The origin and evolution of Life in the universe

2026-07-22

The origin and evolution of life remains one of the biggest puzzles for humankind. We still do not know where we come from, nor do we know what the future will bring. While at the disciplinary level some aspects of the origin of life question have been unravelled, the answers obtained thus far are fragmentary and far from complete. We are convinced that an unconventional trans-disciplinary approach is needed for making substantial progress. The oLife FP brings together a wide range of disciplines ranging from molecular biology to astrophysics, and from evolutionary ecology to biochemistry. This ground-breaking broad approach will undoubtedly lead to major new insights and perhaps even to a real breakthrough in the origin of life question. This COFUND initiative is part of a national interdisciplinary research effort, involving 300 scientists from top research institutions in the Netherlands, who are joining forces to enhance our understanding of the origin, evolution, distribution and development of life in the universe, with the ultimate goal of developing methods for steering life on a human-dominated planet. Besides pursuing interdisciplinary research on an internationally competitive level, the oLife FP will provide top-level training to junior scientists, who by interacting with researchers from various disciplines and secondments in academia, companies and other non-academic institutions will be ideally prepared for a career inside and outside of academia.

Netherlands

2026-02-01