The objective of the Villum Investigator Programme is to find the very best curiosity-driven researchers within the technical and natural sciences and to give them the freedom to pursue new and original ideas which have the potential for significant scientific breakthroughs and impact.

A Villum Investigator is appointed for a six-year period. You may apply for up to DKK 30 million. It is no longer possible to apply for a larger grant as an international recruitment to Denmark. However, such applicants may be eligible for subsequent relocation support based on an individual assessment by the host institution and the international office at the host university.

Please consult the PlanDisc calendar or the support overview document listed below.

• 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 (support overview)
• Find our annual wheel of funding here (PlanDisc)

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.

The Villum Foundation expects that Villum Investigators have an outstanding international reputation within their research fields, e.g. at the level of ERC Advanced Grant holders.

Applicants are expected to be active researchers with a track record of excellent research for the last 10 years or more.

If you applied for a Villum Investigator grant in the last call and were not invited for an interview, you are ineligible to apply in the coming call.

An information meeting with the Villum Foundation is organized usually in April. Please keep updated on our events page.

We do not offer a course for this instrument.

Fundraising & Project Management offers support throughout the entire application process. 

We also offer a follow-up meeting regarding application outcome on the initiative of the applicant.

Meetings

• We offer a start-up meeting which includes assistance in assessing whether the funding instrument is the right fit for the applicant (including eligibility check) and the research idea, and whether the timing is right. In this first meeting, we also suggest a timeline to ensure a smooth application process.
• Subsequent meetings are planned in collaboration with the applicant.

Tools

• Annotated template
• Budget guide
• Inclusion in Teams group for all Villum Investigator applicants at AAU

Tools for Villum Investigator is 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, 
• 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 the submission portal.

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.

The grant cannot be used to cover the salary of the Villum Investigator. The host institution will pay this throughout the six-year period as a Villum Investigator.

The grant cannot be used to cover the salary of permanently employed scientific staff (defined as the job categories assistant professor, associate professor, researcher and senior researcher, whether time-limited or not).

Interview support

If the applicant is invited to an interview with the Villum Ascending Investigator Committee, F&P helps with the interview preparation, including mock interviews, feedback meetings, FAQ lists.

The application support process is evaluated after the deadline by means of an online survey to the applicants.

No project management is offered from F&P