Research Theme 2023

The programme is a strategic effort targeting specific challenges within annually selected research themes. For the 2023 application call, the Challenge Programme is seeking to support the following research theme:

• Prediction of Climate Change and Effect of Mitigating Solutions

The Challenge is to develop data-driven, next-generation climate models with the purpose of enabling robust predictions of climate change and prediction of the effect of mitigating solutions. The aim is to significantly progress our causal understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of climate systems and consequences of climate change on a regional and/or global scale.

This highly interdisciplinary Challenge bridges synergistic collaboration between physics, data science, mathematics, atmospheric chemistry, the geo-sciences, engineering, and the life sciences. The successful research plan should include theoretical modelling rooted in, e.g., complex systems models, numerical simulations, and/or AI algorithms as well as a significant experimental component, e.g., data collection from ground- or ocean-based technology platforms, laboratory or fieldwork, and/or space-based active sensors to support, confirm and advance the generated models.

Supported research may include but is not limited to: 

• Research that advances climate models’ robustness and predictive power of climate changes and effects of climate changes in global/regional ecosystems or critical biomes (e.g., extremes in soil and agricultural systems, ice sheet collapse, disruption of ocean circulation, risk to biodiversity)
• Research focused at improving the temporal/spatial resolution of climate models, including acquiring or collecting novel data, thereby advancing the mechanistic understanding at a regional/global scale e.g., coupling atmospheric dynamics to land, oceans and/or ice, cloud microphysics, radiative balance, atmospheric convection
• Development of robust models that can advise of quantitative mitigation or adaption strategies.

Eligibility

The Challenge Programme supports excellent research leaders from 2-4 research groups (main applicant plus 1-3 co-applicants).

The programme leader must be at least 75% affiliated with a Danish university, hospital or other non-profit research organization, that will be considered the host institution of the project.

The research institutions of the co-applicants can be located in Denmark or abroad. The co-applicants should contribute significantly to the advancement of the project and should receive part of the funding.

Industry collaboration is possible; however, funding cannot be awarded to industrial partner(s).

Funding

A total of up to DKK 120 million is available for grants between DKK 30 million and DKK 60 million for projects lasting up to 6 years.

Application process

The application process will consist of two stages.

Stage 1: A short expression of interest will be evaluated by an international expert committee. The best applicants will be invited to submit a Stage 2 application.
Stage 2: An application with a detailed project proposal. The main applicant will be invited for interview with the international committee.

Please read ”Information and Guidelines for Applicants” carefully before initiating the application process. Additional and essential information is found in these guidelines.

Click here to read more about the Challenge Programme and to see a list of previous Grant recipients.