Danish Council for Independent Research - When curiosity brings change 1
Primary aim of Danish Council for Independent Research To support research activities based on researchers own ideas To provide research advisory services within all scientific areas To strengthen the conditions for bottom-up research nationally as well as internationally 2
The Danish research council system - 2016 budget Research advisory services Advisory services on research and innovation policies Funding of scientific research Funding of scientific research Funding of scientific research and innovation DKK 922 million DKK 421 million DKK 1,218 million The Danish Council for Research and Innovation Policy Danish Council for Independent Research The Danish National Research Foundation Danish National Innovation Foundation 3
Organisational structure of Danish Council for Independent Research Board of Directors The Chairmen s Group DFF Humanities DFF Natural Sciences DFF Social Sciences DFF Medical Sciences DFF Technology and Production Sciences Office 4
Funding 6
Allocation of DFF funds between the five scientific research Councils (DKK million) Basic funding Special initiatives Total DFF Humanities 120.9 42.2 163.1 DFF Natural Sciences 206.4 72.7 279.1 DFF Social Sciences 93.6 28.5 122.1 DFF Medical Sciences 242.8 51.0 293.8 DFF Technology and Production 245.5 54.0 299.5 Sciences Total 909.2 248.4 1157.6 7
Applications and Grants 2005-2015 Number of applications Number of grants 8
Average success rates DFF, 2005-2015 (%) Number of grants/number of applications Amounts granted/applied for 9
Danish Council for Independent Research s main instruments Research Projects 1 and 2 The Sapere Aude programme Individual postdoctoral grants 10
Criteria for the Council s assessment of project applications The quality of the project The scientific qualifications of the applicant Project feasibility Mobility and international dimension of the project 11
Assessment procedure of project applications to the Council International peer review of large scale applications: Sapere Aude: DFF-Starting Grant Sapere Aude: DFF-Advanced Grant Research Project 1 & 2 (some councils identify specific areas for peer review) 12
DFF-Research Projects 1 and 2 One deadline per year Clear and well defined research proposal Single researcher/research collaboration Applicant above postdoc level Project duration up to 3 / 4 years Max DKK 1,800,000/4,500,000 excl. overhead 13
DFF Postdoctoral Grants Two deadlines per year Independent research project PhD age typically under 4 years (with exceptions, e.g., maternity/paternity leave) Project duration up to 3 years Project carried out in Denmark or abroad Emphasis on mobility in some councils 14
The Sapere Aude programme DFF Research Talent Postdoc level, on request only Up to 0.5m DKK incl. overhead DFF Starting Grant Senior researcher level Up to 8 years after obtaining PhD degree, Duration up to 4 years and max 4.9m DKK excl. overhead DFF Advanced Grant Professor level Up to 20 years after obtaining PhD degree, Duration up to 5 years and max 8.3m DKK excl. overhead 15
Relation between ERC and DFF Sapere Aude Grants 16
Scientific advisory services 17
Scientific advisory services The Council provides research advisory services to the Danish Government, the parliament, the Minister for Higher Education and Science and other national as well as international authorities. During 2014, DFF has provided advisory services in almost 500 cases. 18
International co-operation 19
The Council is represented in Science Europes General Assembly Science Europes Scientific Committees Global Research Council ESF s Governing Council Joint Committees of the Nordic Research Councils (NOS) EU-ERA-nets (Norface, Hera, Bonus) 20
Thank you for your attention! 21
Policies & focus areas 22
Excellence Internationalisation Open Access Gender and equal opportunities Outreach and communication Focus areas 23
Internationalisation policy The Council has adapted an internationalisation policy the aim of which is to advance the internationalisation of Danish research. The goal of the policy is also to clarify the Council s involvement in international forums focusing on bottom-up research, researcher mobility and diversity in research. The policy also serves to highlight the Council s efforts to simplify structures and processes related to the assessment of applications. 24
Equal Opportunities Policy Danish Council for Independent Research has adopted an Equal Opportunities Policy the aim of which is to achieve a gender balance among DFF applicants that will correspond more or less to the gender balance in the academic research environments. Another important objective is to ensure that an equal share of men and women seek to advance from one academic level to another, and thereby contribute in the long term to attaining a more equal gender distribution at the top academic levels in Denmark. 25
Open Access policy In 2012, Danish Council for Independent Research, Danish National Research Foundation, the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation and the former Danish Council for Strategic Research and Danish Council for Technology and Innovation, adopted a joint Open Access policy. The aim of the policy is to disseminate Open Access as the standard for scientific publishing. Moreover, the Council s ambition is to ensure better copyright conditions for researchers own scientific articles published in international periodicals. 26