To achieve DDSA funding, the objective(s) of your planned activity must align with DDSA’s objectives, and contribute to growing a strong data science community in Denmark. You will be asked to describe this alignment in your application.

We do not fund individual research or education within this programme.

Your application must adhere to the following eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be employed in Denmark or enrolled in a study programme in Denmark
• The activity must take place in Denmark
• The event must be open to and broadly announced to the Danish data science community, and the organisers must ensure broad national advertisement
• The application must be for one event only, or for a series of homogenous events
• The activity must be strictly non-commercial and generate no financial surplus
• The activity must have a separate budget, if planned in relation to a larger event such as a conference
• Submission (small grants) or submission deadline (large grants) must be at least one month before the activity to allow time for the assessment and grant processes
• An applicant cannot be granted more than one large and one small grant per calendar year
• If your application is rejected, you can only reapply for DDSA funding of that same event if you are invited to do so in the rejection letter

Large Grant applications are evaluated by DDSA’s Education and Networking Committee (ENC) twice annually.

Small Grant applications are evaluated on a running basis by the DDSA Secretariat, monitored by ENC.

Evaluation and prioritisation of all applications will be based on:

• The relevance and value of the event for the Danish data science community, and the balance between the budget and this value
• Objective(s) and target group(s), and their alignment with the DDSA’s objectives
• Inclusivity, accessibility, and contribution to community building and translation across disciplines, sectors, and regions
• Clarity in the description of content, schedule, speakers/teachers, venue etc. For courses, also learning objectives, teaching methods, and ECTS
• Transparency and reasonableness of the event budget
• Maturity and feasibility of the plan

Applications must be submitted in the DDSA Portal.

Create a user profile to access the application forms and select the relevant call for either Small Grant or Large Grant applications.

Application and evaluation criteria

The required description of the planned activity (e.g. Target Groups, Content, Objectives, and Community Building), correspond to key evaluation criteria. Budget transparency, reasonability, and balance between budget and value to the data science community are equally important evaluation criteria.

Hence, describing your activity as thoroughly as possible at your state of planning, and creating a transparent and reasonable budget, will enhance your chances of a successful application.

Which expenses can a DDSA grant cover?

A DDSA course/event grant can cover the following types of expenses, which are reflected in the categories in the budget form:

• Transport and accommodation for national and international speakers/teachers in accordance with the rules under the Danish State
• Reasonable honorariums for invited speakers/teachers who are not employed at a DK university
• Modest speakers’ gifts / tokens of appreciation
• Salary for student assistants related to the development and execution of the event
• Accommodation and meals for participants in accordance with the rules under the Danish State
• Social activities such as a reception during or after the event
• Venue/facility expenses
• Course/event materials
• A 5% overhead will automatically be added to the payout of grants. You should not apply for this.

A DDSA course/event grant cannot cover:

• Any VAT that your institution will have reimbursed
• Salary for permanent staff at the applicant’s organisation
• Honorarium for speakers employed at Danish universities
• Transport for participants (except if used to support minority inclusion)
• Merchandise and gifts for participants
• Entertainment such as excursions, bands, etc.
• Expenses related to prizes and awards
• Any overhead beyond the 5% automatically added to the final payout

Creating the budget

You must enter the total budget of your event, not only the expenses you wish a DDSA grant to cover.

The budget must display expected expenses as well as incomes such as participant registration fees or other funding already confirmed.

Secure the transparency of your budget by avoiding undescribed lumpsums.

• First, save your application as a draft to be able to create a budget
• Click the ‘Create or Edit Budget’ button to open a budget form
• Select the relevant expense or income category in the left column dropdown
• Describe the content and calculation of estimated expense/income as accurately as possible in the mid column
• If your institution will have VAT (partially) reimbursed, you can enter those expenses without VAT to best reflect the actual budget
• When all expense or income posts are created, remember to fill in the amount that you apply for from DDSA at the bottom of the budget form

Example of a transparent budget

If you have any questions, please contact Education & Grant Manager Sniff Andersen Nexø at sniff@ddsa.dk.