NWO Open Technology Programme funding for Andrea Sciacchitano
NWO announced today that researcher sports aerodynamics Dr Andrea Sciacchitano will receive funding from the NWO Open Technology Programme for his research project 'Flow for Gold: Quantitative flow visualisations to enhance sports performance'. In total, NWO is funding seven research projects with a total of 5.4 million euros. Involved companies and other organisations are investing around 1.4 million euro in the projects. Two of the awarded proposals are from TU Delft.
“I am extremely honoured that our proposal has been awarded and I am looking forward to work with the group of Prof. Jerry Westerweel at the TU Delft faculty of Mechanical Engineering to advance the Particle Image Velocimetry technique for the study of the aerodynamics around moving and morphing bodies. We chose sports aero- and hydrodynamics as one relevant application, but the outcomes of the project have the potential to be extended to many more sectors such as drone aerodynamics, wind energy and maritime engineering.”
How can we help cyclists and rowers go faster? Part of the answer lies in the flow of air and water around the athletes and their equipment. Optimising this aspect is currently done mostly by trial and error. Researchers will follow a more scientific approach by investigating the aerodynamics of cycling and the hydrodynamics of rowing. To this end, they will push the main flow-studying technique from small lab scales to large realistic scales. This will give athletes a leading edge and uncover fundamental insights of relevance to for example wind energy and maritime technologies.
The Open Technology Programme
The Open Technology Programme provides funding for excellent research, with a view to potential application of the results. The programme gives companies and other organisations a low-threshold way to join scientific research that should lead to applicable knowledge.