About DARA

The Danish Advanced Research Academy

Supporting the professional development of tomorrow research leaders

The Danish Advanced Research Academy is a national PhD academy funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. DARA supports outstanding early-career researchers across natural, technical, health, and life sciences through competitive PhD fellowships. Our mission is to advance excellence, interdisciplinarity, and international collaboration in PhD education. Fellows benefit from tailored training programs, international mentorship, and a vibrant national network.

Our objectives

To intertwine PhD fellows from highly diverse backgrounds and thereby allow for students in DARA to have an exceptionally wide scientific horizon.

Modelled on the pioneering work of existing academies, DARA funds and brings together PhD students carrying out research within nutrition, sustainability, natural, technical, biomedical, and health sciences in one joint structure. DARA thereby expands the successful academy model to a wider range of scientific disciplines covered by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The broad scope of the new academy aims to intertwine PhD fellows from highly diverse backgrounds and thereby allow for students in DARA to have an exceptionally wide scientific horizon.

The complexity of scientific knowledge has increased tremendously, and understanding the depth of a scientific field demands a high level of specialization. At the same time, the intricate challenges facing our society call for scientists capable of seeing beyond their own scientific field. Thus, the academy will support mono- and interdisciplinary projects. Embedding both types of projects in the same network will urge students dwelling in single topics to extrapolate their research into other scientific fields, while interdisciplinary students will engage with field-specific experts.

A core principle of DARA is funding both for “bottom-up” pioneering research ideas and for projects within strategically selected research themes. The former seeks to support daring, unconventional research ideas that test novel hypotheses and challenge ingrained views within scientific areas covered by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The latter ensures investment in the education of research talents in urgent and critical fields. The topics of these tracks align with the key strategic areas the Novo Nordisk Foundation and probe scientific questions in which societal challenges are particularly pressing.

DARA offers a comprehensive portfolio of events tailored to the community of enrolled students, designed to foster their scientific thinking and expand their network. The events in DARA primarily focus on education and networking, though most events will nurture both. Physical participation in these events will be inclusive and accessible in Denmark due to the proximity of Danish institutions, promoting strong engagement in the DARA community, both in centralized and targeted programmatic events. DARA will incorporate international excellence in the academy by supporting prolonged research stays in leading international environments, by mentorship programmes, and by inviting international experts as reviewers and key speakers at scientific symposia.

All in all, the overall objectives of DARA are to:
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1) Provide an excellent, comprehensive training ground for PhD fellows, offering a broad portfolio of educational activities.
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2) Create a framework for enrolled PhD students to engage with peers from scientific areas and institutions beyond their own.
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3) Facilitate cutting-edge research through fellowship and travel grants whilst fostering national and international partnerships.

Research topics

[01]

Biosciences & Biomedicine

Molecular biology, cell biology, bioinformatics, modelling of biological systems, enzymology, genetics, microbiology, pharmacology, experimental physiology, biophysics, biochemistry, biology, biostatistics

[02]

Natural & Technical Sciences

Physics, chemistry, mathematics, nanotechnology, material sciences as well as technical sciences

[03]

Biotechnology

Development of new algorithms, methods and technologies within data science or computational science, artificial intelligence, statistics, bioinformatics, and other computational sciences, as well as application of data science and computational sciences to areas like life science, biomedical- and health science, public- and global health, infectious disease, sustainability, green transition, agriculture, as well as natural and technical sciences.

[04]

Data & Computer Sciences

Covering areas such as environmental biotechnology, bioproduction, synthetic biology, and bioprocess engineering as well as sustainable and bio-based meth-ods in agriculture, industrial biotechnology and production.

About Our Organization and Management

Board of Directors

The DARA Board of Directors (BoD) is the core of the academy's governance structure. The BoD is responsible for achieving the academy’s long-term goals, ensuring the effective implementation of strategic initiatives, and overseeing activity performance.

[Board of Directors →]

Secretariat

The DARA secretariat serves as the central organizational hub of the PhD Academy, acting as a nodal point for coordination between the governing bodies, fellows, and stakeholders.

[Secretariat →]

Fellowship Committees

Applications eligible for a PhD fellowship are evaluated by members of the DARA Fellowship Committees.

Fellowship COmmittee →]

Code of Conduct

DARA is committed to ethical guidelines that ensure transparency, fairness, and respect, fostering a culture of integrity, professionalism, and inclusivity.

[Code of Conduct →]