Over 28 million DKK for research on elderly and ageing
Nine original research projects focusing on elderly and ageing are now being launched with support from Independent Research Fund Denmark. The projects aim to support practice-oriented research in care and welfare while shedding light on the social, psychological, and physical resilience of elderly.
How can we help seniors become part of the digital future? Why do we struggle to accept welfare robots, even though they seem to make us more self-reliant? What psychological burdens do relatives of people with dementia face?
These are just a few of the questions the research projects aim to address. With funding from Independent Research Fund Denmark, they are one step closer to finding answers.
»We are seeing an increasing number of elderly people in Denmark, while at the same time, we face a shortage of staff to provide care and assistance. This is why the government is implementing an elderly care reform that will fundamentally change how care is managed, documented, controlled, and delivered. However, we also need new knowledge to continue developing elderly care for the benefit of all Danes. It is absolutely essential that the policies we pursue are built on a solid foundation of knowledge. Therefore, I am pleased that funds have once again been allocated for free research on ageing in 2025, « says Minister for Senior Citizens, Mette Kierkgaard.
»In the committee, we come from diverse academic backgrounds, and we use different perspectives and methods in our daily work. This has led to some fascinating discussions in the committee, but often we have reached consensus, which I see as a mark of quality for the selected research projects, « says Mattias Strandh, chair of the thematic committee DFF | Thematic research – Vulnerable children and youth, poor well-being, loneliness and elderly, which allocated the funding.
The funding will support practice-oriented research across disciplines in care and welfare for elderly, focusing on their social, psychological, and physical resilience. This can include work in primary healthcare and areas such as rehabilitation, welfare, and prevention, with an emphasis on municipal health services.
»It is a well-known challenge that we are facing significant demographic changes, which will impact areas such as elderly care. Therefore, I am pleased that the fund can support research projects that provide new perspectives and potential solutions to some of the problems we are facing, « says Søren Serritzlew, chair of the board of Independent Research Fund Denmark.
The thematic committee DFF | Thematic research – Vulnerable children and youth, poor well-being, loneliness and elderly has also allocated funds under the themes of ‘Strengthening research on vulnerable children and youth and poor well-being’ and ‘Research on loneliness.’
Facts about the call ‘Research on elderly and ageing’
Independent Research Fund Denmark received a total of 43 applications and awarded 28.9 million DKK to nine projects, resulting in a success rate of 21% based on the number of applications.
The program ‘Research on elderly and ageing’ is part of the thematic allocations which is a political, strategic initiative within a particular theme open to contributions from all scientific fields that can provide knowledge on the topic. Thematic research serves as a supplement to independent research based on researchers’ own curiosity-driven initiatives.
Since 2018, Independent Research Fund Denmark has awarded research grants within politically determined themes funded by annual political agreements on the distribution of research reserves.
Reservations are made for changes in grant amounts and number of grants during the upcoming administrative budget review.