NNF Laureate Research Grant is for recruitment or retainment of an outstanding established biomedical researcher to come to Denmark from abroad or stay in Denmark to further expand their research.  The grant should also facilitate collaboration across scientific and geographic borders, thereby strengthening the Danish biomedical research environment to meet societal challenges.

One grant up to DKK 60 million for a period of 7 years.

For further information, please visit the call website

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

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

The proposal process consists of three stages:

Stage I: The Laureate candidate should submit the initial application, including Letters of support from the Danish host institution 

Stage II: Up to three candidates are invited to submit a full research proposal, which is sent for external peer review. 

Stage III: All candidates who successfully submit a full research proposal are invited for an on-site interview.

Please inform us as soon as possible if you need support for a stage 2 and 3 proposal.

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

Find more information on which instruments and what type of support F&P offers here. 

Find our annual wheel of funding here.

AAU Seed Money can be used to support the preparation of an application, including activities such as proposal writing, meetings with potential consortium partners, and involvement of an external consultant.

AAU Seed Money is available both at faculty level and through AAU’s missions. For details on available funding amounts, application deadlines, and specific faculty requirements, please contact your local funding advisor.

NNF is seeking to support outstanding scientists working within any area of biomedical sciences. The scientific program can involve basic, translational, clinical and/or epidemiological research. The candidate:

• must be a principal investigator with an independent research program that they have directed for 7 or more years in total
• must, if awarded a Laureate Research Grant, work on-site at the Danish host institution equivalent to at least 75 % of a fulltime position
• clinicians must, if awarded a Laureate Research Grant, work on-site at the Danish host institution equivalent to at least 75 % of a fulltime position, i.e., clinical commitments must be reduced to 25% of a fulltime position
• must, if awarded a Laureate Research Grant, have fully established their principal research group in Denmark within two years of starting the grant
• may have any nationality
• may not be a member of a NNF expert review committee or an employee within the Novo Group of companies
• may not hold a permanent position (a position with no predetermined end date) at a Danish university or not-for-profit research institution.

There are not regular information meetings for each NNF call, but NNF visits AAU once a year (usually in November) to present all their calls at once. However, questions regarding the call should be addressed directly with the relevant contact persons at NNF.

There are no courses available at the moment.

Fundraising & Project Management offers:

• Assistance in assessing whether NNF Laureate Programme is the right fit for you and the research idea.
• Preparation of a timeline to ensure a smooth application process. 
• Two reviews of the application, including concrete suggestions for changes/additions/considerations.
• Review of the application budget. 
• Assistance with submission of proposal in Norma
• Annexes: Gather annexes from all partners and help with AAU's annexes.
• Set up of Teams group for all partners with AAU internal and external channels.

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 NNF Laureate 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 Laureate Programme, such as:

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

Tools for NNF Laureate Programme 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