The Rise of Science and Fiction during the Scientific Revolution in Denmark
Free basic research in humanities and social sciences
Granted amount:
DKK 6.0m
Free basic research in humanities and social sciences
Collective, curiosity-driven research projects selected in collaboration with the departments at Danish universities.
With the programme, we aim to promote the innovative contributions of humanities and social science research at the highest academic level to the development of society’s broad knowledge of people, culture, language, history and society.
We achieve this by supporting free, curiosity-driven, original basic research across the entire spectrum of humanities and closely related social science disciplines (anthropology, political science, sociology and psychology) at the Danish universities.
The programme is targeted at the growth phase of research, providing outstanding researchers in the middle of their careers with the opportunity to establish a research group for a three to four-year research project: a core group.
A core group is a closely collaborating research team typically led by one or two permanent researchers, possibly with additional permanent researchers, as well as two to three postdocs and/or PhD students.
A core group can consist of researchers from the same institute or researchers across institutes and universities.
We emphasise the project’s ’stepping stone potential,’ meaning the project manager(s) and other participants’ career opportunities and research development, as well as the project’s potential to subsequently attract grants and/or lay the groundwork for establishing a strong research environment.
The programme is also aimed at strengthening the departments that provide the setting and conditions for the granted projects and their long-term and broader effects.
We therefore also emphasise that the granted project reflects and contributes synergy to the realisation of the department’s own plans and goals for excellent research, education and career development.
We achieve this through the programme’s special involvement of the institutes in the selection process leading to the annual grants.
The programme cannot be applied for unsolicited, but only through an invitation from the foundation via the head of department.
Approximately 30 humanities and social science departments at the Danish universities are part of the programme’s established collaborative network. The departments are divided into two halves, each invited every other year to submit a specific number of applications, depending on the number of permanent researchers at the respective department.
The total annual number of invited applications is determined to achieve a success rate of approximately 25% within the allocated grant budget of up to DKK 40 million. Typically, six to seven core groups will be granted within the annual grant budget.
Through a department-internal process, such as the research committee, the department selects the invited number of applications that can be submitted to the foundation.
It is a requirement that the principal investigator (PI) of the core group is employed on a permanent basis at the institute.
Applications can be made for up to DKK 5.7 million, but smaller projects are also welcome. Time allocated for project management can constitute up to 10%, and for joint project management, up to 15%.
In addition to the project’s and researchers’ academic excellence at the international level, the departments’ selection should prioritise the ‘stepping stone potential’ and synergy with the department’s plans and goals (as mentioned above), ensuring the realisation of the programme’s dual objectives.
We encourage all core groups to:
- Strive for diversity in the project group and project management
- To the extent possible fill PhD and postdoc positions through open calls For postdoc positions, it is a requirement that they are posted internationally
- Contribute to strengthening the internationalisation of research.
