PLEASE NOTE THAT SUPPORT LETTERS FROM CO-APPLICANT(S), IF ANY, SHOULD BE UPLOADED UNDER “OTHER UPLOADS” IN NORMA.
Purpose
Applications are invited for project grants within industrial biotechnology and environmental biotechnology to support excellent research with a strategic perspective addressing major questions and challenges within these fields. The proposed research must involve a clear element of biotechnology, have an outlook to scaling potential(s), contribute to sustainability and, if relevant, increase productivity. Projects must be based at a university or other non-profit research institution in Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden.
The research projects should preferably include one or more of the following topics:
- Use or engineering of biological/biotechnological tools and systems for synthesis and production of commodity products with high sustainability impact (e.g., chemicals, proteins and materials);
- Development of tools and technologies to monitor the presence of microbes or microbial activity and metabolites in contained and/or open environments across time and space;
- Development of technologies and processes that can be utilised directly for bioproduction to enable a future bioeconomy;
- Improvement of the efficiency of biomanufacturing;
- Use or engineering of biological/biotechnological tools and systems to protect or improve the environment;
- Understanding, protection or manipulation of natural or engineered ecosystems related to industrial or environmental biotechnology;
- Data science including digitalisation, quality and accessibility promoting research within industrial or environmental biotechnology, including related ecosystems research and applications.
Proposals focusing on plant science, agriculture and food biotechnology should be submitted to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Committee on Plant Science, Agriculture and Food Biotechnology, while proposals with a focus on pharmaceuticals and therapeutics should be submitted to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Committee on Bioscience and Basic Biomedicine.
Eligibility
Nordic Region
Main Applicants:
Faculty members and researchers with an independent research program at an academic research institution in a Nordic country. This can include junior-level researchers, but only under the condition that they can document independent research.
As the grant cannot cover salary of the main applicant, the applicant must be guaranteed their own salary for the entire project period.
Co-applicants:
In addition to the main applicant, applications may include one or more co-applicants who contribute scientifically to the project and will receive a financial share of the grant.
- A co-applicant must have an independent research program at a university or other non-profit research institution. This grant does not cover salary of the co-applicants.
- There is no geographic restriction to the location of a co-applicant.
- The project may also include research partners who do not receive funding from the grant. Those research partners may be located at a for-profit organization.
Funding
The grant period should be 1-3 years. The total grant amount is up to DKK 4.3 million for a 3-year grant. The grant amount should be distributed approximately equally each year, and for projects shorter than three years, the total grant amount is proportionally reduced.
Application Process
Applications must be completed and submitted using the online system following the instructions in the “Information and guidelines for applicants”. Additional essential information regarding eligibility, funding and the application process is found in this PDF.
Click here to read more about the Evaluation Committee.
