The European Research Council and Frontier Research in Denmark
From 7–10 October 2025, the University of Copenhagen is hosting the plenary meeting of the European Research Council (ERC) Scientific Council in Denmark. As part of the visit, a special event dedicated to outstanding frontier research will take place on 8 October in Copenhagen.
The University of Copenhagen and the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences cordially invite the scientific community to join the ERC Scientific Council in celebrating the groundbreaking research taking place in Denmark—and the brilliant minds behind it.
This event offers a unique opportunity to engage with the ERC Scientific Council and explore the "Danish Model" in frontier research.
By joining us, you will:
- Hear from ERC grantees across disciplines and career stages as they share their groundbreaking research and personal insights into their ERC journeys.
- Gain insight and reflections from the ERC Vice-Presidents on current trends
and developments across the three domains, along with their personal perspectives as they near the end of their mandates. - Explore how Denmark’s approach to basic research translates into real-world impact - and the challenges it faces - through a discussion with the ERC President and leading figures of the Danish research ecosystem.
- Alongside the plenary sessions, there will be informal opportunities to engage with members of the ERC Scientific Council, speakers, ERC Executive Agency representatives, and fellow participants during breaks.
Programme
Please note: this programme is subject to updates
| 09:00 | Registration, Coffee and Tea |
| 09:30 |
Opening Remarks Bente Merete Stallknecht,Dean, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences |
| 09:50 |
Frontier research in Denmark Moderator: Søren Hauberg, Professor, Ambassador for the ERC Keynote address: Peter Lodahl, Professor, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen Grantee talks: |
| 11:00 | Q&A Session |
| 11:20 | Break |
| 11:30 |
Reflections and Perspectives from the ERC Vice-Presidents The three ERC Vice-Presidents share brief insights on current trends and developments across the three domains, along with their personal perspectives as they near the end of their mandates.
|
| 11:45 |
Panel debate: How to translate basic research into impact - The Danish Model Maria Leptin, President of the ERC, will be joined by Annemarie Falktoft, Deputy Director of the Danish Agency for Higher Education & Science, and other leading figures of the Danish research ecosystem, to explore how Denmark’s approach to basic research translates into real-world impact - and the challenges it faces. |
| 12:30 | End of event |
How to register
How to register
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required by 1 September 2025. You can sign up by using the registration box at the top right of this page or by clicking this link.
How to register
Contact
For any questions or further information, please contact the organisers at ERC-CPH-2025@ku.dk.
About the European Research Council
The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe.
The ERC offers 4 main grant schemes:
• Starting Grants
• Consolidator Grants
• Advanced Grants
• Synergy Grants
With its additional Proof of Concept Grant scheme, the ERC helps grantees to explore the innovation potential of their ideas or research results.
Read more on erc.europa.eu
ERC in Denmark
Since its inception, the ERC has funded 400+ excellent researchers in Denmark, nearly 200 of whom currently hold active projects.
Read more on funded projects and evaluated proposals on the ERC Dashboard and EuroCenter Denmark.