which may lead to political discrimination or favouritism towards these groups. By raising awareness amongst policymakers and developing policy recommendations alongside them, AIFeels will promote a constructive role for emotion-sensitive GenAI in improving and maintaining the health of European democracies. 

Femke Kaulingfreks is recognized for her involvement in the awarded project 'Building Bridges Between Different Classes, Races, and Ages in Collaborations to Improve the Liveability of Underserved Urban Areas', led by Judi Mesman (Leiden University), alongside Alyt Damstra, who will contribute to Rens Vliegenthart’s project 'Democracy in the Feed: Tracing the Impact of Social Media on Democratic Attitudes'. 

The SGW Open Competition programme funds ambitious, curiosity-driven research in the social sciences and humanities, with grants of up to €800,000 per project. These projects are expected to kick off in January 2027.   

Luc Fransen received a NWO Impact Explorer top-up grant for his ongoing project ‘Exploring Data Disclosure for Better Supply Chain Management’.  This project explores the possibility of developing an online tool that allows users to search for information about supply chains, environmental and human rights risks, and levels of corporate accountability.  This will improve the effectiveness of new EU regulations for businesses, civil society organisations, and governments. 

We extend our sincere congratulations to our researchers on this well-deserved recognition, and we look forward to the continued impact of their work in their respective fields.