Innovation Fund Denmark is looking for International Established Researchers for the Grand Solutions Committee for Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology

Innovation Fund Denmark is looking for 1-2 international established researchers who can assess the quality of research and innovation in applications within the theme “Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology” for the Grand Solutions programme.

About the Innovation Fund Denmark and the Grand Solutions programme

The Innovation Fund Denmark is a government funding agency that invests in accelerating research and knowledge into innovative solutions that have the potential to solve societal challenges and create growth and employment in Denmark. The fund has an annual investment budget of almost DKK 2 billion (266 million €).

The Grand Solutions programme is characterized by ambitious and interdisciplinary research and innovation projects with the potential to create significant impact and new solutions to important politically prioritized societal challenges. Each Grand Solutions project grant is typically 2-3 million € in addition to co-financing from participating partners.

The applications are assessed based on the programme's guidelines with a focus on the quality of the idea (the level of innovation), impact and quality of execution.

In 2024 four new committees have been formed in order to assess applications for the Grand Solutions programme and decide which of these receives a grant.

The committees have been set up with their own thematic focus and an even distribution of committee members who are ‘impact experts’ having extensive knowledge of the applications’ commercial and strategic potential for Denmark, and international established researchers who qualify to assess the quality of the research and innovation of the applications at an international scale.

With this announcement, 1-2 international established researchers are sought for the Committee for Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology, whose function is further described in its terms of reference HERE.

The Grand Solutions Committee for Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology

The Grand Solutions committee for Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology currently consists of 12 members including a chair person and a deputy chair person. All members possess solid and extensive knowledge and recent experience within one or more specific professional domains that relate to the committee's theme. The domains reflect the political priorities under which the Innovation Fund Denmark disburses funds, which are decided annually in connection with the adoption of the annual finance act. In 2024, the Grand Solutions posting below illustrates key focus areas within the theme "Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology”:

• Life science, health and welfare technology
• Stem cell research and technology

All members of the committee contributes with knowledge and experience within the theme, so that the committee as a whole has the necessary breadth of competences to cover the theme's professional domains.

Committee members should also be able to assess applications which cover more than one theme (interdisciplinary) or even applications introducing new subdomains within the theme of the committee.

Finally, the committee is composed based on considerations of member’s diversity, e.g. gender identity, nationality, and geographical location.

More information of the committee members is available on the Innovation Fund Denmark website.

Qualifications

The Grand Solutions Committee for Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology is looking for members with solid and extensive knowledge and recent experience within one or more of the following domains:

• Digital prevention and treatment services for people with mental disorders
• Development of health and welfare technology that supports coordination and collaboration across sectors, including primary healthcare, elderly care, treatment at home, and/or the social area.
• Development of the digital health area, including the health data area
• Interdisciplinary research methodology including social science and/or humanistic approaches, e.g. with a view to qualifying needs assessments, implementation processes, and analysis of health and illness behavior.

As an international established researcher you are, or have recently been, possessing a position as associate professor or professor within one or more domains relevant for the theme Life Science, health and welfare technology. Alternative positions at a corresponding academic level may be qualifying as well.

Also, as an international established researcher you have

• developed a level of independence and an established reputation based on research excellence within your area of research
• demonstrated an innovative approach to research through co-operations and collaborations within your area of research and expertise
• demonstrated the ability to take the lead in executing collaborative research projects in cooperation with national and international colleagues and project partners
• formed research consortia and secured research funding from various national or international funding sources or industry
• published papers as lead author displaying a prominent academic track record
• organized workshops and conference sessions
• participated in a number of assessment committees (e.g. PhD-assessment, national or international research council committees)

With the purpose to minimize conflicts of interests, as an international established researcher you may not have your main employment at a Danish research institution, including Danish universities. However, other academic affiliations and side jobs (e.g. honorary doctorate, visiting professor, external associate professor and external examiner position) at these institutions are allowed.

Scope of work as a member of the committee

All members of the committee assess a certain subset of the applications received. Assessments from external experts will also be included in the committee's work. Each member must, among other things, expect to:

• participate in at least two two-day committee meetings per year, of which one two-day meeting is a physical meeting in Denmark and the other two-day meeting is expected to be held virtually
• read and prepare short written preliminary assessments of a number of "Letters of Interest" and applications for the Grand Solutions programme
• take part in an introductory course for carrying out the tasks in the committee, including an introduction to the Grand Solutions programme
• keep informed about the committee's work via e.g. information emails

The amount of work is expected to be around 160-180 hours per year, and the bulk of the workload will fall over 1-2 months in the spring and 1-2 months in the autumn.

As a committee member, you must respect GDPR regulations in handling all material, to ensure compliance with EU data protection and privacy standards.

As a committee member, you receive an annual fee, which is determined in accordance with the ”Cirkulære om betaling til medlemmer af kollegiale organer i staten” based on the Danish Education and Research Agency's ”council system”. The annual fee currently amounts to DKK 102,985 (equivalent to approximately 13,731 €).

Innovation Fund Denmark also covers all travel- and hotel expenses in relation to the physical committee meetings.

The commissioning process

Committee members are appointed upon application through this notice by the Board of Innovation Fund Denmark (the secretariat and a board sub-committee will undertake a pre-screening of candidates). The committee members then enter into a commissioning in the form of an appointment agreement that regulates the conditions and scope of the duties.

The members' appointment period starts from March 2025 and lasts for a period of up to three years with the possibility of extension. If you meet the criteria for an international established researcher and if you are interested in the position as a member of the Grand Solutions Committee for Life Sciences, Health and Welfare Technology, you must send the following information

• a description of which domains within the theme you can contribute with as a member, and your motivation for carrying out the task (on a maximum of two A4 pages)
• a short CV or a link to a publicly available CV (e.g. on LinkedIn)
• contact information in the form of name, address, email and telephone number

Please send this information by email to kontakt@innofond.dk  February 13th, 2025. Please start the subject of your email with Grand Solutions Committee LIFE SCIENCES.

Applicants will be notified before 1 March, 2025, about the Board decision.

Contact

For more information about the Grand Solutions programme, the committee, and what the position as a member entails, please contact:

• Investment Officer Eva Ladekjær Larsen: eva.ladekjaer.larsen@innofond.dk // +45 6190 5008
• Investment Officer Børge Lindberg: boerge.lindberg@innofond.dk // +45 61905012

The Innovation Fund wants to promote diversity in all its aspects. Therefore, all interested parties, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender identity, disability status, neurodiversity, age or professional areas, etc., are encouraged to apply.