9 November 2020
Dr. Janna Coomans has been awarded a Veni grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for the project '(In)flammable Cities: How fire risks and prevention transformed the Low Countries (1200-1650)'.
Fire plagued pre-industrial cities due to widespread presence of combustible materials and use of open fire. This VENI-project investigates how Netherlandish cities adapted their socio-political organization and built environment to mitigate these risks. This provides insight into both the impact of environmental hazards themselves and preventative practices to reduce them.
In this round a total of 1127 researchers applied for a Veni grant from NWO, of which 161 were successful (14%). Each researcher will receive up to €250,000.