Grundfos gives DKK 1m to research

The Grundfos Prize 2007 was given to Professor Jens Kehlet Nørskov earlier today. Mr Kehlet Nørskov, who is a professor at the department for physics at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), is one of the leading researchers in the field of Nano materials.

The Grundfos Prize amounts to DKK 1m, of which DKK 250,000 is a personal mark of honour whereas the rest has been earmarked for Mr Kehlet Nørskov’s area of research.

Mr Kehlet Nørskov and his team at the Lundbeck Foundation’s Centre for Atomic-scale Materials Design at DTU have developed ideas and models for a computer program that is able to calculate very quickly how materials should be combined atom per atom to obtain optimum quality. For instance, fuel cells in which the energy efficiency were to be improved, were calculated by the computer program so efficiently that it became unnecessary to test thousands of material combinations to find the optimum combination.
The team of researchers work together with a large number of Danish and foreign companies to use their methods for new products. In this way the theory can be realised into practice in an effective way, according to Mr Kehlet Nørskov.

The prize was given to Kehlet Nørskov as a recognition of his great accomplishments in research.

The event took place at the Danish Design Centre in Copenhagen. Niels Due Jensen, Chairman of the Board of the Grundfos Prize, said on the occasion:

Reports from the Globalisation Council and the Welfare Commission have made the Danish government willing to strengthen research and education in Denmark in the coming years, and it has been agreed to make public research costs increase to 1 percent of GDP by 2010.

Please allow me to mention that this goal is not very ambitious; however, it is a small step in the right direction. In our neighbouring countries, Sweden and Finland, almost 4 percent and 3.5 percent respectively is used for public and private research, whereas Denmark uses only 2.5 percent.

Professor Kehlet Nørskov is pleased and honoured to have won the Prize. he said:
- This Prize means that we shall be able to develop our research area further on. The process from idea to action has become quicker and this may be important for future research results. Also, I regard this Prize as one of the greatest recognitions within Danish research.

About the Grundfos Prize
The Grundfos Prize was established by the Poul Due Jensen Foundation in 2001. Its purpose is to promote, acknowledge and support national and international research in innovative and foresighted solutions in engineering and science.

The jury:
Vice Rector, Ms. Nina Smith, Aarhus University
Professor, Preben Terndrup Pedersen, Technical University of Denmark
Former Vice-chancellor of Aalborg University, Sven Caspersen
Lars Kolind, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Poul Due Jensen Foundation
Niels Due Jensen, Grundfos Group Chairman.

Previous recipients of the Grundfos Prize:

2002: Professor, Doctor of Technical Science, Ole Sigmund, DTU
2003: Professor Svend Erik Hougaard Jensen, Research Manager Nikolaj Malchow-Møller, Professor Jan Rose Skaksen, Professor Anders Sørensen and Professor Ulrich Kaiser (These five shares the award for a prize paper on social science)
2004: Professor Frede Blåbjerg, Aalborg University.
2006: Doctor of Science Flemming Besenbacher, Head of the iNANO Centre, Aarhus University.

About Jens Kehlet Nørskov
Professor, Jens Kehlet Nørskov graduated from Aarhus University, completing a Ph.D. degree in theoretical physics in 1979. After a research period in the USA and jobs at Haldor Topsøe A/S, Denmark, and other places, in 1987 he became research professor at DTU, at which institution he has been a professor of theoretical physics since 1992. Today he is head of NanoDTU which is the largest Nano initiative in Denmark with more than 200 scientific members as well as a number of committees connected with the Nano research area. He has published more than 325 scientific articles in highly recognised international magazines, having been quoted more than 16,700 times. More information on www.fysik.dtu.dk