“A UNIK” is a term used to describe research activities that are funded through the UNIK initiative. A UNIK is considered to go beyond an individual research project, but to be more focused than an overall research theme. A UNIK is defined as a dynamic and closely co-ordinated research framework involving interrelated research activities or sub-themes in a prospective field of research.
A total of DKK 480 million is available in 2008-2009, provided that the Danish Finance Acts of 2008 and 2009 are adopted. The funds will be distributed to the universities based on one round of proposals. It is possible that the initiative will be extended beyond 2009.
To ensure a reasonable success rate, an upper limit for how many proposals each university can submit has been set. The total amount of proposals will therefore be max. 31. The deadline for proposals is 1 April 2008. The call for proposals is enclosed.
Proposals will be evaluated by the UNIK expert panel. The evaluation by the panel will be based upon comments by external international reviewers. Four reviewers per proposal will be selected by the panel. The Danish Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation will make the final decision on the allocation of funds. The Minister’s decision will be based on recommendations for funding by the international expert panel.
It is expected that the UNIK expert panel will consist of a chairperson and approximately 10 members. The chairperson and the members should be highly experienced researchers. The panel as a whole should have a broad professional background and hold experience in management and strategic planning at universities. To minimize possible conflicts of interest in the assessment of proposals, only candidates not resident in Denmark will be appointed as panel members.
The UNIK panel will be appointed for five years from the beginning of 2008. The evaluation of the present round of proposals will take place during 2008. It is expected that the UNIK panel will meet in Denmark at least twice during 2008, possibly in March and November. At the first meeting, the panel will be planning the evaluation process. The UNIK secretariat will organise the work of the panel in consultation with the chairperson.
The universities selected for funding will have to report annually on progress in relation to their UNIKs, both economically and scientifically. The panel might be asked to review some of the annual scientific reports. Also, the panel can be asked to provide advice on various subjects related to the UNIK initiative. The remuneration for the chairperson is DKK 60,000 per year and DKK 30,000 per year for ordinary panel members.
