The Grand Solutions programme invests in ambitious, and preferably, interdisciplinary research and innovation projects that can create new, specific solutions to important, politically prioritized societal challenges and create value throughout Denmark. To the extent possible, the Grand Solutions programme invests in projects that are carried out in close collaboration between research institutions and the business community.
Innovation Fund Denmark distributes the available funds in open competition between projects that within the two parts A. and B., (see below) demonstrate the greatest positive effect on climate, nature and environment while at the same time contributing to growth and employment in Denmark.
Aim of the call
Innovation Fund Denmark’s investment within “Green research, technology development and innovation” shall contribute to creating knowledge and technology that can ensure the course of the green transition towards a more sustainable society. This in order for Denmark to achieve the government’s goals of 70 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emission by 2030 and CO2 neutrality by 2050, while at the same time achieving the goals for nature, environment and biodiversity.
Denmark must be frontrunner in green research and innovation, which contribute to maintain and create green jobs. To the extent possible, the research must be carried out in close collaboration between research institutions and the business community.
Innovation Fund Denmark distributes the available funds in open competition between projects that within the three parts A., B., and C., (see below) demonstrate the greatest positive effect on climate, nature and environment while at the same time contributing to growth and employment in Denmark.
The call consists of two parts:
A) Green research, technology development and innovation - seven green themes
At least DKK 201.1 million *
B) Research in Emission-Free Food Production
53.6 million DKK
* With the possibility of transferring funds from Innovation Fund Denmark's other programmes. The potential transfer of funds can concretely result in an increased budget.
Applicants must submit their application under part A (Green Research, technology development and innovation - seven green themes) or part B (Research in emission-free food production). If the applicant submits the application under part B, and the application meets the formal requirements for the application as specified in the guidelines for Grand Solutions, but nevertheless does not receive an investment, the application will subsequently automatically be considered under part A and will be processed here in the same way as other applications. This is because part A is the general part of the call, while part B is a specific part of the call, which is thematically contained in part A. If the applicant submits the application under part A, and the Innovation Fund Denmark assesses that the application also falls within the framework of part B, the Innovation Fund Denmark may choose to process the application under part B first.
A. Green research, technology development and innovation – seven green themes
As a follow-up to the Danish government’s green research strategy, Innovation Fund Denmark wants to invest in projects within “Green research, technology development and innovation – seven green themes”. For this purpose, minimum 201.1 mil. DKK is available for investment. The purpose of the investments within this area is secure the greatest effect on climate, nature and the environment and contribute to growth and employment within the following seven themes:
- Energy production, etc.
- Energy efficiency improvement
- Agriculture and food production
- Transport
- Environment and circular economy
- Nature and biodiversity
- Sustainable behavior and societal consequences (cross-cutting)
The projects can support the development of local business powerhouses (in Danish: “erhvervsfyrtårne”) (see link in section 5: “Guidelines and inspiration”)
The funds are distributed in open competition within the seven themes and projects can, for example, contribute to:
- Development of new sustainable plant-based foods
- Development of smart integrated energy systems and potentials in sector coupling within the overall energy- and energy-supply area. Intelligent utilization of digital technologies and solutions is crucial in this context.
- Digitalization and data utilization that contribute to the green transition. This concerns the digital transition in sectors such as transport and agriculture, as well as digital monitoring and control of climate-, environmental- and nature-relevant conditions, e.g. through the use of big data, artificial intelligence, internet of things, cyber- and information security, and drones and digital infrastructure consisting of satellites, etc.
- Sustainable housing, construction and cities, which includes a wide range of disciplines in, e.g., engineering, architecture and design in order to develop holistic climate- and environmental friendly solutions with people at the center, in connection to the political agreement on national strategy for sustainable construction.
- Sustainable fashion and textiles, including new business models and materials
- Interdisciplinary research projects that provide greater knowledge about citizens’ perception, understanding and behavior in relation to climate challenges and the green transition.
B. Research in emission-free food production
Innovation Fund Denmark also invests 53.6 mil. DKK in “Research in emission-free food production”. The purpose is to invest in strategic basic research projects that contribute to achieving the climate goals within Danish agriculture and food industry.
Projects within emission-free food production can for example focus on:
- Development of new crop varieties that under Danish conditions can be grown for feed and human consumption.
- Livestock breeding targeting increased feed efficiency and thus lower climate load.
- Handling and recycling of nutrients from the agricultural- and food production industries in order to minimize waste and maximize value creation.
- Development of ‘omics’ tools that can be used to optimize and document production and products, so that, for example, food- and feed durability can be increased and waste can be reduced.
- Bioinformatics methods that can be used to analyze and interpret very large data sets – throughout the entire value chain.
- Use of fermentation, enzymes and new biotechnological opportunities for development of new climate-friendly products for both feed and human consumption.
- Understanding of consumer preferences in relation to taste, texture, nutrition and health and utilizing this knowledge for the development of climate-optimized foods and dietary patterns.
- Food safety and traceability in the production of new, climate-friendly foods and ingredients.
The funds are distributed in open competition and it is advantageous to focus on areas where lack of knowledge prevents creation of a coherent value chain.
Evaluation
The three overall decision criteria are:
- Quality of the idea – the quality of the research and innovation
- Impact – value creation during and after the project
- Quality of execution – efficiency in the project execution and the implementation of the results
Further information about the decision criteria can be found in the guidelines for Grand Solutions, which will be published on Innovation Fund Denmark's website at the end of January 2022 (see link in section 5: “Guidelines and inspiration”)
It is emphasized that key stakeholders of the project contributes to develop the project and participates in, or in other ways are directly involved in the project, e.g. through investment.
In connection with applications for “Green research, technology development and innovation”, particular importance should be paid to describing the projects quantified contribution (as far as possible) to the reduction of CO2 equivalents / greenhouse gas emission - both in Denmark and globally. The value creation in the project should not only be understood as monetary value, but may also encompass e.g. improved quality of life, nature conservation / recovery, increased biodiversity, cleaner environment etc. It is the applicant's responsibility to explain and account for the different types of value creation.
In addition to the three decision criteria, reference is made to the guidelines for Grand Solutions. The distribution of the funds originates from the current Finance Act and the agreement on the disposition of the Research Reserve (see links under section 5: “Guidelines and inspiration”).
Evaluation process
Applications to Grand Solutions must be submitted via www.e-grant.dk, which is the application portal of Innovation Fund Denmark. The call open in e-grant on February 1, 2022. Please note, that applicants will receive a receipt for submitting the application if the application is submitted after mid March 2022.
The evaluation process is described in detail in the guidelines for Grand Solutions and briefly outlined below.
Applicants are notified of the decision via www.e-grant.dk. E-grant has prepared a FAQ that can be accessed here.
It is expected that the project applications proceeding to phase 2, will receive either invitation for investment negotiations or rejection of application in November 2022, after which the investment negotiations can be initiated with an expected project start in the beginning of 2023.
Applications within this Grand Solutions call must take into account the following:
- Guidelines for Grand Solutions (NB: The new guidelines for Grand Solutions will be published on Innovation Find Denmark's website at the end of January 2022)
- The Government's green research strategy
- Future green solutions
The following can be used as inspiration for applications within this Grand Solutions call:
Innovation Fund Denmark hosts regular webinars and Q&A on Grand Solutions where everyone is welcome to participate. Registration for upcoming webinars and Q&A sessions takes place via Innovation Fund Denmark's website here (scroll down to see upcoming events).
Frequently asked questions to Grand Solutions and related answers can be found on Innovation Fund Denmark’s website here
Contact Information
For questions regarding formalities, Innovation Fund Denmark's Investment Officers may be contacted. In connection to this, please note that Investment Officers or other employees of the Innovation Fund Denmark are not allowed to answer specific questions regarding projects or ideas.
The following Investment Officers may be contacted regarding questions to this Grand Solutions call:
Kathrine Hauge Madsen (responsible for this Grand Solutions call)
Phone number: 6190 5047
Email: Kathrine.hauge.madsen@innofond.dk
Connie Benfeldt
Phone number: 6190 5061
Email: connie.benfeldt@innofond.dk
Bo Frølund
Phone number: 6190 5043
Email: bo.froelund@innofond.dk
Martin Søndergaard
Phone number: 6190 5065
Email: martin.sondergaard@innofond.dk
Jakob Dahl Wedel
Phone number: 6190 5031
Email: jakob.wedel@innofond.dk
Any legal entity in Denmark or abroad can be a project participant and receive funding from Innovation Fund Denmark eg.:
- Businesses
- Research institutions
- Public institutions
You can apply for funding for projects that create societal value and/or economic value in Danish public and private companies and/or from buyers in society, for example from citizens, the state, regions and municipalities.
A buyer can be an end user of the innovation, but it can also be a public or private investor who is willing to invest in the project after the Fund's commitment is completed.
It can be an advantage if the purchaser(s) of the project's results and other core stakeholders are involved as active participant(s) in the design of and through the project.
Grand Solutions projects will range from DKK 5,000,000 - 40,000,000
The money can co-finance expenses for salaries, equipment, other project-related costs, external services, etcetera.
The budget must include all direct project costs, meaning costs that can be directly attributed to the project, regardless of whether the costs are to be covered by Innovation Fund Denmark or will be covered by the project participants themselves or another party.
For further details, please see the programme guidelines.
The projects are of 1 to 5 years duration.
The application process for the Grand Solutions programme consists of two phases.
In phase 1, all interested applicants submit a short letter of interest, outlining their project. On this basis, applicants will either receive an invitation for phase 2 or a rejection.
In phase 2, the invited applicants submit a final application, describing their project in detail. When Innovation Fund Denmark has assessed all applications, the fund makes a decision as to which projects will be invited to enter negotiations for an investment agreement.
The application material for both phases must be created and submitted via the electronic application system: www.e-grant.dk. You must register as a user of the system with either a username and password or with MitID before you can create an application.
You create a new application by finding the correct call under "Search Options" and pressing "Start your application". Note that the list of search options is sorted alphabetically and that the names of all calls from Innovation Fund Denmark start with "IF".
You must write your application material for both phases in English.
You can find a guide to e-grant on the website of the Danish Ministry of Education and Research.
In both phases, the application consists of an electronic application form designed in the electronic application system e-grant (www.e-grant.dk), which you must fill out in English.
Your application must have an official title (maximum 180 characters including spaces), which briefly describes the project for which you seek investment. You must also enter an acronym.
Application for phase 1
In phase 1, the application is a letter of interest and must contain:
- Official project title and acronym
- Short summary of the project (maximum 600 characters)
- Overview of the expected budget and duration of the project
- Requested total investment from Innovation Fund Denmark
- Foundation and concept of idea (maximum 1,800 characters)
- Quantifiable goals (maximum 1,200 characters)
- State of the art and competition (maximum 2,400 characters)
- Expected impact (maximum 1,200 characters)
- Description of the project's methods used (maximum 1800 characters)
- Contribution for up to 5 core project participants (maximum 600 characters per participant)
- Description of any other project participants and their contributions to the project (maximum 500 characters per participant).
- Description of competencies and experience for up to five key people (maximum 600 characters per person)
- Literature list (maximum 1200 characters)
- Budget overview (see the instructions in the application form in e-grant for further information)
The following optional appendices can be attached to the electronic form: Appendix A: Figure (max. 1 A4 page with max. 1 figure)
Application for phase 2
In phase 2, the application is a full application. The content of the electronic application form for phase 2 and the corresponding appendices will be announced in the invitation to applicants who make it to the next round. You can find more information on which adjustments are allowed from phase 1 to phase 2 in the programme guidelines
You can also see a preliminary outline of the application form for phase 2 below – please note that this is only a preview of the expected application form and that the final form may be subject to change.
The programme text for Grand Solutions has been updated in February 2024. To learn more about the changes to Grand Solutions, visit our Q&A here.
The applications are assessed by four committees with members who convene and qualify evaluations on committee meetings. The committees have the competence to assess as well as make decisions and are thus the bodies in which applications are evaluated and decisions on investments are made.
The committees consist of 10-18 members, divided between established international researchers and impact specialist with extensive knowledge of Danish affairs.
In phase 2, the applications are also assessed by external evaluators, and evaluations that are subject to consultation are sent to the applicants as part of a consultation process.
Applicants who are not invited for phase 2 or to enter an investment agreement after phase 2 will receive a rejection stating why.
Special conditions in 2024:
In 2024, letters of interest for phase 1 of the application process will be assessed internally and by external evaluators (including a consultation process for applicants) and decided by Innovation Fund Denmark’s board of directors. The reason is that the new committees are introduced for the first time in 2024 and will not be functional until later this year. Applications for phase 2 will be evaluated by the new committees in the second half of 2024.
Applications for the Grand Solutions programme are evaluated based on three overall decision criteria:
- Quality of idea
- Impact
- Quality of execution
You can find further information on the three overall criteria and their sub-criteria in the guidelines for phase 1 and phase 2 of Grand Solutions. Please note that the sub-criteria for the two phases are not identical.
In phase 1, applicants will receive either a rejection as response to their letter of interest or an invitation for phase 2, in which applicants must submit a full application. The decision will be notified to you via e-grant.
In phase 2, invited applicants will receive either a rejection or an offer of investment and thus an invitation to negotiate an investment agreement. The decision will be notified to you via e-grant.
Applicants for phase 1 of Grand Solutions will receive a response in 7-8 weeks (11 weeks in 2024 however).
Applicants who make it to phase 2 can expect 9 weeks of processing time in this phase and a total timeline of 9 months from submitting their letter of interest in phase 1 and until they receive a final decision in phase 2 (however, please expect up to 10 months in 2024).
The programme text for Grand Solutions has been updated in February 2024. To learn more about the changes to Grand Solutions, visit our Q&A here.
An investment from Innovation Fund Denmark is conditioned by the project parties entering into an investment agreement with the fund on the organisation of the project no later than 60 days after receiving the written invitation to investment negotiations.
The project must be started no later than 90 days after this investment agreement has been signed by all parties.
Innovation Fund Denmark may demand repayment of parts of the investment if the agreed conditions are not met. You can find more information in the investment agreement and the document containing the general terms and conditions for the programme.
Below, you will find the standard documents needed for the investment agreement negotiations.
You are free to choose whether you want to prepare the agreement in Danish or English.
The project can start as soon as there is an approved investment agreement and it must start no later than 90 days after the agreement has been signed by all parties.
The payment is generally made two times a year and is handled in collaboration with Innovation Fund Denmark and the financial administrator appointed by the project.
Innovation Fund Denmark is an active partner in all Grand Solutions projects and engages proactively with the project for its entire duration. Specifically, Innovation Fund Denmark appoints one or more investment officers to carry out this task.
The project follow-up and the requirements for accounts and reporting will be evident from the investment agreement that Innovation Fund Denmark enters into with each project.
Innovation Fund Denmark may terminate the investment ahead of time if the Fund considers that there is insufficient progress, the project proves aimless, or if the project is unable to achieve the objectives which the Funds' investment to the project is based upon.
There will be an ongoing dialogue between the appointed Investment Officer from the Innovation Fund as well as with the steering group of the project about the progression of the plan.
At the project's last steering group meeting, the completed accounts are reviewed and the project's progress and results are evaluated.
Since publication in February 2024, the following clarifications have been made to the guidelines:
- The overhead for hospitals and museums has been corrected to 3.1% and selected organisation types have been specified as Danish or non-Danish
- It has been specified that there are no limitations on budget changes performed between core project participants
- It has been specified that the main applicant is responsible for contact to IFD during the application process
- Clarifications have been made to the time frame for investments covered by the de minimis regulation
Here you can find and download call texts
