New Technological Opportunities
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With Grand Solutions, Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD) wants to invest in ambitious innovation projects with excellent science and strategic research that contributes to create new and tangible solutions to important societal challenges and creates value for Denmark.

The FORSK2025 catalogue is the basis and guide for the thematic calls.

The technological development changes our society with ever-greater speed and there is good reason to expect that the pace, at which new technologies will change everyday lives of citizens and companies, will continue to increase in the future.

Objective

With this Grand Solutions call, IFD addresses cross-disciplinary issues, challenges and needs, nationally as well as internationally, where research and innovation is the value creating element for Denmark, through the development of solutions to Danish societal challenges, which – in the short or longer term – will create growth and employment in Denmark.

The Grand Solutions call New Technological opportunities strives to invest in knowledge-based and cross-disciplinary solutions for Danish society, paving the way for unprecedented societal and market opportunities.

Areas of Investments

The call aims at innovation projects with specific or cross-disciplinary development of service, innovative products and/or processes within all fields. The ambition is for the results to drive forward the future financial and/or societal development or to find solutions to significant societal challenges, for example by ensuring that Danish public and private companies can maintain and/or develop their competiveness, nationally and/or globally.

Non-limiting examples of areas may include nano-, bio- and life science, materials science, production technology and systems, including digitisation and automation to improve health and safety in sectors with hard physical work. For example, the investment can support the development of the digital field and contribute to (interdisciplinary) research in artificial intelligence, big data, internet of things, quantum computing, IT security, block chain, interaction design and the digital transformation (see also FORSK2025 catalogue). The research may involve ethical and moral aspects of the new technological development and the use of artificial intelligence and Big Data in a Danish context.

Research within New Technological Opportunities, among other things, may support the UN goals for Sustainable Development No. 8. Decent Jobs and Economic growth, No. 9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, and No. 12. Responsible Consumption and Production.

Note: Innovation Fund Denmark will allocate 20 million specifically for drones and robots in the second round of Grand Solutions.

Theme specific strategy

For applications for New Technological Opportunities, strategic research projects as well as innovation and value creation are broadly defined as targeted activities leading to growth and employment through, for example, solving social/societal challenges, creating new knowledge, developing and implementing products (sales, exports, profit), increasing productivity of companies, cost reduction and/or reduced resource consumption, etc. that help develop and maintain Danish public and private companies' competitiveness and increase their efficiency. In addition, value creation can be achieved through the use of interdisciplinary technologies and strategic research that can support the solution of key societal challenges.

Important innovation needs include the use of data and digital technologies in all sectors and the development of new robust business models.

For further information, please refer to the FORSK2025 catalogue and the IFD strategies in the areas of Industry 4.0, ICT and Digitalisation, Energy, Health, Environment, Bioresources, Tourism and Future Society.

Assessment Criteria

In New Technological Opportunities, IFD invests in strategic research projects and innovative solutions, which have a clearly defined aim and expected impact. It is important that the aims are clearly defined, and the path to the goal is substantiated, for example that the project group comprises the necessary competences. The solutions must have considerable societal or market potential – short or long term. It is not a prerequisite that the project leads to a commercial product but it is a requirement that knowledge created in the project creates value by bringing the project forward in well-defined and value-creating steps towards new solutions.

IFD will always prioritise investing in excellent knowledge-based innovation projects providing solutions of the highest quality, regardless of subject and specific field.

The main assessment criteria are:

• Quality of science, research and innovation
• Value creation during and after the project period
• Efficiency of project execution
• Implementation of results

For applications for Grand Solutions 2019 New Technological Opportunities value creation is broadly defined as targeted activities leading to increased growth and employment through for example developing new products and services, creating more and value-creating jobs, increasing productivity, lowering social costs, reducing resource consumption or reducing climate and/or environmental impact and solving significant societal issues.

In the application, the partners must describe the tangible value creation in the project. Value creation is not restricted to monetary value but may also be, for example, reduced climate and resource impact, reduced social costs, better health, cleaner environment etc.

IFD prioritises applications where the project creates measureable value for Denmark and the Danish society. The project must possess considerable potential and result in new solutions or products, for example through development and utilisation of new untraditional, potentially disruptive business models, methods, smart regulations etc.

IFD invests in innovation projects having a clear recipient or beneficiary in mind that will become attractive for other investors. The issues and needs must be clear and the solutions should not be previously available (globally).  Further, the value creation should be measureable (e.g. health or environmental economics parameters, societal or monetary value). 

IFD is willing to invest in high-risk projects if the partners also commit resources and knowledge to the project and if the risk is well described. Thus, the project governance model and quality of the project plan are crucial.

Therefore, it is important that the recipients/beneficiaries and core stakeholders either participate to form the project, participate in the project or are otherwise involved in the project, e.g. through investment, and this will be taken into consideration when assessing the innovation project.

The application will be assessed specifically on the qualities of the project in relation to excellent science, research and innovation in a global perspective with respect to an articulated or latent unmet need, state-of-the-art, directly competitive or similar scientific or technological solutions, solution scalability, technical, regulatory and market risks, risk management in the project plan and project implementation. In addition, development rate, efficient use of invested resources, leadership and scientific skills and the subsequent efficient implementation of the project results nationally and/or globally will be carefully assessed. The project’s value creation will be assessed in relation to the size and risk of the investment.

Reference is made to Guidelines for Grand Solutions 2019.

The allocation of funds is based on the National Budget 2019 and FORSK2025 catalogue as listed in the National Budget, as well as the 2019 Allocation of the Research Reserve.