Eligibility

• An applicant must be a principal investigator with an independent research group that s/he has directed for less than 7 years in total.
• An applicant may have any nationality and must be employed as a scientist outside of Denmark. An applicant may not have an employed position in Denmark during the application process.
• The host institution can be anywhere in Denmark and must be a university, university hospital, public research institution or other non-profit organization.
• An applicant must, if awarded, be employed at the host institution at a level of at least 80% of a full-time position.
• If you have lead an independent research program for 7 or more years in total, please visit the Laureate Research Grant page.

Funding

• Up to 4 NNF Young Investigator Awards will be granted in 2023.
• Awards up to DKK 25 million (EUR ~3.3 M, USD ~3.5 M) for a period of 7 years.

Application process

The application process consists of two phases. Phase I applications must be completed and submitted using the NNF’s application system following the instructions in the “Information and guidelines for applicants” pdf, found on this website when the system opens. Additional essential information regarding eligibility, funding and the application process is found in this pdf.

Up to 6 applicants will be invited to phase II. The major elements of the phase II application will be a comprehensive research program proposal and a letter of commitment from the host institution in Denmark. Phase II applicants will be invited to the Novo Nordisk Foundation for an interview with the NNF review committee.

Evaluation of applications and selection of grant awardees will be based on the scientific excellence of both the investigator and the proposed research program and their benefits to the Danish Research Ecosystem.