Research centres
Each year the many splendid researchers at the Faculty recieve a number of great and prestigious grants for financing research. This results in a broad array of research centres, which all deliver research of a high international quality. More than 40% of the Faculty's yearly budget, which is about 3 billion Danish kr., is financed by external grants and fundings.
The following definition of centres has been established at SCIENCE:
- The faculty's centres must be based on external or internal grants where the grant giver has triggered the funds as a centre grant, or
- The faculty's centres must have external or internal grants of more than DKK 18 million over three years, or DKK 25 million over a five-year period, and
- The faculty's centres must already have a defined start and end date when it is set up.
Researchers at SCIENCE have received a number of prestigious ERC grants, which are shown in the list below, even though they are not actual centre grants.
Danish National Research Foundation
The Faculty of Science hosts 6 Centres of Excellence funded by the Danish National Research Foundation. These centres of excellence conduct research at a high international level and constitute a unique framework for world-class research.
Center for Volatile Interactions (VOLT)
Leader: Riikka Rinnan, Department of Biology
Funding period: 2023-2029
The Center will investigate the biology of volatile substances and how it responds to climate change.
Center for High Entropy Alloys Catalysis (CHEAC)
Leader: Jan Rossmeisl, Department of Chemistry
Funding period: 2020-2026
This center seeks the purpose of investigating catalysis on high entropy alloys.
Copenhagen Center for Geometry and Topology (GeoTop)
Leader: Nathalie Wahl, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Funding period: 2020-2026
The aim of the center is to solve basic scientific problems such as those in the interface between geometry and typology.
Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN)
Leader: Sune Toft, Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2018-2024
The Cosmic Dawn Center (DAWN) is a new international basic research center supported by The Danish National Research Foundation. DAWN is located in Copenhagen by the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, and at the Space division at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Space).
The centre is dedicated to identifying how and when the first galaxies, stars and black holes were formed.
Center for Hybrid Quantum Networks (Hy-Q)
Leader: Professor Peter Lodahl, Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2018-2024
Center for Hybrid Quantum Networks (Hy-Q) uses photons to merge quantum systems into major quantum networks. The long-term purpose of the research is to facilitate large-scale processing of quantum information over global distances. Hy-Q consists of three groups at Niels Bohr Institute, the University of Copenhagen: the Quantum Photonics Group, the Theoretical Quantum Optics Group and the Quantum Phononics Group.
Center for Quantum Devices - QDev
Leader: Charles M. Marcus, Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2018-2023
The center is investigating methods to produce, control, measure and protect quantum coherence and entanglement in solid state components.
ERC Grants
The European Research Council ERC supports world-class research. The grants are awarded to excellent researchers at different career levels to help build a team around an original and groundbreaking research idea.
ERC awards grants for three career levels: Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant and Advanced Grant. Moreover, there is Synergy Grant, which had been awarded twice in 2011 and 2012, and Proof of Concept, which can be applied for by ERC grant recipients with the aim to commercialise results of the ERC grant. ERC was founded in 2007 and SCIENCE has received 35 grants in total as PI (which means that a SCIENCE-researcher has gotten the grant and is responsible for the project) including a project transferred to SCIENCE after obtained grant. The list below shows ongoing projects.
ERC Starting Grant
ERC Starting Grant is for young talented researchers with 2-7 years of experience. As a starting point 1,5 mill EUR will be awarded over the course of 5 years. From 2007 – 2012 the ERC Starting Grant also comprised of the group, which from 2013 was separated to become ERC Consolidator Grant.
You Zhou - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Initial Conditions for Quark and Gluon Matter Formation at the LHC
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2023-2028
Isabelle Augenstein - Department of Computer Science
Title: Explainable and Robust Automatic Fact Checking
Department: Department of Computer Science
Funding period: 2023-2028
Jakob Grunnet Knudsen - Department of Biology
Title: Paracrine signalling in alpha cells and the integration of mechanisms that control glucagon secretion
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2023-2028
Alisa Javadi - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Photonic Quantum Technologies with Strain-Free Artificial Atoms
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2023-2028
Morten Kjaergaard - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Novel Approaches to Error Detection and Protection with Superconducting Qubits
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2023-2028
Laura Mancinska - Department of Mathematical Sciences
Title: Quantum Information Processing with Interacting Parties
Department: Department of Mathematical Sciences
Funding period: 2023-2027
Johan Samsing - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Dynamical Formation of Black Hole Mergers
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2022-2027
This ERC research program will lead to new ideas and tools to probe in unprecedented ways the origin of binary black hole (BBH) mergers, with particular focus on constraining the dynamical formation of GW sources.
Black Hole Billiards in the Centers of Galaxies
Amin Doostmohammadi - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Physical basis of Collective Mechano-Transduction: Bridging cell decision-making to multicellular selforganisation
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2022-2027
With his ERC Starting Grant, Amin Doostmohammadi will combine physical modelling with biological experiments, examine the role of mechanical forces in the proliferation of cell groups and seek to formulate an integrated view on cellular decision-making that incorporates mechanics as an integral part of the process.
Rasmus Heller - Department of Biology
Title: Genetic admixture and its impact on domestication in the Bos genus
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2020-2025
This project will study genome data to figure out what kind of relevance it may have to both tame and wild ox species.
Kathrin Rousk - Department of Biology
Title: Quantifying and upscaling nitrogen fixation in pristine ecosystems: Uncovering the climatic, ecological, and molecular control mechanisms (SYMBIONIX)
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2020-2025
This project is concerned with the identification of the climate and ecological factors that determines the size of the nitrogen fixation in moss.
READ MORE: ERC Starting Grant to Kathrin Rousk
Martin Stefan Brandt - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Title: Trees outside forests in global drylands (TOFDRY)
Department: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Funding period: 2020-2025
This project is about the mapping of tree and bush vegetation that will shed light on the interplay between humans, climate and trees in the dry areas on the planet.
READ MORE: Young researcher talents get prestigeous career push
Laura Vang Rasmussen - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Title: Reinterpreting how forests support people's dietary quality in low-income countries (FORESTDIET)
Department: Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Funding period: 2019-2024
The project seeks to investigate how the loss of forests affects the local community's food safety and living conditions.
Leonardo Midolo - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Nano-mechanical quantum photonic circuits (NANOMEQ)
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2020-2025
This project is focused on exploring new phenomena and realizing the next generation of programmable quantum devices for computing and secure communication.
READ MORE: Young researcher talents get prestigeous career push
Ditte Andersen - Department of Biology
Title: ‘FlyGutHomeostasis’ – Identification of paracrine and systemic signals controlling adult stem cell activity and organ homeostasis
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2019-2024
This project examines paracrine and systemic signals controlling the stem cell activity in flies.
Kirsten Marie Ørnsbjerg Jensen - Department of Chemistry
Title: ‘MATMECH’ – Live tapings of Material Formation: Unravelling formation mechanisms in materials chemistry through multimodal X-ray total scattering studies
Department: Department of Chemistry
Funding period: 2019-2025
The research group studies material research and seeks to gain a new understanding of the atomic structure in nanomaterials. This research can lead to chemists being able to design new materials with the specific characteristics used in i.e. energy materials for batteries.
READ MORE: Research Talent - Artists and researchers see the world from new angles
Ida Moltke - Department of Biology
Title: ‘SELECTIONDRIVEN’ – Gaining insights into human evolution and disease prevention from adaptive natural selection driven by lethal epidemics
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2019-2024
This project focuses on the analysis of DNA by means of statistical methods and computer programmes. The analyses may have several purposes. One analysis may show the genetic reasons for type 2 diabetes, while another analysis may teach us about how the world has become populated.
ERC Consolidator Grant
ERC Consolidator Grant is aimed at researchers with 7-12 years of experience. As a starting point, maximum 2 mill. EUR will be awarded over the course of five years. ERC Consolidator Grant has existed as an independent grant since 2013. Earlier it was a part of ERC Starting Grant.
Elisenda Feliu - Department of Mathematical Sciences
Title: Signs, polynomials, and reaction networks
Department: Department of Mathematical Sciences
Funding period: 2023-2027
Irene Tamborra - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Neutrino Quantum Kinetics
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2023-2028
READ MORE: Irene Tamborra receives grant to investigate the unknowns of neutron star mergers
Mette Burmølle - Department of Biology
Title: BioMatrix, The biofilm matrix and its functional role in the ecology of bacterial communities
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2021-2026
Albert Schliesser - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Phononic Quantum Sensors
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2021-2026
Albert Schliesser’s research group has been known for pioneering studies on measuring and controlling motion with high precision, and the group has invented thin membranes with a special “phononic” pattern of perforations, whose vibrations can be controlled particularly precisely.This project aims to explore the development of such devices into a sensor platform capable of detecting forces with unprecedented precision. Potential impact covers both basic quantum research and applications in technology, and range from fundamental tests of quantum mechanics to novel approaches to nanoscale microscopy.
READ MORE: ERC grant to develop phononic quantum sensors at the Niels Bohr Institute
Matthias Christandl - Department of Mathematical Sciences
Title: Resource-Q: Efficient Conversion of Quantum Information Resources
Department: Department of Mathematical Sciences
Funding period: 2019-2024
The project seeks to understand how quantum mechanisms affects information processes by working with the implementation of quantum communication and quantum calculations among other things.
This is the second time, Matthias Christandl receives an ERC-grant.
Christandl received his first ERC-grant in 2013.
READ MORE: Prestigious research grant for quantum mathematician
Gemma Solomon - Department of Chemistry
Title: QLIMIT: Challenging The Limits Of Molecular Quantum Interference Effects
Department: Department of Chemistry
Funding period: 2019-2024
Nathalie Wahl - Department of Mathematical Sciences
Title: Loops and groups: Geodesics, moduli spaces, and infinite discrete groups via string topology and homological stability
Department: Department of Mathematical Sciences
Funding period: 2018-2024
Loops and Groups is at the intersection of algebra, topology and geometry, with the scientific goal of answering central questions about "homological stability, geodesics on manifolds, and the moduli space of Riemann surfaces. Loop spaces can be used to study geodesics on manifolds, and the project proposes new methods for studying the connection between these two mathematical objects.
READ MORE: ERC Consolidator Grant to Nathalie Wahl
Riikka Rinnan - Department of Biology
Title: TUVOLU: Tundra biogenic volatile emissions in the 21st century
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2018-2024
Riikka’s group works with the exchange of climate-relevant reactive gases between natural ecosystems and the atmosphere. The research group’s recent work has focused on arctic tundra vegetation, which is experiencing climatic warming about twice as strong as the rest of the globe, and which seems to drastically increase VOC release to the atmosphere with climate warming.
READ MORE: Two ERC consolidator grants
ERC Advanced Grant
ERC Advanced Grant is targeted top researchers. The grants amount to up to 2,5 mill. EUR over the course of five years.
Søren Fournais - Department of Mathematical Sciences
Title: Mathematics of Bose-Einstein Condensation
Department: Department of Mathematical Sciences
Funding period: 2023-2028
ERC Synergy Grant
ERC Synergy Grant has so far only been awarded twice and very few grants. It is awarded to a collaboration of 2-4 researchers at same level as the other ERC grants.
Kresten Lindorff-Larsen - Department of Biology
Title: DynaPLIX
Department: Department of Biology
Funding period: 2023-2029
The project aims to map the dynamic transition states of proteins that occur when they interact with molecules. By utilizing various measurement methods, the project will investigate the structure and energy states in viral proteins when they bind to cellular molecules similar to those found in medicine.
Karsten Flensberg, Ferdinand Kuemmeth, Martin Leijnse og Charles Marcus - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Foundations of nonlocal and nonabelian condensed-matter systems
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2020-2027
This project is about figuring out if the Majorana particle can be useful in quantum computers taking over the heavy calculation tasks by disrupting the fixed limitations of normal computers. The Majorana particle may be a determining factor, as it is believed, that it can remember information better than regular transistors.
READ MORE: Quantum researchers will scrutinize the special qualities of the Majorana particle
Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Anders Svensson og Darach Watson - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: GREEN2ICE
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2023-2029
The project GREENICE has received 103 million DKK from ERC synergy, of which 63 million goes to the University of Copenhagen. Through analyses of ice cores, researchers will be able to find answers and learn more about the climate change of the future, by looking back in the past.
According to Professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, this is not only a case of exotic basic research, but this will result in essential knowledge about how resilient the ice cap is to climate change.
Darach Watson - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: HEAVYMETAL
Department: Niels Bohr Institute
Funding period: 2023-2029
The researchers behind HEAVY METAL investigate how the heavy elements are physically formed, on which there does not exist a fully supported answer. The project has received an ERC Synergy grant of almost DKK 84 Mio, of which DKK 22 Mio goes to Darach Watson from the Niels Bohr Institute.
HEAVY METAL has gathered four research groups in an international team of the world's leading experts within their respective fields. In addition to Darach Watson, who is the group leader in Copenhagen, Andreas Bauswein is head of the GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung in Germany, Padraig Dunne management team from University College Dublin in Ireland and the Stuart Sim group from Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
READ MORE (Danish): Forskning i Grønlands ældste is og Universets tunge stjerner får kæmpe EU-bevillinger
VILLUM Fonden
The VILLUM Foundation supports research at an international high class level through different programmes.
Villum Investigator
VILLUM Investigator is targeted researchers at an international top level. The grants can be up to 40 million DKK for a period of 6 years.
Tanja Zelevinsky - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Molecular and atomic clocks for fundamental science
Leader: Professor Tanya Zelevinsky
Contact: tanya.zelevinsky@nbi.ku.dk
Mikkel Thorup - Department of Computer Sciences
Title: Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen (BARC)
Leader: Professor Mikkel Thorup
Contact: mthorup@di.ku.dk
Staffan Persson - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: Engineering plant cell walls
Leader: Professor Staffan Persson
Contact: plen@plen.ku.dk
Jens Hjorth - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Time in astrophysics
Leader: Professor Jens Hjorth
Contact: jens@dark-cosmology.dk
Dorthe Dahl-Jensen - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: ICEFLOW - Isflydemodellering
Leader: Professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen
Contact: ddj@nbi.ku.dk
Eugene Polzik - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Quantum Optics with macroscopic systems
Leader: Professor Eugene Polzik
Contact: polzik@nbi.ku.dk
Guojie Zhang - Department of Biology
Title: Tempo and mode in the evolution of bird diversity
Leader: Professor Guojie Zhang
Contact: Guojie.Zhang@bio.ku.dk
Barbara Ann Halkier - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: Transportomics in plants
Leader: Professor Barbara Ann Halkier
Contact: bah@plen.ku.dk
Victor Cardoso - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Illumination of the dark universe with gravitational waves
Leader: Professor Victor Cardoso
Contact: eksp-blv@nbi.ku.dk
Novo Nordisk Foundation
The Novo Nordisk Foundation supports a series of projects seeking to benefit people and society.
Challenge Programme
The Challenge Programme aims at supporting outstanding researchers working within specific themes that may slightly vary from year to year. On an annual basis, DKK 360 million are awarded, in which up to six grants can receive DKK 60 million each.
Kresten Lindorff-Larsen - Department of Biology
Title: Protein Interactions and Stability in Medicine and Genomics (PRISM)
Leader: Professor Kresten Lindorff-Larsen, Department of Biology
Contact: lindorff@bio.ku.dk
Birthe B. Kragelund - Department of Biology
Title: Rethinking Protein Interactions (REPIN)
Leader: Professor Birthe B. Kragelund, Department of Biology
Contact: bbk@bio.ku.dk
Dimitrios Stamou - Department of Chemistry
Title: Center for Geometrically Engineered Cellular Systems (GEC)
Leader: Professor Dimitrios Stamou, Department of Chemistry
Contact: stamou@chem.ku.dk
Hans Thordal-Christensen - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: A new paradigm for disease-free crops of tomorrow
Leader: Professor Hans Thordal-Christensen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contact: htc@plen.ku.dk
Michael Broberg Palmgren - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: NovoCrops: Accelerated domestication of resilient climate-change friendly plant species
Leader: Professor Michael Broberg Palmgren, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contact: palmgren@plen.ku.dk
Per Gundersen - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Title: Silva Nova – Restoring soil biology and soil functions to gain multiple benefits in new forests
Leader: Professor Per Gundersen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Contact: pgu@ign.ku.dk
Katja S. Johansen - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Title: Oxygen Constraints on Microbial Secretomes during Plant Cell Wall Turnover’ (OxyMiST)
Leader: Professor Katja S. Johansen, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Contact: ksj@ign.ku.dk
Peter Lodahl - Niels Bohr Institute
Title: Solid-state quantum simulators for biochemistry’ (Solid-Q)
Leader: Professor Peter Lodahl, Niels Bohr Institute
Contact: lodahl@nbi.ku.dk
Matthias Christandl - Department of Mathematical Sciences
Title: Quantum for life
Leader: Professor Matthias Christandl, Department of Mathematical Sciences
Contact: christandl@math.ku.dk
Marianne Nissen Lund - Department of Food Science
Title: SEEDFOOD: Functional and palatable plant seed storage proteins for sustainable foods
Leader: Professor Marianne Nissen Lund, Department of Food Science
Contact: mnl@food.ku.dk
Dennis Sandris Nielsen - Department of Food Science
Title: PROFERMENT: Solid-state fermentations for protein transformations and palatability of plant-based foods
Leader: Professor Dennis Sandris Nielsen, Department of Food Science
Contact: dn@food.ku.dk
Guy Schurgers - Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Title: Global Wetland Center
Leader: Guy Schurgers, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
Contact: gusc@ign.ku.dk
Laureate Research Grant
The Laureate Research Grant is targeted established researchers with a research group that she/he has been in charge of for more than seven years. Research must be conducted within the field of biomedicine or biotechnology.
Staffan Persson - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: Improving carbon allocation in grains through bio-engineering
Leader: Staffan Persson, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
National Research Infrastructure Programme
The programme supports Danish research environment with grants of DKK 5-25 million during a period of up to five years. The research environments that NNF are mainly focusing on are; biomedicine, biotechnology, and natural and technical sciences.
Alexander Schulz - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: Center for Advanced Bioimaging
Leader: Professor Alexander Schulz, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contact: als@plen.ku.dk
Data Science Collaborative Research Programme
The Data Science Collaborative Research Programme aims to support synergistic research collaborations rooted in data science and computational science with immediate or potential future applications within areas of relevance to NNF’s strategy.
Ole Winther - Department of Biology
Title: Center for Basic Machine Learning Research in Life Science
Leader: Professor Ole Winther, Department of Biology
Contact: ole.winther@bio.ku.dk
The Collaborative Crop Resilience Programme
Mette Haubjerg Nicolaisen - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: Decoding the Rhizobiota Interactome for Crop Resiliency (INTERACT)
Leader: : Lektor Mette Haubjerg Nicolaisen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contact: meni@plen.ku.dk
Lars Hestbjerg Hansen - Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Title: Microbiome Assisted Triticum Resilience in X-dimensions (MATRIX)
Leader: Lars Hestbjerg Hansen, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Contact: lhha@plen.ku.dk
Other Funding Centres
Nordea Fonden
Every year, Nordea Fonden supports projects with approximately 500 million DKK with the purpose of promoting a healthy lifestyle concerning exercise, nature and culture.
Copenhagen Centre for Team Sport and Health
Leader: Professor Jens Bangsbo, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports
Contact: jbangsbo@nexs.ku.dk
Innovation Fund Denmark
Innovation Fund Denmark are focused on supporting researchers, who want to create value and benefit Denmark as well as contribute to solving societal challenges.
Pioneer Centre
Carlsberg Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation, The Velux Foundations, Danish National Research Foundation and The Lundbeck Foundation have supported the centre with DKK 352,4 million (€47 million).
Pioneer Centre for AI
Leader: Professor Serge Belongie, Department of Computer Science
Contact: s.belongie@di.ku.dk
Novo Nordisk Foundation
The Novo Nordisk Foundation Quantum Computing Programme is a collaboration between the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Niels Bohr Institute. The Novo Nordisk Foundation supports the Quantum Computing Programme with DKK 1.5 billion.
Quantum Computing Programme
Leader: Professor Peter Krogstrup Jeppesen, Niels Bohr Institute
Contact: krogstrup@nbi.ku.dk