Grant reporting
Questions: registration@novonordiskfonden.dk
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is obligated to demonstrate the value and impact of research and other activities supported through the Foundation and to ensure that the Foundation awards the grants in a way that ensures the optimal benefit for the research community and society in general. The Foundation monitors activities and results through a digital reporting system. The reporting systems used are researchfish® and FoundGood. You can find more information on how to use the reporting systems below.
The Foundation greatly appreciates your help in improving the Foundation’s support for Danish and Nordic research.
UPCOMING REPORTING DEADLINES
The following deadlines apply for grants that are to report in Researchfish. The next deadline for Open competition grants is the 13th of January 2023 and for grants awarded as standalone grants the deadline will be stated in your grant agreement.
For grants that are to report in Foundgood the next deadline for grants awarded under Open Competition is the 31st of January 2023 and for grants awarded as standalone grants the deadline will be stated in your grant agreement.
Introduction to using researchfish -Webinar
In this presentation you will find information regarding:
- why grantees have to report on their grant related activities to the Novo Nordisk Fonden
- what the data is used for, and
- an introduction on how to use researchfish as a reporting system.
For more detailed explanations on how to use researchfish, please browse the sections below.
How to use the Foundation’s reporting system - ResearchFish
“My Portfolio” is where you can store your data relating to the section headings on the left side when viewing the screen in researchfish®.
Reporting data on activities and results to the Foundation requires associating or attributing them to the relevant grant that contributed either wholly or partly to realizing the activities and results. Entering data on activities and results here does not attribute it to any specific grant or grants.
To enter and manage your data, please follow these steps:
- Click on a section heading on the left side of the screen.
- Click on the “Add New Entry” button.
- Fill in the relevant date.
To attribute data to a specific grant or multiple grants, follow these steps:
- Select an output or multiple outputs by clicking the checkbox to the right of the output or select all by clicking the checkbox above the outputs.
- Click and hold the drag-and-drop icon and drag the selection to the grant organization title to which you want to attribute your output.
You may enter data at any time. However, the Foundation requests that you submit your data periodically
The submission deadline is mid-January for most grants. Any agreements that need to be submitted in the upcoming period are visible on the opening page of “My Awards”. These may be submitted from the submission menu when you are ready.
Guidance to the question set
All funders using the researchfish® reporting system have agreed on a question set. The question set is available throughout researchfish®.
Moreover, the Foundation has added additional questions to the question set.
Please be aware that the Foundation has added comments to the categories “Next destination” and ”Spin-outs”.
1. Publications
Use this section to record any publications you think should be attributed to any grant in your “My Awards” panel.
Please note the following:
- It is important that you attribute published and accepted publications only to the grant(s) from which they have arisen.
- You can also use this section to record details of any other publications for your personal use (for example to add to your CV), even if you do not feel they can be attributed to an grant in your “My Awards” panel.
2. Collaborations and partnerships
You can record any details about collaborations and partnerships in this section, for your personal use (for example to add to your CV) and to report to your funder. Funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
Tell us about:
- bilateral or multilateral partnerships resulting from or directly linked to this grant;
- a member of the research team or group entering into an agreement to participate in a network, consortium, multicentre study or other initiative; and
- changes in the status of collaborations previously reported (sush as collaborations that are no longer active).
Do not tell us about:
- collaboration or partnerships at an early stage of discussion with no tangible output so far;
- the details of collaboration or partnership that are restricted by contractual confidentiality; and
- details of funding that have been obtained through a successful application; report this in the further funding section.
3. Further funding
You can record details about further funding you have obtained in this section for your personal use and as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
Tell us about:
- funding grants received as an outcome of this research project;
- scholarships, studentships and fellowships; and
- travel grants.
Do not tell us about:
- financial contributions already entered into the collaborations and partnerships section; and
- financial contributions from collaborating partners or sub-contracts (enter this in the collaborations and partnerships section).
4. Next destination
For grants that are still active, tell us about:
- any individuals who have left your team, if their salaries and/or research were wholly or partly funded by a grant being reported on.
For grants that have ended, tell us about:
- all individuals supported from the funding being reported on, including the principal investigator, any students, research assistants and others (the principal investigator should choose “research project leader” as their role when they were supported by the funding).
In every case, tell us as far as possible about each individual’s next established destination rather than very short temporary positions or periods of unemployment between roles.
Do not tell us about:
- secondments (some funders may use an additional question to ask you about these separately).
The Foundation recommends that you do not use initials as identifiers for former team members. This precaution is intended to ensure full anonymity, even though this information is only visible to the principal investigator.
5. Engagement activities
You can record any details of activities that have engaged audiences in this section. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
Tell us about:
- activities supported or undertaken by you or a member of your research group or team;
- activities that relate specifically to funding from a grant listed under “My Awards”; and
- recurring activities (but only report them once).
Do not tell us about:
- activities that were based on science or research in general; and
- activities not specifically related to the research funding you are reporting on.
6. Influence on policy, practice, patients and the public
You can record details about your influence on policy in this section. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
In this section, your funders would like to capture details of any significant impact on policy or practice realised as a result of your research. Research that has influenced policy areas that affect health, society and the economy, such as housing, transport and schools should also be reported here.
Tell us about:
- policy and practice influenced at the local, regional, national or international level: influence on all policy or practice areas that affect society and the economy;
- influences on systematic reviews, guidelines and policy documents (such as shaping recommendations);
- training and educational developments (including courses and course material); and
- membership of and participation in advisory committees and/or government reviews.
Do not tell us about:
- training developments for undergraduate courses.
7a. Research tools and methods
This section captures information on new research materials that were developed as part of your funded research and are making a significant difference to your research, or to the research of others. This section is not intended to list the details of materials that could be generated in any well equipped laboratory or research environment but the materials that make new lines of enquiry possible.
Tell us about:
- research tools or methods (including transgenic animal models) that have arisen directly from work funded by grants listed under “My Awards”, and that have supported new lines of enquiry; and
- include any novel advances in methods that could realistically influence the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement: see www.nc3rs.org.uk/the-3Rs): in vitro methods or advances in experimental design that can reduce the number of animals used or non-invasive or improved techniques that can minimise the pain or distress of animals.
Do not tell us about:
- research materials not generated by your group or team as a direct result of this grant or obtained from other sources, including collaborators.
7b. Research databases and models
You can record details of any new research databases or models arising from your research in this section for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants/awards.
This section captures information on new databases, datasets or models that were developed as part of your funded research and are making a significant difference to your research or to the research or work of others.
Tell us about:
- databases, datasets and collections produced as part of your work;
- novel data analysis methods or techniques that your work has significantly influenced;
- data handling and control systems that have applications outside of the original research field or technology (such as data matching, monitoring, modelling and grid infrastructure; and
- any novel advances in methods that could realistically impact on the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement: see www.nc3rs.org.uk/the-3Rs), such as computer modelling techniques that can replace animals where they otherwise would have been used and improved statistical methods;
Do not tell us about:
- research materials not generated by your group or team as a direct result of this grant or obtained from other sources, including collaborators.
8. Intellectual property and licensing
You can record details of intellectual property that has arisen from your research in this section for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
You may have reported details of outputs in other sections for which details of intellectual property protection should be recorded here. However, consult your local technology transfer experts if you are unsure whether any details can be disclosed publicly.
Tell us about:
- patents that have been published, granted or allowed to lapse;
- discoveries that have been licensed to others; and
- changes to the status of intellectual property previously reported.
Do not tell us about:
- patents filed but not yet published;
- spin-out companies (report these in the spin-outs section); and
- any details of discoveries that should remain confidential.
9a. Medical products, inventions and clinical trials
You can record details about medical products and interventions developed or being developed in this section and also information on clinical trials for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
If you need help in selecting the appropriate types or stages of product development, see the guidance sheets accessible here and here.
Tell us about:
- drugs and vaccines;
- diagnostic tests, biomarkers and diagnostic imaging techniques;
- medical devices;
- surgical interventions;
- public health interventions;
- any other products that are or are likely to be marketed or distributed to a wider audience;
- clinical trials; and
- changes to the status of products and interventions previously reported.
Do not tell us about:
- products or interventions that have not been made public or cannot be disclosed before intellectual property is protected.
9b. Artistic and creative products
You can record details about artistic and creative products in this section, for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
Tell us about:
- artefacts (including digital);
- artworks;
- audio Recordings;
- compositions and scores;
- creative writing, performances and films; and
- exhibitions.
Do not tell us about:
- books, software or websites (report these in other sections as appropriate).
9c. Software and technical products
You can record details about software and technical products in this section for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organisations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
It is important to only disclose the details of software and technical products developed that have been made public and are fully protected or that require no such protection. If you are uncertain, please contact the appropriate department in your unit or institute for further guidance. Technologies that have been developed and that are new protected intellectual property should also be reported in the intellectual property section.
Tell us about:
- details of any technologies that have been developed either for the first time or to a significant new stage;
- advances that have made new lines of enquiry possible or have significantly accelerated research progress; and
- software and technical products that are fully protected and/or public.
Do not tell us about:
- details about software or technical products that should remain confidential.
10. Spin-outs
Use this section to record any link between your research and the establishment, development or growth of new private sector organisations, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Important: an outcome should only be attributed to the grant or grants thatgave rise to it.
Tell us about:
- new private-sector organizations (whether fo- profit or not-for-profit) established in part as a result of your research (such as spin outs, start-ups or private-sector social enterprises);
- new or recently formed private-sector organizations (whether for-profit or not-for-profit) in which your research has contributed significantly to the organization’s development or growth (such as significant shifts in strategy or business model or impact on turnover); and
- changes in the status of private-sector organizations previously reported (for example if they have expanded, merged, been acquired or dissolved).
Do not tell us about:
- details restricted under contractual confidentiality; if you are not the sole owner of the company, you may contact your local administration for guidance on what information is confidential and should not be provided;
- interactions with established private-sector organizations not covered by the guidance above (report these within the collaborations and partnerships section); and
- new charitable, community or voluntary organizations established as a result of your research (report these in the other outputs and knowledge section.
You can also use this section to record the details of any other new private-sector organizations for your personal use (for example, to add to your CV), even if you do not feel they can be attributed to an grant in your “My Awards” panel.
If you are not the sole owner of the spin-out, the Foundation recommends that you contact your administration for guidelines on what information to pass on before completing the questions on spin-outs, especially impact and estimates of the number of personnel.
11. Awards and recognition
You can record details of any awards or other types of recognition received by you or members of your research group or team in this section, for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
Enter details of any significant award made to you, or members of your team, in recognition of your funded research. Only record information on regional, national, European or global awards. Do not include personal pay awards or promotions here or institution-specific awards.
Tell us about:
- significant awards, honours, appointments or other forms of recognition;
- awards or appointments made at a regional level or above;
- invitations to conferences at which you or a member of your team were individually named as a speaker or keynote speaker;
- research prizes or medals awarded to you or a member of your team;
- membership or fellowship of a learned society; and
- appointments to the editorial board of a journal or book series.
Do not tell us about:
- invitations to conferences that were not made to individually named people;
- awards or appointments made below the regional level (such as within your university); and
- career progression (e.g. promotion).
12. Other outputs and knowledge and future steps
You can record any outputs from your research in this section for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
You may include information in this section that you think is important to feed back to your funders about your research or how other have applied this that you cannot include in other sections.
Do not tell us about anything you have already reported in other sections or that is not specific to the grant on which you are reporting.
13. Use of facilities and resources
You can record details of your use of facilities in this section for your personal use (for example, for adding to your CV) as well as to report to your funder. Note that funding organizations have provided the following guidance for outputs you attribute to grants.
Your funders are interested in details of any shared facility or service or national or international research resource used to realize the outputs you are reporting on for your grants. The types of resource include tissue and DNA banks, patient cohorts and facilities such as high-throughput sequencing hubs or proteomics services, biobanks etc.
Tell us about:
- details on the use of national or international services, facilities and centres; and
- the use of tissue or data, since funders promote the sharing of resources.
Do not tell us about:
- research collaborations and partnerships (report these in the collaborations and partnerships section); and
- research materials that you have shared with others (report these in the appropriate sections).
14. Additional questions
Research-team information
Please provide a list of names, positions and contact data on people employed as a result of this grant to provide information on how many research individuals the grant supports.
This is the only section in which you are asked to supply positions, names and e-mail addresses. You must request consent from each team member to send this information to the Foundation. Names and e-mail addresses on team members will not be published.
Supervisor and mentor activities
An associate or professor supervises a PhD programme or a master thesis. The principal supervisor is the main responsible supervisor, but some master students and PhD students have additional supervisors or co-supervisors who possess qualifications in the relevant fields of the dissertation or PhD programme, such as when the research is mainly conducted at an institution or company outside the university.
Mentoring in this context is not supervision but a personal developmental relationship (such as leader or career development) in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. The mentor has a certain field of expertise. Mentorship is a learning and development partnership between someone with vast experience and someone who wants to learn.
Principles of use for data submitted to the Foundation's reporting system
All researchers funded by the Foundation are required to provide an annual update on the research activities and results deriving from their Foundation-funded research. The Foundation uses these data to enhance and strengthen evidence and accountability. Further, the Foundation uses these data to support strategic decision-making and to evaluate progress and impact.
The principles of use relate to the research funded by the Foundation and outline what types of data are collected. In addition, the principles of use provide information on how the Foundation will use the data.
By agreeing to these principles of use and by submitting data into researchfish®, you have explicitly consented to your data being processed by the Foundation and stored in the reporting system and the Foundation’s associated internal systems. Moreover, by submitting data, you formally confirm that the currently attributed activities and results represent a full and up-to-date record for the grant.
You are required to submit data
Researchers funded by the Foundation – principal investigators, unit programme leaders, fellows and, if appropriate, students – are required to have an account in researchfish® and to use it to provide these updates annually during the grant periods and usually for 3–5 years after the project has ended.
The Foundation may require an update to a grant outside the annual submission period to consolidate specific evaluations. The Foundation will notify researchers of these requirements.
The Foundation is aware that the recipients of relatively recent Foundation grants may not have any activity and results to report in the first annual submission.
Sanctions
All researchers funded by the Foundation are required to provide an annual update on the research activities and results deriving from their Foundation-funded research.
If the annual update is not submitted, the Foundation may apply the following sanctions.
- The researcher may be unable to apply (either as a principal investigator or as a co-investigator) for further grants from the Foundation.
- If the grant is still active further payments for the grant may be withheld.
What data are collected?
The Foundation uses the researchfish® to collect data on activities and results. This includes both quantitative and qualitative information such as publications, collaborations, influence on policy, databases and models.
researchfish® present a question set (under guidance to the question set section), and the Foundation has added additional questions. Moreover, guidance on completing the questions is available throughout.
You are advised to ensure that you do not disclose data that is commercially sensitive or personal or that might be considered confidential or defamatory.
What do we do with the data?
Information provided to the Foundation may be used:
- to strengthen accountability for research funding decisions;
- to make the case for funding in research;
- to inform strategic decision-making;
- to inform the public on research results and other outcomes;
- to evaluate progress and effects; and
- to improve the understanding and interest in research.
To support these aims, the information you provide may be used, in whole or in part, to support analyses and evaluation, case studies, data sets and publications. Please be aware that the activities and results, including the text you submit to the Foundation via researchfish®, may be quoted, in full or in part.
By submitting data to the Foundation you consent to this use, publication and dissemination of activities and results.
The Foundation analyses the submitted activities and results for its annual report on the societal impact of the Foundation’s grants as well as for other external and internal Foundation reports.
Data concerning your grant or grants collected through the Foundation’s reporting system may also be returned to the research organizations holding Foundation-funded grants to which you have allocated these activities and results. Contact your local administrator for guidance on how your organization will use this information.
Data might be handed over to third parties either for processing of data on behalf of the Foundation or to researchers for research purpose. Personal data will be processed in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Danish Act on Data Protection and Personal Data.
In addition, some of the information you provide is published on the Foundation’s website to ensure that the outcomes of Foundation-funded research are accessible to the research community, companies, policy-makers and the public.
The Foundation’s website provides data on Foundation-funded grants, including:
- the names of the investigators and research organizations;
- the project title;
- the total value of the grant(s); and
- the output and outcome of Foundation grants.
The website is publicly available.
It is vital that researchers return information to us on the activities and results from their Foundation-funded projects so that the Foundation can understand the impact of the research in the longer term, demonstrating the contribution to society and the economy. In turn, this will facilitate strategic decision-making and future investment. Systematically collected data on research activities and results provide a strong evidence base to support the continued funding of research.
Personal data
The researchfish® reporting system holds information about grants that is extracted from the Foundation’s research management systems. This includes a limited selection of personal data: name, e-mail and the name of the research organization holding the grant (which may be your employer). This information is managed in accordance with the General Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the principles of the Danish Act on Data Protection and used with the data on research activities and results you enter into the reporting system:
- to operate the reporting system, including notifying you of changes to the system, system downtime and deadlines for submitting information on activities and results;
- to report to employers and research organizations on progress in gathering data on activities and results; and
- to manage the Foundation’s policy on compliance and sanctions.
researchfish® enables you to update your e-mail contact details only for the purposes of interacting with the reporting system. You can request changes in any other details displayed in the system by contacting the Foundation. If you want to change the e-mail address the Foundation currently uses to contact you, you must update your details by contacting the Foundation.
Data about research activities and results you enter into “My Portfolio” in researchfish® is accessible only to you and anyone you identify through the delegate or team member function. The Foundation can only access these data when you (or your delegate or team member) have allocated the activities and results to a grant or grants for which you are responsible for reporting, and the data are only made available to research organizations when you have formally submitted them.
researchfish® provides guidance on completing the questions throughout the reporting system. Since the data you submit to the Foundation via researchfish® may be published, you should avoid specifically identifying individuals involved in the work unless this information is already in the public domain (such as the names of co-authors listed on publications) or if you have specific consent from the researchers to send their positions, names and e-mail addresses to the Foundation. The positions, names and e-mail addresses of team members will not be published. You are also advised to ensure that you do not disclose data that are commercially sensitive, that might be considered confidential in some other way or is defamatory. The Foundation will not be held responsible for any such disclosure or the effects of this.
Please be aware that the Foundation has added comments regarding the use of names in resarchfish® to the “Next destination” and ”Spin-outs”. These are available in the guidence to the question set section.
Principles of use for data submitted to the Foundation's reporting system ORCID® iD and CPR number
Researchers who receive a grant from the Foundation are asked for their consent to register and use their ORCHID® iD and CPR number by completing a consent declaration.
Regarding the Foundation’s processing of personal data, researchers have:
- the right to request access to the data processed about them;
- the right to object to their information being processed; and
- the right to require rectification, erasure or blocking of data that are inaccurate or misleading or violate the law.
ORCID® iD
The Foundation collects ORCID® iD from grant recipients (https://orcid.org/). The purpose of an ORCID® iD is the ability to identify the scientific work of the individual researchers in bibliometric databases. Researchers could have the same name or may change names during their career and spelling may vary between languages.
If you register your ORCID® iD with researchfish®, this will enable you to add publications from your portfolio to your ORCID® record similarly to how publications are attributed to grants. They will then appear in your ORCID® record. You can also use the publications search to fetch publications from your ORCID® record and add them to your portfolio in researchfish®.
Danish civil registration (CPR) number
Researchers residing in Denmark have a Danish civil registration (CPR) number. The Foundation collects CPR numbers for analysing the Foundation’s grants and uses anonymized data from Statistics Denmark to analyse how the Foundation’s grants affect socioeconomic indicators such as employment and education.
An example of such an analysis could be Analyses of Three Danish Innovation Programmes published in 2013, in which the Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation uses such personal data as CPR numbers to analyse the impact of selected innovation programmes. The Foundation produces similar analyses of the Foundation’s funding programmes and instruments.
Declaration of Consent
Here you can download documents related to the use of the researchfish® reporting system (please see the section on ORCID® iD and CPR number).
Standard for good research practice
The Foundation wants to support high-quality research that complies with the Foundation’s standards for good research practice. All applicants must confirm that they will comply with these standards to be eligible for grants from the Foundation.
Links to help and guidance
You can obtain help on and support for the functionality of researchfish® reporting system at its website.
Help and guidance is available at all times when using the system: look for the blue “?” symbol.
View the bite-size help videos. They are the fastest way to learn more about specific aspects of the system.
An online Help Centre is also available from within researchfish®, with frequently asked questions, context-sensitive enquiry functionality and live chat available from 9:00 to 17:00, Monday–Friday, London time.
Researchfish Ltd hosts regular webinars for both principal investigators and research organizations to learn how to use the system or examine specific functions in more detail. New users are encouraged to sign up for these free short sessions.
If you have questions related to your grant, please e-mail registration@novonordiskfonden.dk.
If you have issues with researchfish® (such as technical issues), please e-mail support@researchfish.com.
FAQs
Why do reporting activities and results matter to me?
The Novo Nordisk Foundation uses the researchfish® reporting system to collect data on the activities and results related to the funded research. The Foundation harmonizes the framework of the research outcomes across the full spectrum of the academic disciplines the Foundation supports (from the medical and biological sciences to arts and the humanities). The Foundation uses the data to gain insights into the effects of the grants and for sharing the results with society as part of an open and transparent approach.
Will the Foundation impose any sanctions if data are not submitted?
Yes. The Foundation’s policy is that submitting data in the reporting system is mandatory, and funding can be withheld and may be withdrawn if researchers do not complete the reporting.
Can any preparatory work be done to prepare data for input?
Yes. Journals provide a digital object identifier (DOI) for each article. The reporting system allows you to bulk upload 200 journal article entries at a time simply by listing their DOIs (or PubMed IDs). You only need to enter once and then attribute it to multiple or single grants by a drag-and-drop process.
How can I learn more about the researchfish® reporting system?
You can look at the video and frequently asked questions in the help section of the researchfish® website. This will give you an idea of the current researchfish® processes, and you can also attend the webinars advertised on the researchfish® website.