Abstract
The aim of this project is to chart and explore the complex network of patronship and scientific collaboration entertained by the philosopher and scientist René Descartes (1596-1650) during his stay in the Low Countries (1629-1649). Apart from the final synthesis, it can be divided into three smaller projects: 1) a new historico-critical edition of Descartes' correspondence; 2) a study of Descartes' relation to the experimental tradition; 3) a study of one of Descartes' closest Dutch friends, Henricus Reneri (1593-1639).