Purpose
It is becoming increasingly clear that some of the most complex scientific challenges only can be addressed through interdisciplinary efforts. With the Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme, the Novo Nordisk Foundation seeks to strengthen the synergy between researchers, across disciplines, organisations, and national borders.
The goals of the Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme are to:
- Enable creative and novel, high-risk/high-gain interdisciplinary research
- Provide long-term support of such novel interdisciplinary research ideas
- Stimulate an emerging interdisciplinary research culture that spans across scientific disciplines and techniques
- Break down or overcome the barriers that exist between the different disciplines
- Strengthen and internationalize Danish research
The project should be based on a novel research idea, where an interdisciplinary, high-risk/high-gain challenge is at the centre. The programme supports projects where 2-4 research groups collaborate (a main applicant plus 1-3 co-applicants).
The project is ideally founded on clear pilot data that support pursuing the novel and high-risk/high-gain idea over an extended project period of 4 years. If there at the application stage exists no pilot data, the applicants are encouraged to consider the Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme.