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Denmark’s researchers are raking in billions in EU funding

TheCopenhagenPost
December 6th, 2015


This article is more than 9 years old.

Danish projects have secured 2.2 billion kroner in funding from the EU Horizon 2020 programme

A new report from the EU commission shows that Denmark is proficient at obtaining funding from the EU’s research and innovation programme Horizon 2020. Since the programme began at the beginning of 2014, Danish researchers and companies have secured 300 million euros (over 2.2 billion kroner) in support.

This puts Denmark in second place, behind the Netherlands, in terms of the amount of funding received per capita.

Could do better
Esben Lunde Larsen, the minister for education and research, is satisfied that so much funding has already found its way to Denmark, but wants to encourage even more companies to benefit.

“It’s a very good result for Danish researchers and companies. Now what is needed is to keep the high level and ensure that more companies across the country are aware of the possibilities for obtaining EU funds,” he said.

“The money leads to growth in the companies and, not least, jobs in the whole of Denmark.”

To this end, the education and research ministry has created a network, Horizon 2020-NET, that is intended to allow institutions and companies to share their experiences with the funding programme and increase awareness of the opportunities available.

Horizon 2020 has three programme sections: ‘Excellent Science’, ‘Societal Challenges’ and ‘Industrial Leadership’. Denmark performs most strongly in the ‘Excellent Science’ and ‘Societal Challenges’ sections, with Danish projects accounting for 2.83 percent and 3.47 percent respectively of the total funds awarded. In the ‘Industrial Leadership’ section Danish projects receive just 1.39 percent of the backing.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”