Frequently Asked Questions about nominations
When will the Elite Research call for nominations be announced?
Beginning of March in the year before publication of the results.
When is the final date for submission of nominations?
Middle of May in the year before publication of the results.
What does the nomination consist of?
An academic justification plus appendices: a CV and list of publications.
How long may the appendices be?
For nominations to the Elite Research Prize, the appendices - a CV and list of publications - may not exceed five pages all in all.
How should the appendices be sent?
Appendices A and B may be sent as one document or two, but they must not exceed five pages.
Do the heading and signature count as characters in appendix A?
No, the number of characters including spaces concerns the body of the text. The heading and signature do not count.
May the candidate's age be reduced in connection with any maternity or parental leave that has been taken?
In connection with pregnancy leave, maternity, paternal or parental leave before or after gaining a PhD, the candidate's age may be reduced by double the actual number of weeks the person has been on leave. Thus, if you have taken four weeks parental leave, your age may be reduced by eight weeks.
Maternity leave covers pregnancy leave, maternity and paternal leave, as well as parental leave taken after the birth, or later on.
Information about pregnancy leave, maternity, paternal and parental leave must be included in the candidate's CV.
What is covered by the term 'maternity and parental leave'?
The term 'maternity and parental leave' covers the 4-6 weeks before birth (pregnancy leave), maternal leave after birth and parental leave. The 14 days of paternal leave are thus included, as is any parental leave taken later on.
May sick leave be subtracted from the candidate's age?
Sick leave may not be subtracted from the candidate's age.
Who can nominate a candidate?
Nominations for the Elite Research Prizes may be submitted by universities, research institutes and private companies that conduct research. The nominated candidates must be employed by the nominating institution.
Candidates may not nominate themselves.
Nominations for the Elite Research Travel Grants may be submitted by institutions that can confer PhD degrees. The nominated candidates must be employed by the nominating institution.
Candidates may not nominate themselves.
Who can be nominated?
The Elite Research Prizes are awarded to young researchers with a prominent international reputation, whose work constitutes an exceptional contribution to Danish research. Prizes may be awarded to researchers within all academic disciplines. Recipients must be under the age of forty-five (45) at the time when the Prizes are awarded.
Candidates may not nominate themselves.
As the Elite Research Travel Grants are to be used in connection with studying for a research degree, candidates shall at the time of nomination deadline, have at least one and a half years of their PhD studies left (including the defence).
Candidates may not nominate themselves.
May an industrial PhD student be nominated for The Elite Research Travel Grant?
Yes, as long as the industrial PhD student is registered at an institution that can confer PhD degrees, and the nomination is made by this institution.
How can you work out the concluding date of a PhD programme for The Elite Research Travel Grant?
A complete PhD programme includes defence of the thesis, and as the date of the defence is often not known, in practice three months may be added to the date when the thesis is submitted.
When can I expect to be informed whether or not I have been awarded an Elite Research grant?
If you have been awarded an Elite Research Prize or an Elite Research Travel Grant, you will be personally notified by the Minister of Higher Education and Science in November of the year before the award ceremony.
Frequently Asked Questions about grants
When will the names of the year's recipients of the Elite Research Prize and the Elite Research Travel Grants be made public?
At the Elite Research Conference, which is held on the Thursday of week 9. The Minister of Higher Education and Science will send out personal invitations.
What is the legal basis of the grant?
The complete legal basis of the Elite Research Prize is constituted by: the grant notification letter; the Ministry's guidelines; 'Terms and Conditions for Grants'; and the 'Call for nominations: Elite Research Prize' for the year in which a candidate has been nominated. The grant notification letter will be sent through e-grant.
The complete legal basis of the Elite Research Travel Grant is constituted by: the grant notification letter; the Ministry's guidelines; 'Terms and Conditions for Grants'; and the 'Call for nominations: Elite Research Travel Grants' for the year in which a person has been nominated. The grant notification letter will be sent through e-grant.
How and when is the prize/travel grant disbursed?
The Elite Research Prize is a framework grant. The grant is governed by the terms laid down in 'Terms and Conditions for Grants', and the grant will be disbursed automatically. The grant will automatically be sent to disbursement via e-grant after the receipt of the 'Acceptance of commitment'. The first payment will be made three months after the start of the project and will be 85% of the total grant, that is, DKK 850,000.
15% of the grant will be withheld, and will not be paid out until the final financial statement and the final scientific report have been received and approved.
The Elite Research Travel Grant is a framework grant. The grant is governed by the terms laid down in 'Terms and Conditions for Grants', and the grant will be disbursed automatically. The grant will automatically be sent to disbursement via e-grant after the receipt of the 'Acceptance of commitment'. The first payment will be made three months after the start of the project and will be 85% of the total grant, that is, DKK 170,000.
15% of the grant will be withheld, and will not be paid out until the final financial report and the final academic report have been received and approved.
- Terms and Conditions for Grants (English version)
- Addendum to Terms and Conditions for grants (in English)
When is the personal award attached to the Elite Research Prize paid out to the recipients?
The personal award amounts to DKK 200,000, and will be paid out shortly after the Elite Research Conference, which will be held on Thursday in week 9.
Is the personal award of the Elite Research Prize subject to tax?
Yes. The recipient has to report the award amount of DKK 200.000 as B-income to the Danish tax authorities.
Must a final financial statement be submitted, and what are the requirements concerning this statement?
The final financial statement shall be submitted for both the Elite Research Prize and the Elite Research Travel Grant no later than three months after the general grant period expires.
A final financial statement shall be submitted for all cases published in e-grant, using the report forms required for the particular type of grant. For the final financial statement the official accounting form must be filled out and uploaded along with the report form.
When submitting a financial statement, the most recent version of the accounting form must be used.
Must a final scientific report be submitted, and what are the requirements concerning this report?
Concerning the Elite Research Prize, the final scientific report shall be submitted no later than three months after the general grant period expires.
The final scientific report is a written account of how the grant has been spent, as well as an account of what the receipt of the Elite Research Prize has meant to the recipient. There is no special form or required format for the final academic report.
The final academic report shall be submitted via e-grant.
Concerning the Elite Research Travel Grants, the final scientific report shall be submitted no later than three months after the general grant period expires.
For all cases published in e-grant, a final report must be submitted, using the report forms required for the particular type of grant.
In the case of travel grants awarded before 2019, the final academic report is a written account of how the grant has been used, as well as an account of what the grant has meant to the recipient. There is no special form or required format for the final academic report.
In the case of travel grants awarded from 2019 onwards, the report form contains a link to another form requesting information as to how the grant was spent, and what it has meant to the recipient.
What is the grant period?
Concerning the Elite Research Prize, the grant is expected to be used within a period of three years. The start date for the grant period is 1 January of the year in which the awards are made public at the Elite Research Conference.
Concerning the Elite Research Travel Grant, the grant is expected to be used within a period of two years. Grant activities must be concluded no later than the end date. If the PhD project is completed before the grant end date, the grant must be used before the recipient's defence of the PhD thesis. The start date for the grant period is 1 January of the year in which the recipient is announced, and the end date is 31 December of the following year. All in all, two years.
Is it possible to apply for a change in the grant period?
Concerning both the Elite Research Prize and the Elite Research Travel Grant, there is a form for requesting changes in the grant period, including requesting a longer or shorter period. This form must also be used when requesting a longer period due to maternity or sick leave. The request shall be submitted via e-grant:
How do I submit reports concerning assignments, requests for changes in the grant period, etc.?
Concerning the Elite Research Prize, the grant holder's place of employment administers the whole grant. All administration and reporting must be done via e-grant.
Concerning the Elite Research Travel Grant, the grant holder's place of employment administers the whole grant. All administration and reporting must be done via e-grant.
The recipient of the Elite Research Travel Grant shall be invited to be a proxy holder in this matter, so that the recipient may at any time involve new contact persons.
The grant holder's place of employment shall moreover ensure that all contact persons responsible for reporting have access to e-grant.
May the travel grant be used after I have submitted my PhD?
If the PhD thesis is submitted within the grant period, the grant may be used until the defence of the thesis.
What is meant by a PhD degree course?
A PhD degree course covers the period until and including the defence of the PhD thesis.
May an hourly or daily allowance be paid in connection with studying abroad?
Concerning the Elite Research Travel Grant:
When attending a conference, a subsistence allowance may be paid at the official going rates for the country in question.
These rates can be found on the Agency for Modernisation's website (in Danish).
In addition, conference fees, as well as accommodation and travel expenses, may be covered by the grant.
In the case of a lengthy study period abroad, no hourly or daily allowance may be paid. The travel grant may be used as a subsidy when renting accommodation, if extra expenses are actually involved. The relevant conditions will be laid out in the grant letter.
What does "actual extra expenses of rented accommodation" mean?
The Elite Research Travel Grant can cover extra expenses for the recipient's rent in connection with a stay abroad. For example, if the recipient's rent in Denmark is €500 and the rent in the country of the residency is €600, the extra €100 is considered additional costs.
The grant should thus support that the difference in rent between Denmark and expensive cities abroad (e.g. New York, London, etc.) does not become the deciding factor of the stay.
What do I do if in doubt as to what the grant may be used for in connection with a period of study abroad?
Section 5 of the call for nominations for the grant specifies what the grant may be used for.
The grant holder's place of employment administers the whole grant for the holder, and can advise on how the grant may be used.