Once a year, Independent Research Fund Denmark awards the honorary prize Original Idea of the Year. The prize is given to a researcher who, in an original way, breaks new ground in their field of research and demonstrates a unique potential to drive research forward.

To be eligible, the researcher must have received a grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark in the given year and have stood out exceptionally among the fund’s council members. The prize is an honorary award established to celebrate original thinking, which is essential for advancing Danish research.

The Original Idea of the Year prize comes with academic recognition as well as an artwork engraved with the prize’s title. The award is presented at the fund’s annual research conference. In 2024, Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark became the patron of Independent Research Fund Denmark and took part in presenting the Original Idea of the Year prize to the winner.

The prize has been awarded since 2018.

The fund’s five research councils each nominate two candidates for the prize at the end of the year. The fund’s board of directors then selects the winner from the ten nominees.

See previous winners of Original Idea of the Year here: