News Item
Research in vulnerable children and youth is strengthened with 35 million DKK
Ten new research projects are now part of an effort that will support capacity building and strengthen the coordination of research in vulnerable children and youth. This is made possible with 35 million DKK from Independent Research Fund Denmark.
The grants from the fund support research with both a foundational and application-oriented focus, either in the short or long term.
Chair of the committee, Mattias Strandh, who is a professor at the Department for Social Work at Umeå University, comments on the allocation:
"We have seen many excellent projects that have demonstrated the breadth of research related to vulnerable children and youth. We have had everything from clinical projects to social work and a significant amount of medical research. There were many highly qualified applicants, and the projects we have funded have significant societal relevance and will have practical implications for working with vulnerable children and youth. These projects are important for the field, both now and in the future."
For example, one of the projects aims to design, test, and evaluate a dialogue tool to help children aged 6-10 better cope with grief, while another project investigates the impact on children of being a "system child" in contact with many different public systems throughout their upbringing.
Addressing gaps in the research field with these efforts
There is a broad research need within the field of vulnerable children and youth, including both basic research and practice-oriented research, as well as research on the effects and impacts of interventions and implementation research.
Some of the research ideas that have now received funding from Independent Research Fund Denmark address the theme of strengthening research on vulnerable children and youth by examining the role different forms of performance pressure play in the development of malaise among young people or by looking at how parent training programs can treat and prevent children's behavioral difficulties.
The funds go to researchers at Aarhus University, University College Copenhagen, VIVE - The Danish Center for Social Science Research, VIA University College, University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, and the Mental health services in the Capital Region of Denmark.
It should be noted that the mentioned amounts may be subject to change following the upcoming budget review.
Facts:
The foundation has received 63 applications, and 10 applicants have been granted funding. A total of approximately DKK 35 million has been allocated and distributed.
The success rate, measured by the number of applications, is 15.9%, and the success rate in terms of the granted amount is 15.2%.
Nine women and one man have received funding under the initiative " Strengthened research on vulnerable children and youth."
Facts about the fund:
Independent Research Fund Denmark is a public fund that annually allocates approximately DKK 1.5 billion for high-risk research in Denmark. The fund's main task is to provide financial support for specific and time-limited research activities based on researchers' own ideas.
The fund sees it as its primary task to support emerging talent and the continued development within independent, researcher-initiated research. The fund places crucial emphasis on ensuring the research quality in the projects it supports.
Independent Research Fund Denmark allocates funds for thematic research as part of the political agreements of February 28, 2023, regarding the distribution of the research reserve in 2023. The fund can grant subsidies for specific research activities within politically determined themes or initiatives when a special allocation for this purpose is specified in the national budget.