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New Research Programme Will Provide More Knowledge on the Socioeconomic Impact of Research

Denmark invests about DKK 60 billion (€2.95 billion) on research annually. However, knowledge about the socioeconomic impact of this investment is limited.

This is why, today, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is launching a new social science research programme: Socioeconomic Impact of Research in Denmark. The aim is to provide new knowledge about the impact of investing in research in Denmark.

“More evidence-based knowledge is required on the socioeconomic impact of research, because this will enhance the understanding of how to optimize the impact of our common research resources. We have therefore decided to provide DKK 30 million in 2016 for a new social science research programme that will study the socioeconomic impact of research,” says Birgitte Nauntofte, CEO, Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The programme can support three 4-year projects with up to DKK 10 million per project.

The programme will enable research into such fields as:

  • how research affects the quality of education, the supply of qualified labour and increases in company productivity;
  • the socioeconomic impact of researchers and students immigrating into Denmark; and
  • the impact of biotechnological and biomedical research on innovation and productivity in society and on the economy.

The new research programme was presented yesterday following a conference on the economic impact of research hosted by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The conference brought together 150 participants from Denmark and abroad, including Denmark’s Minister for Higher Education and Science, Ulla Tørnæs.