Prestigious Vici Award for Roeland Berendsen

Utrecht, 26 February 2026

We are very proud to share that Roeland Berendsen has been awarded a prestigious Vici grant from the Dutch Research Council (NWO) for his project ResistoBiome: Predictive microbiome modelling for resilient and sustainable potato cropping systems.

The Vici grant, part of the NWO Talent Programme, enables senior researchers to further develop innovative research lines and expand their research teams.

ResistoBiome: Harnessing the natural microbiome of potato plants

With ResistoBiome, Roeland Berendsen aims to harness the natural microbiome of potato plants to reduce dependence on chemical pesticides and fertilizers.

The five-year project will combine artificial intelligence, large-scale microbiome sequencing, and advanced plant phenotyping at the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre (NPEC) in Utrecht. By analysing 100 agricultural soils from across the Netherlands, Berendsen and his team will develop models that predict plant health, disease resistance, and the success of beneficial fungi based on microbiome sequencing data.

If we understand which microbial communities support resilient crops, we can design smarter strategies that
reduce chemical inputs while maintaining high yields.

Roeland Berendsen, about ResistoBiome

From describing to predicting

Rather than simply describing which microbes are present, the project aims to understand how microbial communities influence whether pathogens can invade and how well plants grow under pressure. In addition, the research will investigate how potato plants actively recruit protective microbes when under pathogen attack and how microbial partners can strengthen beneficial fungi such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma harzianum.

“Our goal is to move from describing microbiomes to predicting plant health,” says Berendsen. “If we understand which microbial communities support resilient crops, we can design smarter strategies that reduce chemical inputs while maintaining high yields.”

A Cross-Sector collaboration

The project will be carried out in close interaction with partners from breeding, biocontrol, regulation, and the arable farming sector, including HZPC, Koppert Biological Systems, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), and BO Akkerbouw.