The good, original idea is now what matters most

An extensive list of publications from recognised journals and a long CV are still important qualities, but they aren’t the only or most important ones if you want funding for your new research project from the Independent Research Fund Denmark, which will distribute DKK 2.2 billion to independent research in 2026.

At the turn of the year, the fund adjusted its assessment criteria so that "the good, original idea is the most important criterion."

"A good, original idea has always been an important criterion. We wanted to make the criteria clearer and simpler, while also making it clear that a good, original idea is the foundation. That’s the most important thing," says Søren Serritzlew, chair of the Fund’s board and professor at the Department of Political Science at Aarhus University.

The fund's primary task has always been to finance researchers' own ideas. This remains the case, and Søren Serritzlew emphasises that the adjustment of the assessment criteria isn’t a groundbreaking change in the fund's assessment practice, but rather an adjustment.

New approaches to complex challenges

Everything evolves over time. Research too. Therefore, the foundation believes that new approaches to complex scientific and societal challenges are needed in the future.

"It’s therefore a matter of focusing more on the researcher's work, the results and how a project can help move research in a new direction. This also means that how much a researcher publishes, or how prestigious a platform or organisation is, cannot be the sole basis for assessing research applications," Søren Serritzlew says.

Since 2022, the Independent Research Fund Denmark has been part of the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) collaboration, where research-related institutions collaborate and learn from each other. 

Part of the work has involved finding new ways to evaluate research projects so that it’s not just about having the longest CV and the most prestigious list of publications when it comes to allocating funds to research projects.

This work has resulted in the collaboration agreement ARRA (Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment), which has been signed by more than 800 research-related institutions. Based on this agreement, the Independent Research Fund Denmark is adjusting its assessment criteria and changing the format for applicants' CVs and publication lists.

ALL RELEVANT TALENTS MUST HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY

The desire is a greater focus on different types of credit transfers, both in terms of different contributions to research, types of researchers and research results.

"We want to get hold of those who have an idea that is potentially groundbreaking. They are the ones who should receive the money," Søren Serritzlew says.

This requires that all relevant types of research talent have the opportunity to come into play.

Instead of focusing heavily on a researcher's publications, there should be more focus on a broader view of a researcher's competencies, contributions to the development of research, previous contributions and experiences, and the publication of results in a way that benefits the entire research community. For example, by making results and data openly available.

"We’ like to reward research projects that, for example, result in the creation of a data set that other researchers can continue to work with. We are well aware that some projects involve confidential or sensitive data sets that cannot be made public and accessible, but if possible, this can be part of the assessment," Søren Serritzlew says.

CHANGING FORMATS FOR CV AND LISTS OF PUBLICATIONS

In addition to adjusted assessment criteria, DFF has also changed the formats for applicants' CV and lists of publications. Again, to attract the best and most original ideas and a wider variety of researchers.

The new format for applicants' CV makes it possible, among other things, to describe relevant experience that wouldn’t previously have been included in the assessment.

This is a new category in the CV template where you, as an applicant, can describe all the skills you consider relevant to your ability to carry out the project for which you are seeking funding.

You may have relevant work experience from the industry, experience in developing software, or experience in collaborating with institutions or organisations that are relevant to your research project. You can write that here and thus qualify your application," Søren Serritzlew explains.

There will also be changes to how the list of publications should look. The format is still familiar, but, as with the applicant's CV, it offers the opportunity to describe a broader range of previous contributions and achievements that may help to illustrate the researcher's ability to lead a research project.

HOPING FOR SOME WILDER IDEAS

Ultimately, it will always be the fund's assessors who decide whether experience is relevant or not.

One of them is Lone Koefoed Hansen. She’s an associate professor at the School of Communication and Culture at Aarhus University, and she is also an assessor and chair of the Independent Research Fund Denmark's Council for Culture and Communication. One of the fund's five professional councils.

"I hope that with these new descriptions, we can clearly show researchers that it’s important to the fund, and therefore also to us as assessors, that people try out new things. That a few more researchers therefore feel that they should try out their slightly wilder ideas," Lone Koefoed Hansen says, adding:

"Also because it may strengthen diversity in topics and thus maintain a strong and broad research landscape."

RESEARCH MUST BE MOVED

She emphasises that there are many high-calibre applications today and that competition is fierce.

"But I also hope that in future, applicants will focus less on what they can definitely achieve over the next three years and more on how research can be taken in new directions," Lone Koefoed Hansen says.

Like Søren Serritzlew, she points out that these are actually adjustments to the assessment criteria. It’s not the case that applications are suddenly assessed in a completely different way.

“Sometimes walls need to be painted. Even if you like the colour. A painted wall stands out more sharply and clearly. An added bonus is that applicants have to read everything thoroughly because some changes have been made. I also hope that this will lead to the disappearance of many old ideas and habits," Lone Koefoed Hansen says.

It’s not about the number of publications, the length of your CV, or whether the right researcher is mentioned in the application to give weight to the project. This fund seeks good, original ideas that can be implemented by the fund and those who apply. It will be easier to communicate with the adjustments to the assessment criteria and the new options for adding to CVs and lists of publication," Lone Koefoed Hansen says.

THE WORLD IS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING

The Independent Research Fund Denmark was established to support and finance world-class research. Preferably innovative and groundbreaking. This must be reflected in the way the fund selects research projects, and therefore the assessment criteria are always a focus area that the fund is constantly working to develop.

The world is constantly evolving. The same goes for research, technology and everything else. That’s why it’s important that the assessment criteria also evolve and that we review, adjust and refine them from time to time," Søren Serritzlew explains.

This text is machine translated and post-edited by Lisa Enevoldsen.