The Netherlands Heart Institute encourages young, talented researchers and coaches them to the top.

Permanent positions in the scientific groups in academic centers are scarce and the personal grant rounds are very competitive. The Netherlands is internationally recognized for the excellent output and achievements in the field of cardiovascular disease. This strong international position can only be maintained if we invest in our talented researchers. The NLHI encourages young, talented researchers and coaches them to the top.

The NLHI appoints research personnel, mostly young talents under the labor agreement of Dutch Academic Medical Centers. Employees work in the laboratories and clinics of the NLHI’s partners. Academic cardiology departments provide the infrastructure for their PhD training including supervision and instruction. In order to have NLHI scientists fit in the local teams seamlessly, they participate in local PhD programs.

Starting a career in science may pose challenges on both a professional and a personal level. The NLHI aims to improve the research and competitive skills of its employees and therefore, together with our partners, we jointly organize meetings and programs for talents:

Young @ Heart initiative

Initiated by the NLHI and Netherlands Heart Foundation, Young @ Heart (Y@H) provides a professional network for career development. Y@H brings together young, talented and ambitious scientists with an overall mission to secure the future of cardiovascular excellence in the Netherlands. Y@H is characterized by passion and enthusiasm for cardiovascular research, in the broadest sense of the word.

Activities are:

Organizing network events where interaction between young scientists and established professionals in science, business and (semi)government is the central theme.
Providing opportunities for developing soft skills relevant to science
Issue calls for competitive research grants and fellowships for talented young scientists.

In 2020, Y@H was adopted by the Talent pillar of our umbrella organisation Dutch CardioVascular Alliance (DCVA). This way the program is integrated in a broader cardiovascular talent policy including the DCVA leadership program.

Fellowship programme

The NLHI endorses talent by providing a grant for talented PhD students and postdocs with the possibility to work at a foreign, internationally recognized institute. Every year the NLHI awards up to 4 fellowships to young scientists, allowing them to work abroad for up to a year. The idea behind the fellowships is for young people to both develop themselves and to bring skills and knowledge back to Dutch academic hospitals.

The fellowship program is supported by the Foundation Friends of Cardiology (Vrienden van de Cardiologie). The jury consists of the NLHI board who invites two to three applicants to present their proposal during the Annual Translational Cardiovascular Research Meeting. The public of the meeting has the final vote.

Einthoven dissertation Prize

The Einthoven dissertation prize is a joint initiative of the NLHI and the Netherlands Society for Cardiology (NVVC). The prize is named after one of the Dutch Nobel Prize winners, Willem Einthoven, founder of the ECG. It is an annual contest for the best cardiovascular thesis in the Netherlands. This prize is very popular and prestigious.

The jury consists of board members of the NLHI and NVVC who invite the three best applicants to present their work during the Annual Translational Cardiovascular Research Meeting. The public of the meeting has the final vote. Prizes consist of a personal budget for the 3 winners (3.000 – 2.000 – 1.000 Euro’s).

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