Establishment of new CAGs

Anyone who meets the criteria for becoming CAG can apply.

If you are interested in applying for admission to one of the current CAGs, please contact the Chair of the CAG directly or contact the secretariat to hear more.

A CAG (Clinical Academic Group) is a collaborative constellation aimed at ensuring cooperation between researchers from hospitals and universities. In a CAG, existing knowledge flows freely, and new ideas for research, innovation, educational initiatives, and lifelong learning are developed collaboratively. Participants simultaneously influence each other’s professional agendas.

The CAG constellation contributes to creating a flexible collaborative structure, ensuring faster implementation of new research into clinical practice. This is achieved through the involvement of relevant clinical and institute leaders to ensure value for patients and citizens.

A CAG is led by a CAG Chair and a CAG Vice Chair. In addition two younger emerging research leaders from a hospital and from a university will also be part of the group. The CAG Chairs are responsible for involving managements at clinical departments and institutes.

Research conditions are strengthened through collaborations within the CAG, influencing research agendas to better address major societal challenges in the health sector. Additionally, scientists  gain access to data and patients, enhancing the quality of research. The CAG ensures that research is both of higher international quality, relevant, and easier to implement. Thus, CAGs can also serve as a framework that facilitates national and international funding.

Education and post-graduate up-qualification are emphasized within a CAG. The success of a CAG depends on the dissemination and application of both new and existing professional knowledge among healthcare personnel in hospitals and scientists and teachers at universities. Therefore, educational activities are a crucial part of CAGs, requiring collaboration across organizational boundaries.

The involvement of external stakeholders, such as other regions, universities, hospitals, private companies, and international environments, can enhance the success of a CAG if it makes sense to include them.

In summary, the core of a CAG encompasses clinical work, research, innovation, education, and post-graduate up-qualification—all of which should be integrated in the work of a CAG.

The overarching criteria for a CAG (Clinical Academic Group) application include documented excellent research within the specified field and a clear goal for clinical impact.

A CAG should have a strategic focus and professional emphasis that cuts across environments in both university and regional hospital settings, ideally involving multiple environments within each organization.

Each CAG has a leadership composed of a CAG Chair and a CAG Vice Chair. It is a criterion that these two individuals in the leadership must have different primary employments (respectively regional and university). All four partner organizations must be included in each CAG, represented among either the CAG leadership or key members, unless exceptional circumstances are approved through dispensation from the Executive Board prior to submitting the application.

In addition to the overarching criteria, there will be a set of more specific criteria for each call that must be fulfilled.

Goals:

1. Excellent research, spanning various disciplines within the health sciences and relevant technical-scientific areas.
2. Improved patient care and societal value creation.
3. Development of education and ensuring post-graduate up-qualification.

Organization:

1. Clear description of the governance structure internally related to the CAG and in relation to both the university/-ies and hospitals.
2. International network.

Criteria:

1. Excellence and clinical impact.
2. Detailed plan for the CAG period, including plans for research and education activities.
3. Plan for implementation in clinical practice.
4. Plan for attracting the necessary funding for CAG activities.
5. All partners must be represented in a CAG, and the composition of key members must be qualified.

CAGs are selected based on open and thematic calls through close collaboration between Greater Copenhagen Health Science Partners (GCHSP) The International Panel and the GCHSP Executive Board.

The Secretariat is responsible for initially screening applications against the formal requirements. The Secretariat then submits the applications to an international panel, which assesses whether the applications qualify for CAG status. Subsequently, the international panel selects a number of applicants for interviews from those deemed CAG-qualified. After the interview round, the international panel ranks the applications based on criteria, academic quality, and the conducted interviews. The ranking is then reviewed by the Executive Board, which decides on the appointments to the CAG.

Organizational structures can vary significantly from one Clinical Academic Group (CAG) – it depends on what is needed in the individual CAG in order to reach the intended goal .

The establishment of a CAG  presupposes official recognition of the collaboration and its importance within the organizations involved. It is crucial that the CAG has clear professional leadership willing to take responsibility for both the internal organization of the CAG and the management of related functions that may not be directly involved in the CAG. Alongside the development and progress of the CAG, the leadership must ensure collaboration across organizational boundaries.

The leadership in a CAG consists of a CAG Chair and a CAG Vice-Chair, both of whom are strong professionals. These individuals collaborate closely with the GCHSP Director on a professional level. The chairs of all CAGs form the leadership group, where strategic and organizational knowledge is  discussed.

Furthermore the CAG consists of two to four Junior Chairs, who is appointed by the CAG Chair and CAG Vice-Chair.

A CAG includes several key members, each representing an environment/organization contributing to the CAG’s work. There is the possibility of including key members from regions and universities outside GCHSP’s partnership circle, as well as companies, as long as they actively participate in the CAG’s operations and development. Key members are expected to play an active role in the CAG’s work and must number at least ten individuals.

The total grant is 3 million DKK. When a CAG is appointed, the chairperson receives 1.5 million DKK to cover research-facilitating expenses throughout the period. These funds can, for example, be used for a coordinator, seminars, or other activities supporting the translational work of the CAG.

The remaining 1.5 million DKK is disbursed when the three PhD/postdoc positions are filled.