June 24. 2024
Innovation Fund Denmark is looking for 8-9 internationally established researchers who can assess the quality of research and innovation in applications within the theme "New technologies and artificial intelligence" 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 program 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.
The Board of Innovation Fund Denmark has recently decided to set up four new committees which will both assess applications for the Grand Solutions program and decide which of these will subsequently receive a grant.
The committees are set up with their own thematic focus, and they will each consist of both 'impact experts' who have the competencies for assessing the commercial and strategic potential for Denmark, and internationally established researchers who have the competencies for assessing the quality of the research and innovation of the applications at an international scale.
With this announcement, internationally established researchers are sought for the Committee for New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, whose function is further described in its terms of reference HERE .
The Grand Solutions Committee for New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
The Grand Solutions committee for New technologies and artificial intelligence consists of approximately 18 members including a chair person and a co-chair. All members must 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 "New technologies and artificial intelligence":
The members of the committee must all contribute 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. Up to half of the members are impact experts while the remaining are internationally established researchers.
Finally, the committee is composed based on considerations of diversity, eg gender identity and geographical affiliation.
When the committee has been set up, all members will be announced and published on the Innovation Fund Denmark website .
Qualifications
Specifically, the Grand Solutions Committee for New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence is looking for members with solid and extensive knowledge and recent experience within one or more of the following domains:
- Robotics and drone technology
- Production technology
- Automation
- Materials technology
- Particle research
- Semiconductors, micro- and nanochips
- Space-based technology
- Cyber and information security
- Big data and artificial intelligence
- Natural language processing
- AI solutions for general use
- Approaches within social science and/or humanities, eg with a view to analyzing ethical issues in relation to the responsible use of digital technology and to qualify the understanding of the cultural and societal contexts in which the solutions in question must be implemented
The list is not exhaustive.
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 to the theme New technologies and artificial intelligence. Alternative positions at a corresponding academic level may be qualifying as well.
Also, as an internationally 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 (eg PhD assessment, national or international research council committees)
With the purpose to minimize conflicts of interests, as an internationally established researcher you may not have your main employment at a Danish research institution, including Danish universities. However, other academic affiliations and side jobs (eg 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 program
- keep informed about the committee's work via eg 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 " Circular on payment to members of collegial bodies in the state " 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). Chair person and co-chair, the latter being appointed among the internationally established researchers, will receive a higher fee.
Innovation Fund Denmark also covers all travel and hotel expenses in relation to the physical committee meetings. The first physical two-day meeting is expected to take place November 2024 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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 September 2024 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 New Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, 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 (eg on LinkedIn)
- contact information in the form of name, address, email and telephone number
Please send this information by email to kontakt@innofond.dk August 11, 2024. Please start the subject of your email with Grand Solutions Committee TECH.
Applicants will be notified before 5 September, 2024, 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 Børge Lindberg: boerge.lindberg@innofond.dk // +45 61905012
- Investment Officer Sophie Bogø Rahbek Dyrskjøt: sophie.bogoe.rahbek.mortensen@innofond.dk // +45 6190 5077
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.
