In this project, talented professional journalists from the Danish press get access to academic knowledge at the highest level in the health science field and are trained to improve their communication of health science research as well as the debate about priorities in the health care system.
The fellowships – the Novo Nordisk Foundation Fellowship on Health Research and the Novo Nordisk Foundation Fellowship on the Healthcare System of the Future – are awarded annually. The first focuses on topics such as the ethical, human, and economic consequences of, for example, stem cell research, robotic surgery. and gene manipulation, while the latter is oriented towards topics such as priorities, treatments versus prevention, and organizational changes in the Danish healthcare system.
The fellowships are based at the Constructive Institute and are part of the institute’s work to help ensure that global media does not increase mistrust and polarization. Instead, members of the press can be part of the solution and assist the democratic process through knowledge-based, constructive, critical journalism.
In 2019, the Foundation awarded DKK 6 million to fund six fellowships in 2019-2022. A further DKK 9 million was awarded in 2022 to continue funding the scholarships until 2025.
