POUL DUE JENSEN FOUNDATION RESEARCH we go through at least five iterations before we are both happy. I’m not trying to dictate what the researchers do – it’s actually quite the contrary. Our objective is to make the relevance of the research project as clear as possible. And from my experience, it seems that they find it inspiring to test their ideas before compiling a formal application. I also get the impression that we are more active in following up on our projects than other foundations. I am regularly in touch with the funding recipients. You never know what will happen with a research project, because if you did, it would not be research – it would be operations. Something unforeseen always happens, and that’s why we always follow up to ensure that the project is on track, and that the objective can be reached even if circumstances change. Sometimes, we also need to revise the project’s objective, which is another reason to follow up on a regular basis. In some places, the funding conditions are so rigorously articulated that there is a risk of mistaking the objectives for means and vice versa. There may be requirements, such as a certain type of employment, a minimum stay abroad, where you can publish, or bring a specific technology to a certain level. As we are a small foundation, we have the capacity to be creative and manoeuvrable. There have been several occasions on which I’ve shared an idea and my contact at the university has said: “Wow, I hadn’t thought of that! Are we allowed to do that?” That way, we can stay true to the spirit of the project. 4 How do you see the research profile of the foundation? We are not as big a foundation as some of the others within research. The Novo Poul Toft Frederiksen visits Aalborg University Photo: Poul Due Jensen Foundation Nordisk Foundation is huge. I think they donate more than DKK 5 billion every year, Lundbeck donates DKK 500 million and the Velux Foundations donate around DKK 1 billion. But the majority of the private foundations’ research donations go to research in medicine. We have opted against this route, in order to focus on areas in which we can make a significant difference. I usually say a project should have a long-term relevance for Jutlandic industrial businesses with an interest in water. But that is also a broad term, because there are many relevant disciplines including mechanics, hydraulics, electronics, material science, biology and microbiology. This means that we cover areas that are relatively untouched by other private foundations. Villum, Obel and the Independent Research Fund Denmark are there as well, but they cover much more than just these areas. So, these are the areas in which we can make a real difference. From a foundation’s perspective, it may be a niche area, but for socio-econo- mics and for the industry it is a huge, important area. The Foundation has really advanced in the past few years. Our strategy is clear, and we are at the cutting edge of how foundations should act. We also save a lot of time by engaging in the networks that are important to us. 5 Where does the Grundfos Prize fit into all of this? There are many important aspects of the award ceremony. We focus on a specific research area and show the world that research is important. But we also invite students to the ceremony to show them that there are exciting career here. We showcase Grundfos to many students, so they get to see how versatile our workplace really is. Finally, the rest of the guests are from our networks, including our research networks, who we like to engage with in a more festive and informal manner. 31
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