The DNRF Annual Report
In 2025, the foundation allocated DKK 465 million for basic research, entered into 15 new grant agreements, and initiated contract negotiations to extend nine Centers of Excellence. This is detailed in DNRF’s annual report, which also highlights other key activities in 2025:
New CEO
Professor Niels Mejlgaard was appointed new CEO of the foundation in January 2025.
Mejlgaard joined the foundation from Aarhus University, where he had been Vice Dean for Research and Talent Development at the Aarhus School of Business and Social Sciences since 2022.
New board members
The foundation also welcomed three new board members: Professors Anne S. Meyer, Stefan Hecht, ,and Søren Brunak. The three new members succeeded professors Dorthe Dahl-Jensen (appointed Chair of the foundation in 2024), Janet Thornton, and Sirpa Jalkanen, both of whom stepped down after four years of dedicated service on the board.
First external evaluation since 2013
Iris Group conducted a thorough external evaluation of the DNRF in 2025.
The evaluation report concludes that the foundation’s flagship funding scheme, Centers of Excellence, continues to enable excellent research at the highest international level, talent development, and broader societal value creation. The report also offers recommendations for further advancement, e.g. through increased collaboration with other public and private research funding organizations.
New strategic priorities
Informed by the external evaluation and dialogue with key stakeholders in the research community, the board of the foundation prepared a series of initiatives to ensure that the foundation continues to enable excellent, curiosity-driven basic research. Strategic priorities for 2026-2030 were published in February 2026.