Vidi grants for research on sexual intimacy using robots and the life-course impact of criminal sanctions
Two colleagues have each received a prestigious Vidi grant. We spoke to criminologist and Associate Professor Hilde Wermink, and Eduard Fosch Villaronga, Associate Professor of eLaw, about what this grant means to them and their research plans.
It’s no easy task to secure a grant of €850,000 when cutbacks are being made in higher education, but Hilde Wermink and Eduard Fosch Villaronga managed to do so. Last month, they heard that they had each been awarded a prestigious Vidi grant. The grant will allow them to develop their own line of inquiry for innovative and socially relevant research in the coming years. Hilde will examine the life-course impact of criminal sanctions, and Eduard will examine whether robots can help with the sexual intimacy of people with disabilities.
‘Sexuality is part of being human, yet for many people with disabilities it remains overlooked’
Dean Suzan Stoter comments on the grants awarded: ‘It’s a great honour that Hilde and Eduard have received a Vidi grant, a significant achievement for both researchers. This grant builds on their past research at our faculty, which has already yielded valuable insights for academia and society. Their new projects will expand this knowledge and provide substantial social and scientific value. We are delighted that these studies will be conducted at our faculty.’
Vidi grant
The Vidi grant is an annual award of maximum €850,000 provided by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The grants are awarded to researchers who obtained their PhD no longer than eight years ago and who have already conducted research at postdoc level for a number of years after their PhD research.
Researchers can use the grant to establish their own research project, on an innovative subject, and to recruit staff to help with the research. Jekaterina Savicka, grant advisor at Leiden Law School: 'The Vidi is a prestigious grant for both researchers and the university. Researchers can spend a lot of time on their research and it opens doors for them.'
Eduard Fosch Villaronga
What was your initial reaction when you heard the news about the Vidi grant, and how did you celebrate?
‘When I first heard the news, I honestly couldn’t believe it. My immediate thought certainly wasn’t champagne – it was, “will I manage to make space for this huge project in my schedule?” It took a moment for the excitement to settle in, but once it did, I felt incredibly grateful. As an expat, I’ll celebrate properly during the winter holidays, when I can enjoy the achievement under blue skies with the people who matter to me, but who don’t live here.’
Could you describe the essence of your research?
‘Sexuality is part of being human, yet for many people with disabilities it remains overlooked, unsupported, and often surrounded by stigma. My research explores how care practices, legal frameworks, and emerging technologies – such as assistive robotics – can help ensure that sexual rights are genuinely respected and upheld.’
When will the research project begin, and how will you start?
‘The project begins in April 2026. The first step is simple but crucial: listening. I will start by working with disability organisations, sexology experts, and care communities to help me document the lived experiences of people with disabilities – the barriers they face, the support they lack, and the ways sexual rights are enabled or overlooked in policy, healthcare, and technology. This early phase sets the foundation for the whole project, ensuring that every next step responds directly to the realities people face in their intimate lives.’
What gap in current research does this Vidi grant allow you to address?
‘Much of my work has focused on how assistive technologies can support autonomy in daily life, but the conversation almost always centres on visible, functional tasks – mobility, communication, feeding, dressing. Those tools are essential, but they reveal a deeper pattern: we rarely design technologies that support the intimate aspects of life, the ones that make us feel connected, desired, or simply human.
The Vidi gives me the opportunity to bring that missing dimension to the forefront and to examine sexuality and disability with the care it deserves. It allows me to create space for conversations often avoided, and develop a framework that helps law, care, and technology move beyond independence alone toward inclusion, pleasure, and justice.’
Hilde Wermink
How does it feel to be awarded a Vidi grant?
‘I’m delighted with this grant. It took a lot of time and energy to prepare the application and competition was tough. So, this result feels like a wonderful reward. Above all, it’s clear recognition that this research really matters – not only because the topic itself is important, but also because it contributes to various academic disciplines, as well as to society. I’m also grateful for the support and encouragement I received from the university, the faculty, and my institute.’
Could you describe the essence of your research?
'Many people receive not one, but several and various criminal sanctions over the course of their lives. In this project, we examine patterns in the life-courses of young people and adults to better understand the intended and unintended consequences of sanctions, and thus to better understand what is needed to prevent collateral damage from those sanctions to both the individuals themselves and for society. Using interviews and large-scale administrative data, we map individual life-courses. The aim is to contribute to a more effective and more just criminal justice system.'
What does this Vidi grant mean for your academic career?
'It’s an important recognition of the research I’ve already done, the direction I’ve taken, and my potential as a scholar. It means I can develop my own line of research further, put together a team, and strengthen international collaborations. It’s an important step towards more academic independence and leadership, and it opens up perspectives for further growth, such as supervising PhD students and developing ground-breaking projects.'
More information on the research conducted by Hilde and Eduard is available on their profile pages. Updates on their research projects will be published on the website.