Danish Research at the Forefront Internationally

– Danish researchers perform well when faced with strong international competition. It is a good starting point to use new knowledge and translate it into innovation, growth and jobs in the labour market. However, there is still much untapped potential to be found in public-private collaboration, says Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen.

The new "Research Barometer 2010" (in Danish) shows that the quality of Danish research is highly regarded internationally. Denmark ranks among the top 3 OECD countries, when assessed on the number of scientific studies published per capita and on how often Danish researchers are cited internationally.

The Danish research community also tops the success rate tables for Danish applicants to EU research programmes.

Denmark lies mid-table for international collaboration between researchers and the business community, but there has been progress compared to last year's placement in the Research Barometer.

High level of international cooperation

"Research Barometer 2010" also shows that Danish researchers collaborate intensively with their foreign colleagues. More than half of the Danish scientific studies published were carried out in cooperation with international researchers – double that of 25 years ago.

The European research community is particularly competitive, especially for the highly-prestigious European Research Council (ERC) grants. A total of 18 out of the 1000 grants were awarded to Danish researchers, placing Denmark 7th in European rankings per capita for ERC grants.

"Research Barometer 2010" presents an overview of the quality of Danish research and profiles the Danish research environment. The barometer is based on statistical indicators, chosen because they describe particularly interesting aspects of research – both Danish and international. An innovative feature in this year's barometer is a number of clarifying indicators in the fields of humanities and social sciences.

Science Minister Charlotte Sahl-Madsen can be contacted via the ministry's press officer Charlotte Holst at +45 22 11 02 00 or chhh@vtu.dk.

Further information about "Research Barometer 2010" can be obtained from chief consultant Jesper Allerup, Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation at +45 33 95 52 75 or jeall@fi.dk.

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