New agreement between Danish foundations and universities
Universities Denmark and six private research funding foundations, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Villum Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, Velux Foundation, Lundbeck Foundation, and LEO Foundation, have entered into an agreement that enhances the transparency regarding the foundations’ contributions to research at the universities and defines a clear cost distribution mechanism between universities and foundations.
The universities and research funding foundations aim to bring clarity to the financing structure of Danish research. From next year, they will therefore introduce a precise cost distribution mechanism between foundations and universities that simplifies and standardizes the application process and the administrative process to the benefit of universities, researchers, as well as the foundations.
"At the Lundbeck Foundation, we welcome the plan, which is based on a constructive dialogue between the parties and based on transparent financing models prepared by the universities. We expect that the new agreement will give the universities the opportunity to prioritize research efforts, and we look forward to following the concrete initiatives it entails to strengthen the level of research at the Danish universities." says Jan Egebjerg, Director of Research at the Lundbeck Foundation.
The agreement stipulates that the six foundations will contribute to cover indirect project costs in the form of a project supplement. This applies to open-call grants under DKK 50 million. The project supplement is set at DKK 250,000 per project-employed full-time equivalent in scientific research, typically PhD and postdoctoral researchers, for research in the natural sciences, health sciences and technical sciences. For the humanities and the social sciences, (including law, and theology), the project supplement amounts to DKK 200,000 per project-employed full-time equivalent
With the current project portfolio supported by the Lundbeck Foundation, Jan Egebjerg estimates that 22% of the grants in the future will go to indirect project related costs compared to 10% of the current grants.
The cost distribution mechanism has been created based on a thorough mapping of the costs associated with various types of fund-financed public research projects at the universities.
In continuation of the agreement, the universities and the participating foundations will continue the close dialogue on how the quality and breadth of Danish research can be strengthened.
