Gravitation for scientists to investigate adaptability of societies in crises

Busy street with poeple with face masks The open society is increasingly threatened by crises such as pandemics, terrorism, floods, and earthquakes. The future of the open society depends on its adaptability to prepare for these crises. Under the name Adapt!, a of researchers from five universities will spend the next few years researching the cultural, social and policy capacities needed to deal with such crises. During a pandemic, core values of open societies are challenged. Some communities drifted apart during the COVID-19 pandemic, while other communities remained stable throughout the crisis. What causes this? The Adapt! team will research that, as a result of obtaining the prestigious Gravitation grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). "During the pandemic, it became clear that the core values of open societies, such as freedom, equality, and solidarity, can become eroded," argues Adapt! leader and historian Beatrice de Graaf (Utrecht University).