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SDU's strategy for external funding

With the strategy for external research funding, SDU provides incentives, support, and tools to increase the support for career development and research funding for SDU's researchers.

To support long-term research development ambitions and address growing pressure on education income, SDU launched a new funding strategy in 2022.

The success of the strategy is driven by a range of funding initiatives designed to make the funding process easier, more efficient, and more rewarding for researchers at SDU. 

From writing retreats to improved application procedures and tailored support, the initiatives provide tools and opportunities to increase the success rates of applications and advance research careers. Explore the initiatives and discover how the funding strategy can make a difference for you as a researcher or a research leader.

New to SDU's funding strategy?

Learn more here

These initiatives are aimed at researchers who want to develop and improve their applications and advance their academic careers.

Writing retreat

Immerse yourself in the application writing process on an SDU funded writing retreat. Whether you are working solo or with partners, this is your opportunity to write with fewer distractions and more support.

  • To create stronger, more thorough applications, SDU provides individual researchers or consortiums funding for dedicated time and space away to focus on their writing.

    As an individual, you can apply for:

    • Up to DKK 10,000
    • 1-5 days retreat

    As a consortium, where SDU is a coordinator, you can apply for:

    • Up to DKK 46,000
    • Max. 6 days retreat - 1–3 days duration, supplemented by 1 day for preparation and 2 days for summing up
     
    Learn how a writing retreat made a difference for researcher Julie Emontspool
  • Send a short email to your head of department describing why the retreat is necessary for you or your consortium and what type of retreat you wish to use the funding for. The funding is primarily targeted at applications to the Danish National Research Foundation, the EU and private foundations. Applications are ongoing, so you can always apply. Decisions on writing retreats are handled locally by your faculty’s dean or vice dean.
    Contact the head of your department

ERC bonus incentive

To strengthen SDU researchers’ efforts in attracting EU funding, an ERC bonus incentive has been introduced. The bonus supports researchers with ERC potential on their career path and reinforce SDU’s focus on scientific excellence through ERC funding.

  • The initiative rewards both you as a researcher and your department for progressing in the ERC application process. You will each receive DKK 250,000 when you receive an invitation for an interview – and again when you secure an ERC grant. The bonus applies across the ERC schemes (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, and Synergy). The bonus is initiated by your dean and can be awarded a maximum of once per ERC instrument. 

    The bonus can be used to strengthen your research according to your own priorities, such as travel, conferences, co-financing a PhD student, hiring a research assistant, or getting administrative support. Please note the funds cannot be used for personal salary. 

    For questions, contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal.

     
    Contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal
  • When you have progressed in the ERC application process, your faculty dean informs the Rector, who then initiates the process of awarding the bonus. The funds can be used at the discretion of your head of department, within SDU and in accordance with the overall purpose of the initiative. So separate financial reporting is required.

Collegial sparring – see video

Create stronger applications with feedback from your colleagues. SDU is introducing a structured framework around collegial sparring to make peer feedback a natural part of the application writing process.

  • By sharing insights and discussing draft applications early on, you can help qualify your work and support your colleagues in doing the same. This also help to build a stronger culture of collegial support at a faculty level – and contributes to the overall success of SDU applications.

  • The framework for collegial sparring is developed based on faculty’s best practices and is currently at different stages of implementation at each faculty. To find out how collegial sparring works at your faculty, contact your leader or your local research support unit.
    Contact your leader or your local research support unit

Impact

As funders place increasing emphasis on the impact of research, SDU is taking steps to support its researchers understanding of impact and how to clearly communicate it in their funding applications.

  • The initiative helps you strengthen your ability to identify and describe the societal, academic, or practical effects of your research in a convincing way. By developing your understanding of impact and how to communicate it effectively, you not only improve the quality of your applications but also align with funders' expectations, increasing your chances of success. At the same time, you contribute to a shared and evolving understanding of impact across SDU.

  • Resources are currently being developed to support your work with impact. This includes:

    • integrating impact-focused practices in existing initiatives such as collegial sparring and SDU Research academy.
    • creating workshops on impact to share real-life examples, provide inspiration and spark discussions.

    If you are curious about SDU's approach to impact, please contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal.

    Contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal

Systematic application feedback

By collecting and sharing feedback systematically, this initiative aims to improve your chances of success and strengthen SDU’s overall grant performance.
 

  • Sharing application feedback allows us to better understand the quality of the combined body of applications at SDU. This allows us to see the bigger picture and work strategically with improving success rates across the university. By doing this, your feedback contributes to building a stronger, data-driven funding culture at SDU — leading to better support, shared learning, and higher success rates for you and your fellow researchers. 

  • Whenever you are applying for grants in e-grants (DFF project grants, Sapere Aude and thematic calls) or in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Horizon Europe - MSCA PF, ERC and Societal Challenges) it is important that you include an administrative colleague — such as a financial officer, project coordinator, or research support staff member — to the application.

    Download this guide to see how to add an administrative colleague to your application.

    This allows feedback to be shared with the research support units at SDU to improve insight in application quality overall. All data will be handled professionally, with discretion and with due consideration for ownership, academic completion and anonymity. 

    If you have questions regarding the handling of your data or which administrative colleague to add to your application, contact your local research support unit.

    Contact your local research support unit
 

 

SDU Research Academy

SDU Research Academy supports the development of early-career researchers offering tailored guidance in research leadership. This includes acces to a digital learning platform with courses in project management, consortium building, and more, so you can develop into a successful research leader.

  • If you are a new or early-career professor, the platform provides guidance and tools to support your professional growth.

    You will find informational videos on topics such as:

    • Project management
    • Research management
    • Proposal writing
    • Networking
    • The funding landscape

  • All resources are available through a closed SharePoint group. Follow the link to request access. You will receive an email once access has been granted access. It is free for all SDU researchers to join and is continuously updated. 

    For further information about SDU Research Academy, contact Chief Consultant, PhD Just Bendix Justesen from HR and Development.


    Chief Consultant, PhD Just Bendix Justesen from HR and Development

 

Network

Building a strong network is essential for advancing an academic career and increasing your chances of securing funding – especially at the EU level. SDU are working systematically to strengthen researchers’ networking skills across all career stages.
 

  • The initiative helps you develop your ability to build meaningful and strategic connections - both nationally and internationally - supporting your career progression and research impact.

  • A career network tool has developed as a framework for researchers and research leaders. This will help to assess your current academic level and identify relevant networking opportunities accordingly. Additional individual and strategic initiatives are in development, also at a faculty-specific level. This includes:

    Contact your leader or HR to explore how you can further develop your career

Career development via external funding

SDU supports researchers in building strong academic careers by connecting professional development with external funding. This initiative offers career tools and personal guidance from academic leaders to help secure funding in a career-development perspective.

  • The initiative supports both individuals and research groups in finding the right tools for their career stage, offering mentoring, structured dialogue, and a clearer overview of opportunities.

  • Resources are continuously being developed. You can already access:

    Dialogue tool for self-reflection and MUS
    Use this dialogue tool to guide conversations and MUS between you and your leader to reflect on your academic path in relation to external funding.

    Call Calender
    Explore upcoming calls matched to career stages when looking for your next funding opportunity in the Call Calender. 
    Contact your leader or HR to explore how you can further develop your career

Contact Research Support

Empower researcher’s growth and elevate their funding potential by utilising these funding initiatives.

Writing retreat

Give your researchers – and their consortiums – the space and time to create stronger, more thorough applications especially for EU, DNRF, and Independent Research Fund Denmark by sending them on an SDU-funded writing retreat.

  • Individual researchers get up to DKK 10,000 for 1-5 days retreat.
  • Consortiums, with SDU as a coordinator, get up to DKK 46,000 for max 6 days retreat (1-3 days writing, 1 day preparation and 2 days summing up).

Applications are ongoing and handled locally by the faculty dean or vice dean. To know more, contact the Head of research support at your faculty.

Attracting exceptional talent

To attract top research talent to SDU, DKK 2.5 million has been allocated per faculty annually until 2027.

The initiative targets both ERC Grant-level researchers (ERC) and exceptional research talents with outstanding international profiles (EXP).

With a flexible and easy process, the funding supports strategic recruitment of international talent to enhance SDU’s research competitiveness and diversity.

The financial package is awarded by the Rector based on the Dean’s recommendation.

Learn more about the principles for implementation and financial management of the initiative here or contact you faculty dean.

Collegial sparring – see video

By promoting sparring between colleagues, you can help improve the application quality and foster collaboration within and across research groups.

As a research leader, you can either organize or participate in the sparring. To learn how your faculty can implement collegial sparring, download this catalogue.

Systematic application feedback

As approved by the Executive Board, SDU is introducing a more systematic approach to collecting and using external feedback on research proposals. This will provide valuable insight into the application quality at SDU, enabling better research support and ultimately improve funding success rates.

First step is to remind researchers to assign an administrative college when preparing applications in the e-grant portal (DFF project grants, Sapere Aude and thematic calls) or the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Horizon Europe - MSCA PF, ERC and Societal Challenges). Download this how-to guide on adding an administrative colleague to your application.

Feedback data will be collected and handled anonymously by the FS-K with respect for data ownership, academic sensitivities, competition concerns, and confidentiality. For more information, please contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal.

ERC bonus incentive

The ERC bonus incentive aims to support the development of SDU research talents with ERC potential. Bonuses are awarded for securing EU grants from the ERC funding schemes: Starting, Consolidator, Advanced, and Synergy.  

The researcher and their department each receive a bonus of DKK 250,000 when the researcher is invited to an ERC interview. If the grant is awarded, both will receive an additional DKK 250,000. Each researcher can receive an interview bonus once per ERC scheme. 

The bonus supports research activities at SDU, based on individual priorities (e.g., travel, conferences, co-financing PhD students, hiring assistants, or administrative support), but may not be used for personal salary.

Learn more about the principles for implementation and financial management of the ERC bonus here or contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal.

SDU Research Academy

Support your early-career research leaders’ professional growth with SDU Research Academy  –  a digital learning platform for developing skills in project management, consortium building, research management and more. 

Access is available through a closed SharePoint group. Researchers can request access and will receive an email once access has been granted. It is free for all SDU researchers to join and is continuously updated. Contact Chief Consultant, PhD Just Bendix Justesen from HR and Development to learn more about SDU Research Academy.

 

Network

Help researchers build strong networks, as it is crucial for career development and funding success – especially in the EU. 

As a research leader, a career networking tool has been developed to help researchers identify relevant networking opportunities according to their current academic level. The first networking course by HR is also available now on demand.

Additional initiatives are in progress, also at a faculty-specific level. Contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal to access the tools and learn how your faculty supports networking.

Career development via external funding

Guide researchers in developing their career through external funding by using the right tools for their career stage. This initiative offers mentoring, structured dialogue, and a clearer overview of opportunities for both individuals and research groups.

As a research leader, you can already start using the dialogue tool for self-reflection and MUS discussions on career opportunities, while the Call Calender helps align career stages with upcoming calls.

For more information on current and upcoming career development tools, contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal.

Impact

Support researchers’ ability to understand and clearly communicate the impact of their work, to increase chances of funding success.

Workshops and tools are currently being developed and integrated into existing efforts such as SDU Research Academy and collegial sparring. Contact Strategy Implementation Manager Karen Gemal to learn how your faculty is approaching impact.

Administrative simplifications

To make research workflows smoother this initiative aims to reduce complexity in processes and systems related to budgeting, applications, and organisation.

Several improvements have already been implemented, including the SDUpro Researcher Portal and new reporting tools, while further efforts are underway.

Contact Research Support

Last Updated 27.08.2025