Principles of use for data submitted to the Foundation’s reporting system
All researchers funded by the Foundation are required to provide an annual update on the research activities and results deriving from their Foundation-funded research. The Foundation uses these data to enhance and strengthen evidence and accountability. Further, the Foundation uses these data to support strategic decision-making and to evaluate progress and impact.
The principles of use relate to the research funded by the Foundation and outline what types of data are collected. In addition, the principles of use provide information on how the Foundation will use the data.
By agreeing to these principles of use and by submitting data into researchfish®, you have explicitly consented to your data being processed by the Foundation and stored in the reporting system and the Foundation’s associated internal systems. Moreover, by submitting data, you formally confirm that the currently attributed activities and results represent a full and up-to-date record for the grant.
You are required to submit data
Researchers funded by the Foundation – principal investigators, unit programme leaders, fellows and, if appropriate, students – are required to have an account in researchfish® and to use it to provide these updates annually during the grant periods and usually for 3–5 years after the project has ended.
The Foundation may require an update to a grant outside the annual submission period to consolidate specific evaluations. The Foundation will notify researchers of these requirements.
The Foundation is aware that the recipients of relatively recent Foundation grants may not have any activity and results to report in the first annual submission.
Sanctions
All researchers funded by the Foundation are required to provide an annual update on the research activities and results deriving from their Foundation-funded research.
If the annual update is not submitted, the Foundation may apply the following sanctions.
- The researcher may be unable to apply (either as a principal investigator or as a co-investigator) for further grants from the Foundation.
- If the grant is still active further payments for the grant may be withheld.
What data are collected?
The Foundation uses the researchfish® to collect data on activities and results. This includes both quantitative and qualitative information such as publications, collaborations, influence on policy, databases and models.
researchfish® present a question set (under guidance to the question set section), and the Foundation has added additional questions. Moreover, guidance on completing the questions is available throughout.
You are advised to ensure that you do not disclose data that is commercially sensitive or personal or that might be considered confidential or defamatory.
What do we do with the data?
Information provided to the Foundation may be used:
- to strengthen accountability for research funding decisions;
- to make the case for funding in research;
- to inform strategic decision-making;
- to inform the public on research results and other outcomes;
- to evaluate progress and effects; and
- to improve the understanding and interest in research.
To support these aims, the information you provide may be used, in whole or in part, to support analyses and evaluation, case studies, data sets and publications. Please be aware that the activities and results, including the text you submit to the Foundation via researchfish®, may be quoted, in full or in part.
By submitting data to the Foundation you consent to this use, publication and dissemination of activities and results.
The Foundation analyses the submitted activities and results for its annual report on the societal impact of the Foundation’s grants as well as for other external and internal Foundation reports.
Data concerning your grant or grants collected through the Foundation’s reporting system may also be returned to the research organizations holding Foundation-funded grants to which you have allocated these activities and results. Contact your local administrator for guidance on how your organization will use this information.
Data might be handed over to third parties either for processing of data on behalf of the Foundation or to researchers for research purpose. Personal data will be processed in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Danish Act on Data Protection and Personal Data.
In addition, some of the information you provide is published on the Foundation’s website to ensure that the outcomes of Foundation-funded research are accessible to the research community, companies, policy-makers and the public.
The Foundation’s website provides data on Foundation-funded grants, including:
- the names of the investigators and research organizations;
- the project title;
- the total value of the grant(s); and
- the output and outcome of Foundation grants.
The website is publicly available.
It is vital that researchers return information to us on the activities and results from their Foundation-funded projects so that the Foundation can understand the impact of the research in the longer term, demonstrating the contribution to society and the economy. In turn, this will facilitate strategic decision-making and future investment. Systematically collected data on research activities and results provide a strong evidence base to support the continued funding of research.
Personal data
The researchfish® reporting system holds information about grants that is extracted from the Foundation’s research management systems. This includes a limited selection of personal data: name, e-mail and the name of the research organization holding the grant (which may be your employer). This information is managed in accordance with the General Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the principles of the Danish Act on Data Protection and used with the data on research activities and results you enter into the reporting system:
- to operate the reporting system, including notifying you of changes to the system, system downtime and deadlines for submitting information on activities and results;
- to report to employers and research organizations on progress in gathering data on activities and results; and
- to manage the Foundation’s policy on compliance and sanctions.
researchfish® enables you to update your e-mail contact details only for the purposes of interacting with the reporting system. You can request changes in any other details displayed in the system by contacting the Foundation. If you want to change the e-mail address the Foundation currently uses to contact you, you must update your details by contacting the Foundation.
Data about research activities and results you enter into “My Portfolio” in researchfish® is accessible only to you and anyone you identify through the delegate or team member function. The Foundation can only access these data when you (or your delegate or team member) have allocated the activities and results to a grant or grants for which you are responsible for reporting, and the data are only made available to research organizations when you have formally submitted them.
researchfish® provides guidance on completing the questions throughout the reporting system. Since the data you submit to the Foundation via researchfish® may be published, you should avoid specifically identifying individuals involved in the work unless this information is already in the public domain (such as the names of co-authors listed on publications) or if you have specific consent from the researchers to send their positions, names and e-mail addresses to the Foundation. The positions, names and e-mail addresses of team members will not be published. You are also advised to ensure that you do not disclose data that are commercially sensitive, that might be considered confidential in some other way or is defamatory. The Foundation will not be held responsible for any such disclosure or the effects of this.
Please be aware that the Foundation has added comments regarding the use of names in resarchfish® to the “Next destination” and ”Spin-outs”. These are available in the guidence to the question set section.