The Challenge Programme aims to contribute substantially to the development of Danish and European research ecosystems within research areas of strategic priority to the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The programme targets ambitious research projects within annually selected themes that address some of the major societal and planetary challenges. Every year, Novo Nordic Foundation define new themes that comprise the framework for calls for applications in open competition within that one year. 

NNF Challenge gives leading researchers the opportunity to assemble a strong team that can collaborate to develop solutions to the challenges. The Programme provides substantial, long-term funding to enable scientific depth and focus and facilitate synergy between the research partners.

Grants up to DKK 75 million (app. EUR 10 million) are available for projects of 6 years duration.

For more information, visit the call website

Please let us know if you need support with your Phase 1 proposal no later than: August 15th

Applications that do not meet this deadline will not be guaranteed support from Fundraising & Project Management.

The application process takes place in two stages:

• Stage 1: consists of an expression of interest (up to 10,000 characters) with a preliminary budget.
• Stage 2: consists of a comprehensive application with a detailed project proposal (up to 30,000 characters) along with a detailed budget.
  • Interview: As part of the Stage 2 evaluation, the applicants will be invited to present and discuss their proposed research projects with the review committee in an online meeting.

Around December, you will know if you are invited to submit a stage 2 proposal. Please inform us as soon as possible if you need support for a stage 2 proposal.

Your local funding advisor is your first point of contact for support.

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The Challenge Programme supports collaboration between leading scientific experts to form a consortium of 2-4 research groups (main applicant plus 1-3 co-applicants).

• The main applicant must be an independent tenured/tenure-track researcher with their own research group, employed at a European (European Union, Schengen Area plus United Kingdom) university, hospital, or non-profit research organisation, which will be the host institution and will be responsible for administration of the grant.
• The main applicant must be employed at the host institution with at least a 75% commitment and must be guaranteed their own salary for the entire project period.
• Co-applicant institutions may be located anywhere globally.
• At least one applicant (either main- or co-applicant) must be at least 75% employed and have their research group at a Danish university, hospital, or non-profit research organisation.
• Industry collaboration is allowed, but industrial partners cannot receive funding.

The profile of a potential main applicant/coordinator should be based on the following criteria:

Has a strong project idea with clear relevance to the specific annual call topic in The Challenge Programme. The proposed solution should have large societal impact within one of the three pillars in the Novo Nordic Foundation strategy: Health, Sustainability and/or the life science ecosystem.

• Preferably Professor and Research Group Leader. CV, including list of publications, is vital.
• Is up to date with international state-of-the-art in his/her field of research.
• Is a leader in his/her field of research and internationally recognized within the field.
• Has experience in writing applications in English (not necessarily NNF Challenge projects).
• Has time, as well as the desire and willingness, to be responsible for a NNF Challenge project.
• Has aligned his/her resources with the head of department.
• Has a network at national and international level and the ability to collaborate with other leading research groups.
• Agrees to be the primary penholder in the application.

There are not regular information meetings for each Challenge call, but NNF publishes small films presenting each call and Q&A material on their website.

NNF visits AAU once a year (usually in November) to present all their calls at once, but questions regarding the Challenge Programme should be addressed directly with the relevant contact persons at NNF.

There are no courses available at the moment.

Meetings

Fundraising & Project Management offers:

• Get Started meeting - At the meeting an agreement is made on support/expectations and the involvement of both Fundraising & Project Management and the local funding support team at department level. In addition, the applicant will be advised on the time schedule and the application process. If necessary, a brief introduction to Novo Nordic Foundation and the Challenge Programme can be provided.
• 360 degree inspection meeting – At the meeting the applicant pitches the project idea based on a 360 degree template, and the consortium, value creation, and implementation are discussed
• Bi-weekly status meetings until submission

Tools

Fundraising & Project Management offers a range of tools that are helpful when applying for NNF Challenge, such as:

• Annotated application template, which includes recommendations, clarifications, and examples embedded in the template text.
• Budget template
• Interview training

Tools for NNF Challenge are available in the Funding Toolbox.

Review of application 

Fundraising & Project Management offers structured proposal feedback at least twice during the application process, supplemented by continuous advice throughout the writing phase. This includes:

• Two in‑depth reviews of the application, each providing concrete suggestions for changes, additions, clarifications, or strategic considerations.
• Feedback aimed at strengthening coherence, alignment with call expectations, clarity of narrative, and overall competitiveness.

These reviews support the applicant in refining the proposal and ensuring a high quality final submission.

Submission

Fundraising & Project Management offers administrative support regarding questions about submission in Norma.

Budget

The budget is managed at the department level, with Fundraising & Project Management providing guidance, recommendations, and alignment support as needed. For further information, please contact your local funding advisor.

Interview support

Fundraising & Project Management offers interview training, such as review and rehearsal of presentation. 

The application support process is evaluated twice a year by means of an online survey to coordinators.

No project management is offered from F&P