The Danish Council for Independent Research has allocated more than DKK 100 million to 25 research projects.
By Mie Borggreen Winther
The Danish Council for Independent Research has allocated DKK 633 million (EUR 85 million) to a total of 200 research projects. The money will support independent research and original ideas, and 25 projects headed by DTU researchers have received grants totalling more than DKK 100 million to “initiate ground-breaking research” as the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science puts it.
In comparison, 22 DTU-led research projects received more than DKK 80 million in 2016.
The projects belong to the categories Natural Sciences, Medical Sciences, and Technology and Production Sciences, and the grants now allow DTU researchers to learn more about, among other things, cures against Alzheimer’s disease, useful substances from mould fungi, cancer diagnostics, and the spread of antimicrobial resistance from wastewater treatment plants.
The largest grant awarded to DTU—nearly DKK 6 million—goes to Anne Ladegaard Skov, Associate Professor at DTU Chemical Engineering, who—by imitating the microstructure of jellyfish—will design so-called hydrogels which are capable of better withstanding compression in dielectric elastomers, also known as ‘artificial muscles’.
Anne Ladegaard Skov defended her doctoral thesis on this very subject in April—read more.