The National University Hospital of Iceland’s Science Fund is a strong research fund that provides over 100 million ISK in research grants to the hospital’s employees annually. The fund’s goal is to promote health research at the National University Hospital of Iceland and it is open to all its university educated employees. The Scientific Council oversees and is professionally responsible for all grant allocations from the National University Hospital of Iceland’s Science Fund.

Science Council decides and is responsible for

• the procedures for applying and their professional evaluation process.

• contents of application forms

• professional guidance when making applications

• guidance to evaluators for the evaluation of applications

• standards for assessment sheets that facilitate year-over-year comparisons between the quality of applications and the scientific value of projects.

Instructions

• Application for a grant to the Science Council in Icelandic

• In English: Landspítali Science Fund: Young scientist Grant Application.

• How to access the electronic application form in Icelandic language

• Instruction on how to apply in Icelandic language

• Instructions in Icelandic on how to apply for young scientis

Assessment sheets of the Scientific Council for the National Science Fund

• The National University Hospital Science Fund Assessments of appliction for scientific research in Icelandic language

• The National University Hospital Science Fund Assessments of application for young scientists in Icelandic Language

• Conditions will be created so that scientists see opportunities and clear benefits in working at Landspítali.

• Prerequisites will be defined to ensure that the hospital's university-educated staff can be given the scope and time to lead and/or participate in scientific research.

• Research groups will be supported with good facilities and funding for competitive grants within Landspítali, intended for larger and more ambitious projects.

• Emphasis will be placed on recruitment, including through special postdoctoral positions.

• The number of doctoral students at the hospital will be increased, and efforts will be made to support staff interested in doctoral studies, including by ensuring facilities for working on doctoral projects alongside their jobs.

• Further development of the electronic data center and biobank will be expedited.

• Work will be done to improve infrastructure and professional assistance with project management, securing external grants, and finalizing patents, in collaboration with other institutions where possible.

• Advocate for increased funding for research and scientific activities, with dedicated funding specifically allocated to Landspítali for this purpose.

• The goal is for scientific activity to comprise 3% of the hospital's total turnover within the next 5 years. It will then be proposed that Landspítali's budget line be divided into three parts, so that a specific amount of funding is specially designated for scientific activity.

• Landspítali scientists will be given scope and assistance in applying for grants from external competitive funds.

• Financial contributions will be sought from companies and the public to strengthen scientific research at Landspítali.

Funding allocated to research and scientific activities at Landspítali is divided between the operational costs of research activities and the Landspítali Science Fund.

Funding from the Science Fund is awarded through competitive grant schemes, which provide funding for, among other things:

• Ambitious scientific projects led by Landspítali scientists, including both large and small projects.

• Funding for postdoctoral positions that include sufficient research funds and are intended for emerging scientists in connection with new hires and recruitment.

• Development of facilities for staff pursuing research-related postgraduate studies.

• Preparation for securing large grants from external competitive funds.

• Payment of costs for open access publication of scientific articles.

• Within the next three years, there will be an increase of at least 5% in scientific article publications with an impact factor classifying them within the top 20% of their respective fields, where the first and/or last author is employed at Landspítali, and then an increase of at least 3% annually thereafter.

• Within the next two years, at least four 4-year postdoctoral positions will be funded through Landspítali's competitive fund, with an additional four within the next five years.

• The pursuit of larger domestic and international research grants will increase by 10% annually for the next five years.

• The number of graduated doctoral students in connection with the hospital and its clinical departments will increase by 2% annually.

• Active and measurable collaboration will be established within the next five years with at least five foreign universities, international institutions, or companies in the field of health sciences.

• The number of patents Landspítali is involved with will increase to at least four in the next five years.

• Measurable actions will be defined to increase Landspítali's visibility as a scientific institution.

Improving Scientific Infrastructure, Enhancing Services for Scientists, and Increasing the Visibility of Scientific Work in Landspítali Operations

• Scientific work will be accounted for in needs analyses, operational planning, and departmental staffing assessments, similar to how the hospital's service role is managed and anticipated.

• Scientific activities will be discussed at divisional and executive board meetings in the same manner as matters related to the hospital's service role.

• Information on the status of scientific work shall be updated every six months and remain visible.

• For staff hired on the premise that scientific work is part of their duties, employment contracts and job descriptions shall allocate defined time for scientific research.

• Targeted services, based on a comprehensive analysis of scientists' needs, will be established, and their visibility ensured through easy accessibility and prominent coverage.

• A strong support network for research principal investigators and young scientists will be formed, and brainstorming sessions for Landspítali scientists will be initiated to foster interdisciplinary support and increase collaboration.

• Support for the hospital's support departments that provide services to scientists will be increased, including financial management (current L-project).

• Collaboration will be established with universities and other domestic institutions regarding the financial management of grants from foreign research funds.

• The operations of the Landspítali library will be reviewed, and it will be examined whether increased collaboration with other institutions can create efficiencies that benefit hospital scientists, e.g., regarding access to high-quality professional journals.

• Recipients of large grants will be given leeway in line with the time stated in the grant application as necessary to dedicate to the project – provided Landspítali has committed to this when the scientists' grant application is approved.

• Good access for scientists to research facilities will be promoted, including active participation in the joint infrastructure development of universities and other research institutions.

Efforts will be made to secure increased financial support from external sponsors.

• A Friends of Science at Landspítali association will be established – to raise funds and support the hospital's advocacy efforts.

• A Scientific Promotion and Fundraising Manager for Landspítali will be hired on a trial basis. This individual must have successful experience in fundraising, as well as good experience in communication with the media and the public.

Promoting Landspítali's Strengths and Uniqueness in Science to Government and the Public

• A framework for promoting Landspítali's scientific activities will be developed, in addition to making research groups more visible on the hospital's website.

• A special page dedicated to scientific work at the hospital, intended for the general public, will be created on Landspítali's external website – taking similar pages of foreign university hospitals as a model.

• Support will be given to the production of podcasts and other types of programming that belong on Landspítali's page dedicated to science and scientific work for the public.

• An annual event will be held where politicians are invited to meet with the hospital's scientists to discuss scientific issues and their importance for Icelandic healthcare.

• The annual Science Harvest Festival (Vísindi á vordögum) will be made accessible to the public with seminars, lectures, and other presentations tailored for a general audience.

Presenting the Results and Benefits of Landspítali's Scientific Activities Nationally and Internationally

• It will be urged upon Landspítali scientists that the hospital's name (Landspitali University Hospital) appears on all scientific articles they author – the hospital's name and logo shall be on all promotional material.

• The number of scientific articles published in international peer-reviewed journals with a high impact factor will be increased.

• Higher grant amounts will be allocated to ambitious projects with significant scientific merit and novelty, led by Landspítali scientists.

• Collaboration with university institutions on services and support for scientists will be increased, including access to experts in statistics, bioinformatics, and data management.

Enhancing Collaboration with Universities, Scientific Institutions, and Companies in the Field of Health Sciences

• Collaboration with scientific and educational institutions will be increased to further strengthen Landspítali as a research institution.

• Increased support and targeted professional assistance for drafting collaboration agreements with domestic and international scientific institutions will be provided.

• Opportunities for collaboration with companies in the field of health sciences will be increased. Companies operating in this field, both domestically and abroad, will be invited to consultation meetings where Landspítali presents its scientific activities and the companies present their operations.

Review of Scientific Activity

• In addition to traditional summaries, foreign and domestic experts with knowledge of basic and clinical sciences will be consulted to evaluate the hospital's scientific policy and activities. Representatives from the Landspítali Science Council would also participate in these reviews of scientific activities. Such a review will be conducted within three years and then every five years.

Measurement of Contribution

• The success of scientific work will be measured using as diverse methods as possible, incorporating new developments in this field in addition to traditional metrics. Special attention will be paid to the number of published scientific articles where the first and/or last author is employed at Landspítali and the number of citations they receive. Also, the number of articles in journals with a high impact factor. It is important that different professional groups are taken into account and that it is not always justifiable to limit measurement to ISI articles. Attention will also be paid to the ratio of university-affiliated staff to the number of graduated students in research-related postgraduate studies, and how long students take to complete their studies.