What can you apply for?
The grants for strategic research activities are relatively large. This means, among other things, that the activities may involve several different research environments and involve both public and private, national and international participants.
In generel it is is possible to apply for funding for the following three instruments:
- Strategic research centres
- Strategic research alliances
- Strategic research projects
Moreover, The Danish Council for Strategic Research in cooperation with The Danish Council for Technology and Innovation offer funding for
- SPIR (Strategic Platforms for Innovation and Research)
Please find further information about the instruments in
It appears from each call, which instruments that can be applied for within each theme.
Strategic research centres
Strategic research centres are employed as an instrument where there is a need for environments of a high scientific standard with a keen focus on developing solutions to complex problems in order to serve a comprehensive aim, where the solutions will have great strategic significance and great societal and commercial potential.
A grant for a strategic research centre is minimum DKK 30 million and last for approximately five to seven years.
Strategic research alliances
A strategic research alliance is a research initiative devoted to finding solutions to a key challenge, where a major future need for research exists. The premise for this instrument is that research in the area is scattered across small-scale environments and because of this is a need to create alliances between existing Danish research environments or between Danish and international research invironments with the view to establish stronger research alliances at a high scientific level.
A grant for a strategic research alliance is DKK 15-20 million, spanning approximately five years.
Strategic research projects
The focus of strategic research projects is to find solutions to a relatively restricted set of research issues.
The projects must promote the research institutions' and the public and private-sector parties' development of interdisciplinary expertise with purpose of promoting innovation among recipients in the public and private sectors. The projects are expected to include involvement of public and private sector stakeholders as well as collaboration with international research environments and individual researchers. The projects are required to create a basis for subsequent international positions of strenght.
A grant for a strategic research project is minimum DKK 10 million and has duration of three to five years.
SPIR (Strategic Platforms for Innovation and Research)
SPIR funds initiatives which seek to strengthen the link between strategic research and innovation and thereby promotes efficient knowledge dissemination and possibilities for fast application of new knowledge in connection with innovation in the private and public sectors.
A grant for a SPIR will normally have duration of five to seven years. The grant will be on at least DKK 60 million. A substantial co-financing from the participating public and private partners are expected.
Co-financing
The companies and research institutions that participate in a strategic research activity must provide co-financing. However, the maximum amount required from Danish governmental research institutions is 10 per cent. The co-financing could be provided either in cash or “in kind” – i.e. by providing equipment, personnel etc.
