ZonMw grant for Pandemic Preparedness research

Published on December 1, 2022 – Bas van den Putte and Julia van Weert have received a €250.000 ZonMw grant for a pandemic-preparedness project, in which they will test interventions aimed at preventing virus infection and spreading (e.g., SARS-CoV-2) by improving compliance with behavioral measures. 

This one-year interdisciplinary project will focus on measures that are relevant for low- and high-risk (COVID-19) scenarios, including testing, hygiene measures, keeping distance and wearing mouth-nose masks. Both online experiments (testing communication strategies) and field experiments (testing the combined effect of communication and environmental interventions) are part of the project. Two post-doc researchers will be hired. The consortium for this project consists of the University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Radboud University Medical Center, and NSCR (Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement).

The project will provide insight into which communication strategies most effectively stimulate the adoption of COVID-19 behavioral measures and the added value of combined communication and environmental interventions. The results will be shared with policymakers as well as behavior and communication specialists from ministries, municipalities, and GGDs, and can also be used for future pandemics.