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Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme 2026

Call opens
12 March 2026
Call closes
3 September 2026 2:00pm (Copenhagen time)
Announcement of results
End of December 2026
Recurring calls
Expected in March 2027
Application guidelines

About the grants

Amount
Up to DKK 6.8 million per grant
Location
Denmark
Committee

Contact

For grant inquiries
Kamilla Nørregaard
Senior Scientific Manager, PhD, Natural Sciences
[email protected]
Camilla Banke Birk
Grant Specialist, Grant Management
[email protected]

Purpose

Many scientific challenges that have large implications for health and sustainability can only be addressed through interdisciplinary efforts. With the Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme, the Novo Nordisk Foundation seeks to strengthen the synergy between researchers, across disciplines, organisations, and national borders. The goals of the Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme are to: 

  • Enable creative, novel, high-risk/high-gain interdisciplinary research 
  • Support exploration of early-stage, un-tested ideas that requires interdisciplinary collaboration and solutions 
  • Stimulate emerging research that spans across scientific disciplines and techniques 
  • Break down or overcome the barriers that hamper collaboration across disciplines 
  • Strengthen Danish research through internationalisation 
  • Educate and train the next generation of researchers with interdisciplinary skills 

The Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme is designed to fund the exploration of un-tested research areas that demonstrate the potential to have a high level of impact, i.e. high risk/high-gain. Specifically, this programme aims to support fundamental research between technology readiness levels (TRL) 1 and 2, as defined by the European Commission, and encourages the generation of preliminary data to guide researchers toward a more defined and expanded project stage.

Research areas:

Funding from the Exploratory Interdisciplinary Synergy Programme is aimed at generating novel, interdisciplinary approaches driven by high-risk/high-gain research that aligns with NNF’s strategic focus areas of Medical Sciences, Biotechnology, and Natural and Technical Sciences, with applicability in health or sustainability. Research within Social Sciences and Humanities can be an element of the proposal but cannot be the primary drive.  

Please note that if the proposed research falls within Natural and Technical Sciences, the applicant must explicitly state the research’s potential application in health or sustainability.  

Funding

Up to DKK 6.8 million can be requested for a project running up to 3 years. The total annual budget for this call is DKK 68 million. 

Application process

Please read “Information and Guidelines for Applicants” carefully before initiating the application process. Essential information about eligibility, required content, the evaluation criteria, budget structure, etc. is found in these guidelines. 

The application must be completed and submitted using the foundation’s application system NORMA that can be accessed via the link Apply now“. 

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