Overall, Independent Research Fund Denmark is investing DKK 753 million in 215 new research projects within all the main academic areas. The large distribution of high-risk research funding is for ground-breaking research at universities, hospitals, associations and departments throughout Denmark.

Researchers at Science and Technology have been granted no less than DKK 133.4 mill. (EUR 17.5) split between 39 research projects. This is one-third more than ST researchers received from Independent Research Fund Denmark in 2018, and almost twice as much as in 2017.

The increase of more than DKK 30 mill. is primarily because, after targeted efforts, the number of projects within technology and production sciences has more than doubled compared with 2018, and in 2019 these projects have attracted significantly larger grants than last year’s technology and production projects.

The vice-dean for research and business collaboration at ST, Søren Rud Keiding, is very pleased with the progress.

"We’re now starting to see the effects of the stronger focus on technical research at Aarhus University. The university’s carrying out major initiatives in the engineering and digitisation fields, and now we can see things really taking off," says Søren Rud Keiding.

The grants from Independent Research Fund Denmark are as follows:

Independent Research Fund Denmark  | Nature and Universe:

• Aurelien Romain Dantan, Department of Physics and Astronomy: Integrated optical sensors with nanostructured trampolines

• Ebbe Sloth Andersen, iNANO: Cryo-EM analysis of RNA-protein complexes using RNA origami scaffolds

• Elena Simona Radutoiu, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: Carbohydrate signalling during plant root microbiota establishment

• Henrik Balslev, Department of Bioscience: Amazonian biogeography: integrating satellite and field data at a continental scale

• Johannes Overgaard, Department of Bioscience: The physiology of high temperature tolerance in insects

• Karsten Vestbo Riisager, Department of Physics and Astronomy: Decays at the edge

• Kasper Røjkjær Andersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: Nanobody-driven signal modulation of symbiotic plants LysM receptors

• Kasper Urup Kjeldsen, Department of Bioscience: Microbial community assembly and evolution in the seabed

• Kristoffer Arnsfelt Hansen, Department of Computer Science: Computational Complexity of Equilibria and Fixed Points

• Lars Bojer Madsen, Department of Physics and Astronomy High-order harmonic generation from solids and amorphous materials

• Mads Andreas Faurschou Knudsen, Department of Geoscience: Searching for the missing ice sheet in NE Siberia

• Mingdong Dong, iNANO: Magnetic Genetic Rods for Directing Cellular Response (M-RoD)

• Steen Brøndsted Nielsen, Department of Physics and Astronomy: Luminescensdatering from tailor-made (multi) Fluorophore frameworks using the unique LUNA setup for isolated ions

• Stephane Bodin, Department of Geoscience: Reading the sedimentary archive of discontinuity surfaces

• Thomas Alexander Davidson, Department of Bioscience: Greenhouse gases dynamics in shallow lakes: patterns and processes from cells to ecosystems (GreenLakes)

• Thomas Birkballe Hansen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: Disclosing miRNA cooperativity using single-cell transcriptomics, reverse genetic screens and bioinformatics

• Thomas Bjørnskov Poulsen, Department of Chemistry: Understanding the activity of ionophores in cells using molecular probes

• Tinna Ventrup Stevnsner, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: Regulation of NEIL2 glycosylase activity

• Victoria Lisa, iNANO: Stability and unfolding of G-rich DNA roadblocks

Independent Research Fund Denmark  | Health and Disease:

• Edzard Hajo Spillner, Department of Engineering: Inhibition of immediate type hypersensitivity by inactivation of IgE and disarmament of effector cells

• Jørgen Kjems, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: Circular RNA as potential biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases

• Lisbeth Schmidt Laursen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: Axon-regulated myelination in the central nervous system

Independent Research Fund Denmark | Technology and Production:

• Jan Skov Pedersen, Department of Chemistry: Green surfactants in detergent formulation: Interactions and synergies between surfactants and enzymes

• Alexander Zelikin, Department of Chemistry: Antibody-drug conjugates with an on-demand drug release

• Alexandros Iosifidis, Department of Engineering: Data-driven Inter-Stock Predictive Analytics (DISPA)

• Brian Julsgaard, Department of Physics and Astronomy: Germanium-Tin Nanostructures for Solar cells (GeTiNaS)

• Claus Oxvig, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics: A novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of growth failure

• Daniel Otzen, iNANO: Some like it cold: industrially relevant low-temperature enzymes

• Diego Abalos, Department of Agroecology: Designing cover crop mixtures based on key plant traits to improve nitrogen use efficiency

• Emmanuel Arthur, Department of Agroecology: Biophysical drivers of soil resilience in a changing climate

• Jakob Juul Larsen, Department of Engineering: Flood and drought - Tracking water in the shallow subsurface

• Jeppe Vang Lauritsen, iNANO: Heterogeneous Catalyst for Higher Alcohol Synthesis from Renewable Sources

• Jim Rasmussen, Department of Agroecology: Stable or fertile-solving the soil C-N dilemma by exploiting the legume rhizosphere

• Ken Howard, iNANO: Multifunctional antibody-albumin immunotherapeutics with extended circulation and long-lasting effects.

• Kim Daasbjerg, Department of Chemistry: Reversible Adhesives of Unprecedented Strength for Materials Reuse

• Martijn Jan Resie Heck, Department of Engineering: QuPIC – Quantum Photonic Integrated Circuit Platform

• Mette Vestergård Madsen, Department of Agroecology: Protective Microbiomes on Plant Pathogenic Nematodes

• Tina Skau Nielsen, Department of Animal Science: Pigs without antibiotics: A pig model of colitis complex diarrhoea with focus on colonic microbial fermentation

• Torben René Jensen, Department of Chemistry: SOlid-State Magnesium Batteries – SOS MagBat

Read the press release from Independent Research Fund Denmark on this year's grants (in Danish)

... and the fund's citation on Jeppe Vang Lauritsen's project to convert CO₂ into fuel (in Danish).