FIRST stands for Foundations for Innovative Research-based Software Technologies, and the research school is a concerted effort of both academia and industry to coordinate and expand a broad series of PhD-training activities within theoretical computer science and fundamental software technologies in the Copenhagen area. The focus is on topics for the fundamental understanding of computer science: semantics, logic, algorithms, and complexity theory and applications within verification, configuration, scheduling, concurrency, mobility, programming languages, program analysis, compilers, and various software tools. FIRST educates both researchers for international academic careers and researchers who can contribute to increasing the level of innovation in the Danish software industry. FIRST is supported by two grants from the Danish Research Training Committee.

Read more about FIRST in this information folder.

FIRST is run by a Board which is responsible for the overall decisions pertaining to the school. FIRST secretariat, responsible for the day-to-day activities, is hosted by and at ITU.

The following institutions and research groups participate in the research school:

• IT University of Copenhagen (ITU)
  • Efficient Computation
  • Programming, Logic and Semantics Group
  • Software Development Group
• Copenhagen University
  • Algorithms and Programming Languages (APL)
• Roskilde University (RUC)
  • Programming, Logic and Intelligent Systems
• Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
  • Algorithms and Logic
  • Language-Based Technology

The following industrial partners co-finance or has co-financed PhD scholarships:

• Microsoft Development Center Copenhagen (MDCC)
• Resultmaker A/S

FIRST educates both researchers for international academic careers and researchers who can contribute to increasing the level of innovation in the Danish software industry. Until August 2008, FIRST consisted of 36 PhD students and 40 supervisors and the research school is steadily increasing in size.

Funding and Collaboration

FIRST has been supported by two grants from The Danish Research Training Committee and co-financed by the participating institutions and industrial patners. The school started its activities in January 2003.

In the period of 2003-2007, FIRST was supported by a grant from The Danish Research Training Committee, which partially funded 6 PhD stipends, and also supported the school infrastructure and PhD-training.
The total funding received from the committee was DKK 3.9 million, of which DKK 2.7 million was used for co-financing PhD stipends and DKK 1.2 million for creating a stimulating environment for the PhD students.

FIRST's industrial partner, Microsoft Development Center Copenhagen (formerly Microsoft Business Solutions and Navision), co-financed a number of PhD stipends through the Next project.

At the end of 2007, FIRST received from the Danish Research Training Committee further DKK 3 million to continue and expand the collaboration on research training to include Roskilde University Center and Technical University of Denmark (DTU), and .5 million for co-financing a PhD stipend. The PhD stipend was additionally co-financed by ITU and the new industrial partner, Resultmaker A/S.