Research funding is divided

The charter of the Rockwool Foundation states that the Foundation is required both to support academic research and to contribute to the betterment of society in general. One way in which this two-fold objective has been realised since the end of the 1980s is through academic research initiatives within the social sciences, laying emphasis on the relevance of the research for Danish society at large. The Rockwool Foundation believes that the preparation of objective analyses related to specific social issues can both improve the basis for decision-making among politicians and facilitate more informed public debate.

Project proposals are submitted to the Board of the Foundation, both by the Foundation’s own Research Unit and by external researchers within the social sciences. After consultation with the Programme Committee the Board decides which projects should be supported.

External projects funded since the end of the 1980s have covered a whole range of important and little-researched issues. There have been, for example, research projects on the opportunities available for Greenland’s economic development and on the effects of Danish overseas aid, and also analyses of the Danish health service and of the teaching methods in Danish schools.  In this way, external researchers have complemented the initiatives taken by the Research Unit.