The Lundbeck Foundation is awarding DKK 174 million in grants to seven ‘mind-bending’ research collaborations

Collaborative Project - Lundbeck Foundation 2022

Seven Danish researchers are set to receive grants of between DKK 20 and 40 million for neuroscience projects as part of the Lundbeck Foundation’s Collaborative Projects programme.

Neuroscience research aims to generate knowledge that will lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of the brain and the treatment of a wide range of disorders, such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and depression. To tackle these highly complex problems, it is absolutely crucial to draw on a wide range of experts and engage in interdisciplinary collaboration.

That is the concept behind the Collaborative Projects programme, a special initiative under which the Lundbeck Foundation has just announced grants worth millions of kroner to seven Danish researchers and their partners.

‘Modern neuroscience is highly interdisciplinary. Making serious progress depends on teams working together, both within Denmark and internationally. The Collaborative Projects programme invites researchers to propose problems they can only solve via interdisciplinary collaboration. And this year’s projects do just that,’ says Lars Torup, Scientific Programme Director at the Lundbeck Foundation.

The programme’s objective is to give the Danish neuroscience research community a boost by funding interdisciplinary partnerships, both at home and with international partners.

‘Something very special happens when you take teams and research profiles with different specialist knowledge, competencies and data and bring them together to seek answers and solutions to complex neuroscience questions. Breakthroughs are made at the interfaces between academic disciplines. A recurring feature of the seven projects is that clear synergies emerge from collaboration with strong international partners,’ says Torup.

‘We’re delighted that a number of the projects have established collaborations with the leading international groups in their respective fields. We hope this will have a positive knock-on effect on the Danish research environment as a whole,’ he adds.

The programme received applications from 36 groups at Danish research institutions in 2022. Ten were selected for peer review and interviewed by the foundation’s Grants & Prizes Panel. Seven projects have now been awarded funding.