Deadline: 31-Aug-23
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is seeking applications for the Project Grants for natural science education and informal learning environments.
Purpose
- NNF wants to support general science education and cultivate interest, knowledge and competencies in natural science and technology among children, young people and the general population in Denmark.
Project Field
- Applicants may apply for projects within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, research on the didactics of natural science and experiences with natural science and technology in leisure time. This includes funding for projects focusing on sustainability, climate, energy production and health.
- Education projects may target childcare centres, primary and lower secondary schools and upper secondary schools. It is also possible to include students from the Bachelor of Education and the Bachelor of Social Education if the projects are aimed at collaborative practice in childcare centres and/or primary and lower secondary schools. For example, applicants may apply for grants for:
- developing and implementing methods, materials and resources for science pedagogy as well as teaching in natural and scientific subjects, including mathematics;
- science competitions, special offers for talented students and activities targeting specific groups of children and students; and
- development projects for improving the competencies of teachers and early-childhood educators (note that applicants may only apply for grants to participate in continuing education programmes that have been developed in the development project for which a grant has been applied).
- Research on the didactics of natural science carried out through projects or fellowships must be based at a university or university college in Denmark.
- Leisure projects may target children, young people, families and/or the general public. For example, applications may cover natural science activity centres, museums, leisure activities or summer schools.
- The project’s activities must be aimed at target groups within the Danish Realm.
Funding Information
- A total of up to DKK 70 million is available for grants between DKK 100,000 and DKK 6,000,000 for projects lasting up to 6 years.
- The project may be an independent, delimited project or a part of a larger project that is also supported by other partners.
Types of Expenses
- Applicants may apply for funding for the following types of expenses in the project:
- salaries for employees or affiliated personnel at all staffing levels, including project management;
- salaries for substitutes or paying the salaries of replacements for early-childhood educators and teachers so that they can develop and/or participate in projects;
- researchers in permanent positions at universities and university colleges may apply for funds for salaries for research employees to be hired in connection with the project but may not apply for funds for their own salaries; nevertheless, researchers in permanent positions may apply for funds to pay for substitutes for the time they use in a development project if the project extends beyond the description of their duties in their position (such as communicating natural science research or developing educational material for target groups outside the university or university college);
- researchers not in permanent positions may apply for a research fellowship to cover their own salary for up to 2 years;
- operating expenses: Direct expenses for developing, implementing and operating projects, including materials and equipment;
- travel expenses in relation to the project, e.g. conference and workshop participation and presentation of results derived from the project;
- scientific outreach and knowledge-sharing in the form of conferences, books, articles and other outreach directly related to the project;
- evaluation and follow-up research related to projects; and
- administrative support (up to 5% of the applicant’s overall budget and included in it) to cover administrative expenses directly related to the project being based at an administering institution;
- external auditing if the administering institution is not subject to audit by the public authorities. Institutions that are not subject to audit by public authorities must carry out external audits in connection with receiving the grant.
Eligibility Criteria
- During the grant period, the applicant must be a leader at or responsible for a project at the project’s administering institution. The administering institution must be a public institution and/or non-profit organisation, including educational institutions, municipalities, research institutions, museums or associations within the Danish Realm.
- Private companies may apply for grants for non-commercial projects with non-profit aims. If this is the case, the company itself acts as the administering institution.
- The application must identify any co-applicants and collaboration partners.
- The foundation has three calls for applications in 2023 within natural science education and outreach. A person may only be the main applicant (or part of the project group) for one application in these four calls. Co-applicants are not subject to similar rules.
- Applications which fall within the call for Project grants for science communication and debate using novel communication platforms – 2023 or Project grants for strengthening STEM subjects in vocational and training – 2023 will not be considered in this call.
- To be eligible for a grant for a research project or research fellowship, the applicant must have a PhD degree or similar qualifications and have a commitment for hosting from an administering institution. Applicants for a research fellowship may not simultaneously be responsible for a major research project.
- To be eligible for a grant for a research project or research fellowship, the applicant must upload a commitment letter for hosting from an administering institution, which must confirm that the applicant will be employed during the grant period.
- A main applicant or project group with an active grant, which was awarded in the open competition calls within education and outreach in the period 2018-2022, is only able to apply for a new grant in the last year of the active grant. However, a new grant may not be paid out until the existing grant is completed. Depending on the organisation’s capacity, the Foundation may be able to dispense with this requirement under special circumstances if contacted.
- Recipients of grants from NNF of other types than the above mentioned may apply for this call. If you have an active grant from NNF, this may be taken into consideration in the evaluation of your application for a new grant. In general, it is recommended that grant recipients have delivered results on the active grant(s) before submission of a new application to NNF.
- If you apply, while having an active grant from NNF, you must describe how the project you propose in this application is different from and/or coherent with the project(s) already funded and briefly describe the progress of the already funded project(s).
Ineligibility Criteria
- NNF will not award funding for:
- Commercial activities;
- buildings; and
- overhead (such as rent, electricity, water and maintenance).
- Applicants who have applied for or been awarded co-funding must state this in the application.
For more information, visit Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF).