There were five applications for this year's Investment round. The proposals were judged by a group of senior AMS researchers, who advised the AMS MT on their decision. There were two applications that stood out, and the MT decided to award both. Professor dr. Carel Meskers (Rehabilitation VUmc) submitted a proposal for a Shoulder- Elbow Perturbator (SEP) (€40.000), a 2-degrees-of-freedom robot manipulator for the upper extremity which allows for instrumented assessment of passive and active neuromechanical properties of the upper extremity under various well controlled task conditions. The pertubator can be used for various translational research lines, primarily those focused on stroke, MS, Cerebral Palsy, spasticity and ageing. In addition the SEP offers a strategic partnership with TU Delft, where it is already in use as part of a VENI grant given to dr. M.L. van de Ruit / Prof.dr. R. Selles.
Secondly, the MT decided to finance the proposal submitted by professor dr. Ronald van Vollenhoven (Rheumatology AMC) for the purchase of a FLIR T 560 thermograph with lenses (€34.000). The thermograph allows for detailed (patho)physiological imaging of the body surface temperature by recording infrared radiation. It is a non-toxic, non-invasive and non- ionizing imaging modality that can detect small differences in temperature (up to 0.01 degrees centigrade). The proposal was prioritized from a strategic point of view as the purchase opens for new collaboration within AMS; collaborations are possible on oral infections with the department of Endodontology, ACTA, and within the department of Human Movement Sciences on the topics of heat strain in both athletes and the elderly. In addition collaboration should also be possible on the topic of the diabetic foot. One of the proposals will be financed from the annual investment budget, the other from the AMS reserves.