Discover Funding Opportunities

Steno Collaborative Grants

The Steno Collaborative Grants are designed to strengthen collaboration between the Steno Diabetes Centers and research environments related to the Centers. The Novo Nordisk Foundation supports research projects with a unifying and collaborative mission to develop knowledge, exchange experience across research institutions, and facilitate synergy between research environments around the Steno Diabetes Centers. The grants aim to strengthen clinical, patient-centered, and collaborative research between the Steno Diabetes Centers and research environments outside the Centers, while positioning Denmark at an international level in improving prevention and care for persons with diabetes or at risk of diabetes. Projects must be collaborative with a unifying vision focused on solving challenges within clinical diabetes research, comprising a main applicant and two to five co-applicants from Steno Diabetes Centers or partner institutions. International collaboration is strongly encouraged.

PREPARE – Grants for educational developments at universities 2026

The PREPARE program aims to enhance and expand methods for training students' creative and critical skills through science or engineering research activities at universities within the Danish Realm. The program focuses on disciplines within natural, technical and health science educations that align with the strategic key themes of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The grants provide science and engineering teachers with resources to implement new educational ideas and better prepare students to solve complex societal problems. The program supports three categories: digital development of educations, research infrastructure development for educations, and upgrade content of educations. The primary target group consists of bachelor and master students within natural, technical and health science educations at universities in the Danish Realm.

Female Heart – Clinical Mechanistic Grants

The Female Heart – Mechanistic Research Grants aims to enhance understanding of the mechanistic drivers of sex-related differences in cardiovascular disease by fostering European collaborative research projects anchored in the Nordic countries. The program funds mechanistic or translational research that seeks to enhance mechanistic understanding of sex-related differences in cardiovascular disease. Research areas include investigating how age and life-phase affect cardiovascular disease development, long-term effects of disease drivers and treatments on cardiovascular function, endothelial function impairment in women, non-obstructive coronary artery disease presentation in women, and causative feedback loops between cardiovascular disease and sex-specific comorbidities. The research project must involve international collaboration between institutions in different countries, with the main applicant based in a Nordic country and co-applicants in the European Economic Area, UK, or Switzerland. Sex-related differences in cardiovascular disease must be the core focus of the proposed research project and directly relate to the research hypothesis.

Postdoctoral Fellowships at ETH Zurich – 2026

The postdoctoral fellowship offers a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research projects in collaboration with researchers at ETH Zurich. ETH stands as a top global university in science and technology, renowned for its education, innovative research, and tradition of advancement. The programme invites early career researchers to apply for a three-year fellowship in collaboration with a research group at ETH Zurich. Fellows will develop a research project at ETH Zurich for the first two years, followed by a return phase of up to one year at a Danish university or other Danish public or non-profit research institution. The Novo Nordisk Foundation aims to propel the career development of outstanding early-stage researchers by providing them the opportunity to gain extensive research experience and training in a unique interdisciplinary environment at the highest international level, while fostering an open exchange of intellect and ideas. The program promotes scientific networks and innovative spirit through mobility, thus fostering scientific independence and international collaboration, and supports continued research collaborations and knowledge transfer between the Danish research ecosystem and ETH Zurich.

Postdoctoral Fellowships at University of Oxford – 2026

The postdoctoral fellowship offers a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research projects in collaboration with researchers at the University of Oxford. Oxford stands as a top global university in science and technology, renowned for its education, innovative research, and tradition of advancement. The programme invites early career researchers to apply for a three-year fellowship in collaboration with a research group at the University of Oxford. Fellows will develop a research project at University of Oxford for the first two years, followed by a return phase of up to one year at a Danish university or other Danish public or non-profit research institution. The Novo Nordisk Foundation aims to propel the career development of outstanding early-stage researchers by providing them the opportunity to gain extensive research experience and training in a unique interdisciplinary environment at the highest international level, while fostering an open exchange of intellect and ideas. The programme promotes scientific networks and innovative spirit through mobility, thus fostering scientific independence and international collaboration, and supports continued research collaborations and knowledge transfer between the Danish research ecosystem and the University of Oxford.

Postdoctoral Fellowships at Massachusetts Institute of Technology – 2026

The postdoctoral fellowship offers a unique opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research projects in collaboration with researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). MIT stands as a top global university in science and technology, renowned for its education, innovative research, and tradition of advancement. The programme invites early career researchers to apply for a three-year fellowship in collaboration with a research group at MIT. Fellows will develop a research project at MIT for the first two years, followed by a return phase of up to one year at a Danish university or other Danish public or non-profit research institution. The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) aims to propel the career development of outstanding early-stage researchers by providing them the opportunity to gain extensive research experience and training in a unique interdisciplinary environment at the highest international level, while fostering an open exchange of intellect and ideas. The fellowship promotes scientific networks and innovative spirit through mobility, thus fostering scientific independence and international collaboration. It supports continued research collaborations and knowledge transfer between the Danish research ecosystem and MIT. The fellowship supports postdoctoral research projects for up to 3 years, where the first 2 years are spent at MIT. The final year may be dedicated to the return phase at the Danish host institution. A Danish university or other public, non-profit research institution in Denmark must employ the applicant and administer the fellowship for the entirety of the grant period. The fellowship will cover up to DKK 1.2 million per year over a three-year project period, with a maximum grant size of DKK 3.6 million per fellowship.

Cleveland Clinic – Denmark: Quantum-AI Biomedical Frontiers Fellowship Programme 2026

In a new initiative that blends innovation in quantum technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) with biomedical and clinical applications, the Novo Nordisk Foundation together with the Cleveland Clinic, launched the Cleveland Clinic – Denmark: Quantum-AI Biomedical Frontiers Fellowship Programme. The programme invites early career researchers from Denmark and the Cleveland Clinic to apply for a three-year exchange fellowship. Fellows will develop a research project at Cleveland Clinic or a Danish research institute for up to 3 years, this may include an optional return phase of up to 1 year. The Novo Nordisk Foundation aims to propel the career development of early-stage postdoctoral researchers by providing them the opportunity to gain extensive research experience and training in a unique interdisciplinary environment at the highest international level, while fostering an open exchange of intellect and ideas. The programme promotes scientific networks and innovative spirit through mobility, thus fostering scientific independence and international collaboration, while supporting continued research career development between the Danish research ecosystem and the Cleveland Clinic.

Tandem Programme – Translational research collaboration between Basic and Clinical Researchers

With the Tandem Programme, the Novo Nordisk Foundation seeks to strengthen and support Danish translational health research of high international quality. The programme invites collaborative project applications from one basic and one clinical researcher that seek to stimulate the transition of basic research to clinical practice and vice versa. The programme specifically requires that one basic scientist and one clinical scientist apply together for a project which is clinically relevant, cross-disciplinary, and translational in nature, to catalyse improved treatment or diagnosis of patients, or understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. The two applicants are expected to take equal part in the project. Each Tandem Programme grant provides between DKK 11-13 million for four-year collaborative research projects, with the budget required to be equally split (60/40% also accepted) between the main and co-applicants. The clinical researcher must be active in the clinic and have current clinical responsibilities, not employed in a full-time research position. The programme aims to facilitate meaningful cross-disciplinary collaboration that bridges the gap between basic biomedical research and clinical medicine, advancing translational health research in Denmark.

Clinical Emerging Investigator

The Clinical Emerging Investigator grant program is designed to support and strengthen the development of young and promising clinical research leaders and promote Danish clinical and translational research at a high international level. The Novo Nordisk Foundation seeks to support starting clinical research leaders with ambitions of combining their clinical work with clinically relevant research. This 5-year grant program provides substantial funding to medical doctors who are ready to start or are currently under medical specialist training, enabling them to dedicate between 20% to 60% of their time to research while maintaining their clinical practice at a Danish hospital. The overall goal is to support medical research with relevance to patients and human health, covering research fields such as disease mechanisms, treatment methods, disease trajectories, epidemiology, diagnostic methods, public health and family medicine, intervention studies, register-based research, proof-of-concept studies, pilot projects, initial clinical trials, and biomedicine. Up to four grants can be awarded, ranging from DKK 8,000,000 to DKK 12,500,000 depending on the level of commitment from the applicant to the research project.

Clinical Distinguished Investigator

The Clinical Distinguished Investigator grant supports medical doctors and clinical professors conducting patient-relevant medical research over a 5-year period. The program aims to support medical research with relevance to patients and human health, including translational and clinical research, disease mechanisms, treatment methods, epidemiology, diagnostic methods, public health, intervention studies, register-based research, and clinical trials. Applicants must maintain clinical responsibilities throughout the grant period, spending 20-50% of their time in clinical work while dedicating 50-80% to research. The grant provides up to DKK 11 million total over 5 years (approximately DKK 2.2 million per year) for project-related expenses. The project must be anchored at a Danish university, hospital, or other non-profit research institution. Up to two Clinical Distinguished Investigator Grants will be awarded in each cycle. This is an individual grant at the disposal of the applicant, requiring institutional support from both clinical and research department heads.

Borregaard Clinical Ascending Investigator

The Borregaard Clinical Ascending Investigator grant aims to promote and strengthen Danish clinical and translational research at a high international level and to stimulate the continued development of excellent clinical research leaders. The Novo Nordisk Foundation seeks to support the consolidation of accomplished clinically active doctors with ambitious and clinically relevant 5-year research projects. The overall goal is to support medical research with relevance to patients and human health. The research fields could be within, but are not limited to: patients and disease related research, translational and clinical research, research in disease mechanisms, treatment methods, disease trajectories, epidemiology, diagnostic methods, public health and family medicine, intervention studies, register-based research, proof-of-concept studies, pilot projects, initial clinical trials and clinical testing, biomedicine. The 5-year grant amounts up to DKK 11,000,000 million, with up to DKK 1.6 million per budget year allocated to direct project related expenses. Up to four Borregaard Clinical Ascending Investigator Grants will be awarded.

Frontier Grants

Frontier Grants facilitate transitions from basic research to attractive prospects for biotech investors. The program provides financial and interactive support to test and develop the commercial and translational potential of a basic research finding together with the researcher, allowing for mentoring and professional development activity. The purpose of the grant is to advance mature research projects to become financeable and commercially tangible venture opportunities. Recipients receive mentoring including portfolio executives and other experts, with regular follow-ups throughout the grant period including quarterly progress report meetings and annual reporting.