DKK 255 million for five new Centers of Excellence at Aarhus University

Research into plant hormones, ocean currents, sustainable materials, econometric tools and text culture will now be bolstered by substantial grants from the Danish National Research Foundation.

Funding has been awarded to establish five Centers of Excellence at Aarhus University: three at Nat, one at Arts, and one at BSS. In total, 13 new Centers of Excellence will be set up across Denmark.

The following researchers at Aarhus University have received funding from the Danish National Research Foundation to form and lead [SJ1] Centers of Excellence:

• Professor Dorthe Ravnsbæk (Nat): Center for Sustainable Energy Materials (C-SEM), which will investigate the possibility of developing new energy materials.
• Professor Bjørn Panyella Pedersen (Nat): Center for the Active Transport of Plant Hormones (Plant-PATH), which will help shape the resilient crops of the future.
• Professor Søren Rysgaard (Nat): Center for Ice-free Arctic Research (CIFAR), which will survey the implications of ice melting and more freshwater entering ocean currents in the Arctic.
• Professor Mads Rosendahl Thomsen (Arts): Center for Contemporary Cultures of Text (TEXT), which will investigate how artificial intelligence is altering our text culture.
• Professor Morten Ørregaard Nielsen (BSS): Aarhus Center for Econometrics (ACE), which will develop new, robust econometric tools and methods.

Professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, chair of the Danish National Research Foundation, says that the foundation conducted a long and thorough process to select the 13 new centres, which have now been invited to enter contract negotiations with the foundation:

“I wish we were able to say yes to even more centres, because there is a lot of talent out there in the Danish research world. And, as always, this bodes well for the future, because we have seen that many of their research ideas contribute positively to Danish society,” says Dorthe Dahl-Jensen.

“The foundation has always worked closely with the host institutions, who excel in facilitating the interdisciplinary research environments that we’re keen to foster and develop through our Centers of Excellence. We’re also aware that this collaboration helps create stimulating environments in which to educate world-class researchers of the future. So we’re looking forward to continuing our close and fruitful collaboration with the research institutions as we develop the new Centers of Excellence,” says Professor Dorthe Dahl-Jensen.

The new Centers of Excellence will be established for a six-year period with the option of extending for a further four years, subject to a satisfactory evaluation after approximately five years.

This article is based on a press release from the Danish National Research Foundation.