Photo: DTU

Four Sapere Aude grants for DTU

Micro and nanotechnology Viruses Fuel cells
On 15 December, the Danish Council for Independent Research announced that they are investing DKK 19 million in 40 Sapere Aude: DFF-Research Talent grants. Three of the grants are awarded to DTU researchers.

Sapere Aude grants are awarded as additional funding to 40 young researchers who have been awarded an Individual Postdoctoral grant of almost DKK 80 million by the Danish Council for Independent Research in 2014.

The additional funding of up to DKK 500,000 allows the researchers to, for instance, conduct research abroad or participate in an international research conference, says the Danish Council for Independent Research in a press release. Four of the recipients are from DTU.

Line Hagner Nielsen from DTU Nanotech conducts research into microscopical dispensers for oral vaccine delivery. She wants to develop a system for taking all future vaccines in the form of pills instead of injections.

Krzysztof Iwaszczuk from DTU Fotonik conducts research into an ultrafast chip-integrated electron gun source. In this project, he wants to design, produce and characterize the world's first ultrafast electron gun source integrated in a chip.

María Escudero Escriban from DTU Physics is developing efficient catalysts based on the abundance of resources found in nature to ensure sustainable energy conversion using electrochemistry.

Fatemeh Ajalloueian from DTU Food wants to develop an artificial urinary bladder which in future could help 400 million people suffering from urinary bladder diseases.

Sapere Aude: DFF-Research Talent

An extended DFF-Individual Postdoctoral grant making it possible to realize particularly ambitious research objectives. The aim is to provide optimum conditions for becoming part of the international elite.

DFF-Research Talents are given the opportunity to develop and strengthen their scientific competencies. A key objective is also to promote mobility between research environments, internationally as well as nationally, thereby strengthening the researchers' networks. This can, for instance, be achieved through research stays abroad (as a short extension of the DFF-Individual Postdoctoral grant), hosting or participating in international conferences, inviting foreign visiting researchers, etc. 

Sapere Aude: DFF-Research Talent grants also strengthen the possibility for the most talented researchers to return to a Danish research institution after their research stay abroad.