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National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies
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Who?

What?

How much?

Denmark is in front, when it comes to the “classical” IT technologies, but lags behind when it comes to use of newer, advanced digital technologies, as for example artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data etc. [3].

Digitalisation and the new digital technologies are one of the most important catalysts for

  • Growth and employment in businesses
  • Development and growth of the public sector
  • Solutions to societal challenges in general etc.

Increased knowledge and development of a considerably larger talent mass in this field are needed for Denmark to be a digital frontrunner that capitalises on the many opportunities provided by digitalisation. In other words, more experts are needed who possess the necessary skills to develop as well as capitalise on the advanced digital technologies and solutions that will benefit Denmark. 

With the strategy ’Denmark - Ready to seize future opportunities’ of December 2017 [1], the Government outlined its objectives for future research and innovation and proposed to establish a “National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies” involving the Danish research institutions. The aim of the centre is to develop and support the digital field through research in AI, Big Data, Internet-of-Things (IoT) and IT Security, based on the FORSK2025 theme of ” Denmark as a digital frontrunner” [2].  In January 2018, the “Strategy for Denmark’s digital growth” [3] was published, outlining 38 initiatives to ensure that Denmark in future may capitalise on the many new and advanced digital technologies to create growth, jobs and prosperity for all Danes. The strategy is based on recommendations from a.o. The Ministry of Industry, Business and Financial Affairs, the Digital Growth Panel [4] and input from the Disruption Council [5, 6], and the goal is to make Denmark a digital frontrunner.

The first step to implement this strategy was taken in May 2018 with the establishment of “Digital Hub Denmark” [7]. A public/private partnership with the ambition to  1) support access to competences and collaborations between established universities, companies and other stakeholders, 2) to strengthen companies’ access to knowledge and experts within commercial use of digital technologies and 3) to market Denmark as a digital frontrunner with a view to attracting investments and digital competences to Denmark. The last goal is 4) to establish a centre with the purpose of solving the capacity issue by building the necessary research capacity in Denmark via excellent research of the highest international class. “Digital Hub Denmark” was established in May 2018 and in November 2018, the 2019 Agreement on Allocation of the Research Reserve was unilaterally passed by Parliament and DKK 100 mill. were allocated to activities in a “National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies”.

Objective

The main objective of establishing a National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies is to build and develop knowledge and research capacity in Denmark. The centre must embrace the relevant digital technologies, i.e AI, use of Big Data, IoT, IT Security, quantum computing, block chain, interaction design, and the structure of activities of the centre must be based on tangible societal needs, translating research into value-creating solutions and digital transformations in the private and the public sectors. When relevant, the research may include ethical and moral aspects of the new technological development and use of AI and Big Data in a Danish context.

A National Centre for Research in Digital Technologies must be anchored on “neutral ground”, so that the centre is shown to be a clearly independent organisation/entity for future collaborators. When assessing the applications, priority is given to a project plan and budget and that this anchoring will become permanent and thus exist beyond the duration of the project.

The centre must attract:

  • Further financing from private and public stakeholders,
  • more stakeholders, not already involved in the establishment of the centre.  

As part of the development, the centre, when relevant, must ensure maximum value creation through collaboration with Digital Hub Denmark [7] to bridge the gap between knowledge providers on the one hand and private companies and the public sector on the other.  Furthermore, the centre, when relevant, must strive to achieve a coordinating role and nationally unifying function across relevant environments within research in digital technologies.

Prerequisites

The application must contain a clear description of the measurable parametres (KPIs for governance, operations, results etc.) used on a continuous basis in the management of the centre’s activities, to create an overview of the status of the centre and further progression. Funds must be set aside to continuous evaluate (external) whether the centre lives up to the predefined goal. It is expected, that the applicant can explain how the goals are achieved.

Priority will be given to an efficient and independent governance model:

  • The centre must have a Board (max 9) consisting of renowned profiles with strong decision competences, for example from the research environment, private businesses and Digital Hub Denmark.
  • The board must be able to make strategic decisions for the centre and ensure optimal progress as well as ensuring finances, operations and prioritisations. The goal is to be able to make difficult choices and navigate efficiently with many stakeholders and interests, and as appropriate, work towards achieving a coordinating role and nationally unifying function across research environments.
  • The consortium must have a Centre Director and a secretariat (a further approx. 2-3 employees)  
  • The Centre Director reports to the Board and must have an international strong research background from several relevant fields, as well as considerable leadership experience. Other characteristics can be
    • strong, visionary, strategic and enterprising
    • personal competences to lead and drive a strong research team
    • strong skills to build an efficient organisation
    • inspiring and convincing communicator
  • The Centre Director and secretariat must be independent from the participating institutions/stakeholders, i.e. whenever possible these employees must be recruited externally. Likewise, the physical location of the secretariat should be placed on “neutral ground”, preferably outside the participating universities.
  • The secretariat must possess competences and knowledge within finance, law, research and business.
  • An Advisory Board to advise and guide the Centre Director and Board must be affiliated. The Advisory Board must consist of internationally renowned research profiles, R&D leaders from relevant companies and successful entrepreneurs, national or global.   

Assessment criteria

The task of the centre, in collaboration with Digital Hub Denmark and other relevant stakeholders, is to bridge gaps, promote communication and ensure that the digital technologies are brought into play in a way that creates maximum value for Denmark. In assessing the application, priority is placed on the description of how the participating parties intend to jointly attract and accommodate the increased demand for candidates and PhDs, as well as how this knowledge/research capacity can be channelled into private business and the public sector. Co-financing must be clearly stated in the overall funding model and will be a competitive parameter in the assessment.

Further, the application is assessed based on the following call-specific criteria:

  • A clear description of the governance model and decision processes
  • A clear plan for/description of how the centre plans to ensure that the digital technologies are brought into use to create maximum value for Denmark
  • A clear plan for/description of the initiatives for the candidate and PhD educations to ensure that the centre fulfils the intentions to build knowledge and research capacity 
  • A clear plan for/description of how the participating parties intent to attract and accommodate the increased demand for candidates and PhDs, and how this knowledge/research capacity can be channelled into private business and the public sector
  • A clear plan for/description of how the centre aims to ensure participation and co-financing from private companies (also long term)
  • A clear plan for/description of how the participating universities in the centre  
    1. fund activities and education themselves, and to which extent, and
    2. how they in the long term plan to build and maintain these (and retain the relevant competences)

As well as the call specific criteria, applications are assessed based on Innovation Fund Denmark’s main criteria [8, 9]. These include:

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

Quality of science, research and innovation includes a.o. a clear description of State-of-the-Art of the planned research as well as innovation and the quality of the issue(s) the centre wants to clarify, as well as solutions and choice of methods. Focus of the assessment will be to which degree the described activities in the centre fulfils the expectation for increased research capacity during and after the activity period.

Value creation is broadly defined as centre activities leading to increased growth and employment, development of the public sector and/or solutions to central societal challenges in general. In the assessment, particular emphasis is given to the solutions being scalable and generic. 

Over and above IFDs general description, efficiency and implementation is defined as the expected result of mass of talent and competences achieved during the centre’s IFD project period.

Grand Solutions project duration is 5 years and the budget is max. DKK 100 mill.

The program
Who can apply?
Open section, Who can apply?

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
What can I apply for investment for?
Open section, What can I apply for investment for?

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.

How much money can I apply for?
Open section, How much money can I apply for?

Grand Solutions projects will range from DKK 5,000,000 - 40,000,000

What can the money finance?
Open section, What can the money finance?

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.

How long does the project have to take?
Open section, How long does the project have to take?

The projects are of 1 to 5 years duration.

Application
How do I apply?
Open section, How do I apply?

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.

 

What must the application contain?
Open section, What must the application contain?

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.

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)
  • Expected total budget and duration of the project
  • Requested total investment from IFD
  • 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)
  • Contribution for up to 5 core project participants (maximum 600 characters per participant)
  • Competences and experiences for up to 5 key persons in the project (maximum 600 characters per person)

In phase 1, the following appendices must be attached to the electronic form:

  • Appendix A: Budget overview (obligatory)
  • Appendix B: List of references (obligatory)

Download templates for the appendices below or from the electronic application form in e-grant.

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.

Documents
Evaluation
How does the assessment process take place?
Open section, How does the assessment process take place?
Who evaluates the application?
Open section, Who evaluates the application?

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.

How is the application assessed?
Open section, How is the application assessed?

Applications for the Grand Solutions programme are evaluated based on three overall decision criteria:

  1. Quality of idea
  2. Impact
  3. 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.

How do I get a response to my application?
Open section, How do I get a response to my application?

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.

When will I receive a response to my application?
Open section, When will I receive a response to my application?

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).

From approval to project start
What happens after my application is approved?
Open section, What happens after my application is approved?

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.

When can the project start?
Open section, When can the project start?

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.

During the project
How is the investment paid out?
Open section, How is the investment paid out?

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.

Do I have to submit accounts or report during the project?
Open section, Do I have to submit accounts or report during 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.

What happens if I can't keep up with the plan?
Open section, What happens if I can't keep up with the plan?

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.

What should I do when completing the project?
Open section, What should I do when completing the project?

At the project's last steering group meeting, the completed accounts are reviewed and the project's progress and results are evaluated.

Guidelines and general terms and conditions
Download guidelines and general terms and conditions
Open section, Download guidelines and general terms and conditions

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
Documents