Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark’s aim with this call is to invest in research and innovation projects that contribute to the transition of the construction sector (hereafter referred to as the 'sector') to circular economy, as part of the green transition of society. The projects shall help the sector to significantly reduce the resource consumption, the embedded energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, at the same time offering a business potential.
The research shall strengthen the efforts in the entire value chain from research to development. The green transition, including circular economy, will require targeted efforts over several years. The efforts shall therefore also contribute to the building of competence and capacity in the Danish research sector.
As a tool to achieve this aim, Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark are establishing a collaboration platform under the auspices of BLOXHUB for the selected projects in order to promote shared inspiration, exchange of experience and value creation.
Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark invest in projects at all stages of the research and innovation value chain. Thus, we invest in both the early strategic research project, where targeted efforts and collaboration with the most competent international and/or Danish partners from relevant disciplines are crucial – and in the good project that lacks the final steps to be ready for successful introduction to the market or for commissioning.
The investment does not necessarily accompany a project all the way to commercialisation/commissioning. It is therefore crucial that the project parties themselves are able to lift the result onto the market or ensure commissioning – or have customers who can invest in or take over the project following Innovation Fund Denmark's investment period.
The transition of the construction sector to circular economy requires interdisciplinary solutions with input from the technical/natural sciences as well as the social sciences and the humanities. Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark emphasise that the implementation reflects the necessary interdisciplinary breadth and competencies to lead the process toward circular practice.
It will also be emphasised that the projects are holistic in coherent innovation and value chains or that, within their research and development boundaries, they are precisely associated with the totality and the values for which the results are to be used.
The call is based on ‘Agreement on Allocation of the Research Reserve for 2020’, ‘the Finance Act for 2020’, the ‘Advisory Board for Circular Economy 2016’ and the government's ‘Strategy for circular economy’ from September 2018. On this basis and taking as a starting point the applicants’ in-depth understanding of the construction sector and their insight into international development, Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark want to invest in projects that can create solutions to effectively transform the sector to circular resource economy. The aim is to reduce resource consumption and emissions of CO2 equivalents with effects on the climate, not just in Denmark, but globally.
The frames for the projects are very broad as long as the projects clearly address both a supply and a demand aspect. We expect projects with solutions that can be developed on an industrial scale based on common methods of design, operation, screening and materials handling. We see the need for circular solutions supported by digital structures for market platforms and business models, including digital solutions for traceability. We also think of possible models for risk-sharing by testing and introducing circular materials and construction systems and for developing new forms of ownership, contractual relationships and business models that make it attractive for end users to demand circular solutions. With respect to the strategic relevance of the projects, the applicants must position their project in relation to Danish and international research and development projects (state-of-the-art).
The overall assessment criteria are:
- Quality of research and innovation
- Value creation during and after the project period
- Efficiency in project execution
- Implementation of project results
It will be emphasised by Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark that the projects create measurable value and contribute to sustainable development for Denmark. Thus, the projects must have considerable potential and result in new solutions, methods and business models: The partners must explain the specific quantitative value creation of their project. Value creation is broadly understood as targeted activities that lead to increased growth, employment or other value-adding measures, e.g. development of new products and services, increased productivity, lower societal costs, reduced resource consumption, reduced environmental impact, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, better quality of life and a solution to significant societal problems. It is the responsibility of the applicants to explain the different types of value creation.
Specifically, the applications will be assessed on the projects’ research and innovation qualities in a global perspective and in relation to a concrete or latent need, state-of-the-art, directly competitive or obvious scientific or technological solutions, scalability of the solution, technical, regulatory and market risks, risk management of the project plan and the viability of the projects.
In addition, the pace of development, effective use of invested resources, managerial and professional skills and the subsequent effective implementation and scaling of the project results nationally and/or globally will be carefully assessed. The value creation of the project will be assessed in relation to the size of the investment.
It is weighted that the individual project’s customers and core stakeholders help to shape the project and actively participate in it.
In addition to these assessment criteria, please refer to ‘Guidelines for Grand Solutions’ (published 12 December 2019) as well as ‘Agreement for the Allocation of the Research Reserve for 2020’.
The allocation of funds is based on the ‘Finance Act for 2020’.
The allocated financial frames are expected to enable investment in 3-4 projects of 2-5 years’ duration. The selected projects agree to participate in and contribute to the joint collaboration platform which will be built based on the projects under the auspices of BLOXHUB.
Applications for Grand Solution must be submitted via e-grant which is Innovation Fund Denmark's application portal.
The assessment process is a one-phase application with interviews of selected applicants:
The Board of Innovation Fund Denmark will decide which applications will be submitted for peer review and invited to an interview. Prior to the interview, the peer reviews will be sent to the applicants via e-grant, as a consultative procedure. Representatives from Realdania will participate in the assessment process on an equal footing with Innovation Fund Denmark, while the final decision will be made by the Board of Innovation Fund Denmark. The applicants will be consulted on assessments received from Realdania to the extent required by the Public Administration Act.
Selected projects will be invited to interviews in November 2020. Projects that are not invited to interviews will be notified in October 2020. The final response to the applications will be available in December 2020 with project start in the first quarter of 2021.
The decision by Innovation Fund Denmark's Board on either rejection or invitation to negotiations about an investment agreement will be submitted to the individual applicants via e-grant.
- Guideline to e-grant
- The Finance Act 2020
- Agreement on the Allocation of the Research Reserve for 2020
- Research2025 Catalogue
- Innovation Fund Denmark’s Climate Panel’s Report
- Innovation Fund Denmark's Investment Strategy for Bioresources, Environment and Energy
- Innovation Fund Denmark's General Investment Strategy
- The UN's 17 global goals for sustainable development
- Advisory Board for Circular Economy (2016)
- The Government's 'Strategy for Circular Economy' (2018)
Innovation Fund Denmark:
Jakob Dahl Wedel
Scientific Officer
+45 61 90 50 31
jakob.wedel@innofond.dk
Bo Søgaard
Scientific Officer
+45 61 90 50 99
bo.soegaard.innofond.dk
Tove Enggrob
Chief Programme Officer
+45 61 90 50 33
tove.enggrob@innofond.dk
Realdania:
Simon Kofod-Svendsen
Head of Projects
+45 20948995
sks@realdania.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 NemID/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
