The Novo Nordisk Foundation is the first foundation in the world to give open access to all its grant-giving data. An online interactive dashboard with facts and figures enables users to get detailed real-time data on all the Foundation’s grant activities.
The new dashboard comprises data for the Foundation’s previous as well as current grants, including data on the outputs, outcomes and societal impact of completed grants.
The data shown include the success rates for applications in open competition and the distribution of grants by age, gender and across institutions and scientific areas, among other things.
“We are thrilled to be able to make our data available to the public, to stakeholders, university researchers and all our grantees. We hope that our grant holders will see how their reporting contributes to valuable insights and that educational institutions can benefit from studying these data,” says Thomas Alslev Christensen, Senior Vice President of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s impact, analytics, data and insight department.
Transparency is the way forward
Providing public access to facts and figures about its grant giving is a natural extension of the Foundation’s strong focus on collecting data to monitor and measure the effects of its activities.
“We formulate impact markers and success criteria when developing new initiatives, and our grant holders have to report continually on the progress of their projects. This reporting continues 1-5 years after a project ends, so that we can properly measure its outcome and effects,” Thomas Alslev Christensen notes.
As for the decision to make the data accessible to the public, Thomas Alslev Christensen explains: “Given our aim of contributing to society, we strive as a foundation to be as transparent as possible about our philanthropic activities. More open sharing of data and results from science creates the best foundation for understanding the impact that we and our many collaboration partners have on society.”
The dashboard with facts and figures for the Foundation’s grant activities can be accessed here.
About the Novo Nordisk Foundation
Established in Denmark in 1924, the Novo Nordisk Foundation is an enterprise foundation with philanthropic objectives. The vision of the Foundation is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. The Foundation’s mission is to progress research and innovation in the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases as well as to advance knowledge and solutions to support a green transformation of society.
www.novonordiskfonden.dk/en
