Research funding

Upcoming deadlines for project outlines

If you want to apply for funding for housing of a project at the Saxo Institute, through one of the calls listed below, please forward a project outline (at least one page) and a draft for a staffing plan (if relevant) to research support consultant, Mads Torbenfeldt Christoffersen, xml234@hum.ku.dk, no later than the indicated internal Saxo deadline. This information will be presented to the management at the Saxo Institute for approval of housing conditions.

Download template for staffing plan (Excel).

Current opportunities

Internal Saxo deadline 27 June 2024:

Internal Saxo deadline 7 August 2024:

Internal Saxo deadline for the calls listed below: 27 June 2024

ERC Starting Grants
Up to 1.5 million EUR for a five-year project. Applicants should have a PhD age of 2-7 years (extensions are possible under certain circumstances), a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal.
Tentative deadline for submission to the ERC: 15 October 2024
For more abour ERC Starting Grants go to erc.europa.eu

ERC Synergy Grants
Up to 10 million EUR for a duration of up to 6 years. A group of two to maximum four Principal Investigators (PIs) – of which one will be designated as the corresponding PI (cPI) – working together and bringing different skills and resources to tackle ambitious research problems. PIs must present an early achievement track-record or a ten-year track-record. Proposals will be evaluated on the sole criterion of scientific excellence which, in the case the ERC Synergy Grants, takes on the additional meaning of outstanding intrinsic synergetic effect.
Tentative deadline for submission to the ERC: 6 November 2024
For more about ERC Synergy Grants go to erc.europa.eu

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks
Funding for PhD mobility fellowships in European networks. Doctoral Networks must involve at least three partners from inside and outside academia. Funding for up to 10 PhD fellowships per network (in some cases up to 15 fellowships). Please be aware that the internal deadline only concerns applications, which includes coordination of a Doctoral Network (participation as a partner can be considered for approval closer to the submission deadline).
Deadline for submitting a Doctoral Networks application is 27 November 2024
To read the call information for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks, go to the EU Funding & Tenders portal. 

Internal Saxo deadline for the calls listed below: 7 August 2024

DFF (Independent Research Fund Denmark)

  • DFF Research Project 2
    Funding of up to 4.3 million DKK, excluding overhead, for a duration of up to 4.5 years for a collaborative project. The applicant must have a PhD age of at least 8 years.
    Deadline for submission to DFF: 8 October 2024
  • Sapere Aude: DFF Starting Grant
    Funding of up to 4.3 million DKK, excluding overhead, for a duration of up to 4 years for a collaborative project. The applicant must have a PhD age of no more than 8 years (leave can be deducted in the calculation of PhD age) .Deadline for submission to DFF: 8 October 2024
  • DFF International Postdoctoral Grant
    Postdoc Fellowships of up to 1.5 million DKK, excluding overhead, for a duration of 2 years with at least 12 consecutive months abroad. To be eligible, you must have obtained a PhD degree, expect to submit your dissertation for defence within 12 months and your PhD age must not exceed 3 years at the expiration of the application deadline (leave can be deducted in the calculation of PhD age).
    Deadline for submission to DFF: 30 October 2024
  • Explorative Network | Humanities
    Up to 550.000 DKK for a duration of up to 3 years for collaboration between different Danish and, ideally, international research environments. The network is expected to facilitate the exploration of new opportunities across institutions, research traditions and scientific fields, though with the main emphasis on the fields that fall within the scope of DFF | Humanities. Funding will only be provided for the establishment of new networks and not for funding of research projects. Applicants must as a minimum be at associate professor/senior researcher level.
    Deadline for submission to DFF: 11 September 2024
  • Non-university Research Education (PhD)
    Funding for the education of researchers at public non-university research institutions. The instrument covers national non-university research institutions, sector research institutions, university colleges, business academies as well as state archives, libraries, museums, etc. Applicants will the support of employment from a non-university research institution, and can apply for approval of enrollment at the PhD School with affiliation at the Saxo Institute.
    Deadline for submission to DFF: 17 September 2024
  • International Research Stays | Social Sciences
    Up to 200.000 DKK excluding overhead for research stays at a foreign research institution for consecutive periods of at least 3 months. Funding is provided for coverage of expenses related to your research stay, and not for salaries or non-research related expenses such as travelling and housing expenses for accompanying spouse and children, child care expenses, schooling expenses, etc. In order to apply, you must have obtained a PhD degree or achieved equivalent qualifications through your research, and you must be employed at a research institution in Denmark.
    Deadline for submission to DFF: 11 September 2024

Read the English version of the call, including descriptions of the various instruments, at dff.dk (pdf)

For Danish (pdf)

Carlsberg Foundation: Ordinary research call
Ordinary call 2024 (full details to be announced 30 June 2024). Instruments relevant for housing at the Saxo Institute:

  • Semper Ardens Advance:
    10-20 million DKK for five-year grants for internationally recognised professors as well as research groups to pursue visionary research projects aimed at cross-scientific breakthroughs. The grant should support visionary research projects at the highest international level aiming at scientific breakthroughs. Projects venturing into new scientific territory and interdisciplinary projects will be prioritized.
  • Semper Ardens Accelerate:
    Up to 5 million DKK for three-year grants to newly appointed tenured associate professors to establish an independent research group or research environment, including the acquisition of research infrastructure (equipment, register data, etc.) and the formation of national/international networks. The applicant must be a tenured associate professor who has been appointed for a maximum of two years at the date of the application deadline.
  • Reintegration Fellowships:
    Two-year postdoctoral fellowship at a Danish research institution subsequent to an Internationalisation Fellowship from the Carlsberg Foundation or another research stay abroad. Applicants with more than five years’ of experience since obtaining their PhD degree are not eligible (periods of leave can be deducted in the calculation of the PhD age). The Reintegration Fellowships are only awarded to postdoctoral fellows with strong connection to Danish research and a previous research stay abroad.
  • Monograph Fellowships:
    One-year full-time fellowships for leading, visionary researchers within the humanities or social sciences with a project aimed at producing a ground-breaking monograph or advanced Danish doctoral dissertation. Monograph fellowships are only awarded to tenured senior researchers with 5–20 years of past tenure as an associate professor, senior researcher or professor.
  • Research Infrastructure:
    Support for procurement of research infrastructure, i.e. the purchase of equipment, register data and databases as well as the establishment of corpora and development of research tools. Applicants must be tenured associate professors/senior researchers or professors. There is no maximum to the amount applied for.
  • Field Trips / Research Stays:
    Funding for expenses related to field trips abroad and research stays at international research institutions with a budget exceeding DKK 100,000. The applicant must be at associate professor/senior researcher or professor level.

Deadline for submission of applications to the Carlsberg Foundation for all the instruments listed above: 1 October 2024.
The call also includes funding opportunities for postdoc fellowships abroad, which cannot be hosted and administrated by the Saxo Institute.
Go to Carlsbergfondet.dk for an overview of the different calls instruments.

Carlsberg Foundation: Science Communication call

  • Carlsberg Mindelegat:
    Funding to promote knowledge, popular education and general interest in science and research. This includes strengthening science and the current position of research in society and in public conversation and debate. Support for communication projects for a period of maximum two years with an application amount of DKK 50,000-200,000. The applicant must as a minimum have a PhD and be affiliated to a Danish research institution.
  • Science Communication:
    Funding range of 200.000 – 3 million DKK for science communication projects to promote knowledge, popular education and general interest in science and research. Applicants must have documented professional experience with communication, e.g. journalism or media production.

Deadline for submission of proposals for the science communication calls is 1 September 2024.
For more about calls and guidelines go to carlsbergfondet.dk

ERC Consolidator Grants
Up to 2 million EUR for a project with a duration of up to five years. For researchers with a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal. Applicants are eligible if they have 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD (extensions are possible under certain circumstances).
Tentative deadline for submission to ERC: 14 January 2025
Read more about ERC Consolidator Grants at erc.europa.eu

Innovation Fund Denmark: Industrial Researcher (postdoc and PhD fellowships)
Funding of up to half of the salary for postdocs or PhD fellows for employment in a public sector organization or a private company and affiliation/enrollment at the university. Fellows are expected to divide their time equally between the organization/company and the research institution. Innovation Fund Denmark supports Industrial Researcher projects that fall within one of these four themes: a) Green research, technology development and innovation b) Life science, health and welfare technology c) Digitalisation, technology and innovation d) AI. In addition to the above, part of the funding in the Industrial Researcher program is without thematization:

Within the Industrial Researcher instrument, Realdania and Innovation Fund Denmark also supports PhD and postdoc projects with the regenerative built environment:

Deadline submission of proposals for all Industrial Researcher instruments: 12 September 2024.

All potential applicants, currently not employed at the Saxo Institute, need to submit an updated CV, a list of publications and a description of collaboration at the Saxo Institute along with the project outline.

Applicants for PhD fellowships should also forward a transcript of grades and an approval of supervision from a Saxo researcher. Applicants, who wish to be enrolled as a PhD fellow at the Saxo Institute, but hired by another institution, should furthermore forward an approval from the hiring institution.

If you want to apply for an instrument or foundation not listed above, please contact research support consultant, Mads Torbenfeldt Christoffersen, xml234@hum.ku.dk, well in advance and no later than 10 weeks before the submission deadline.