Deadline: 13-Jan-2026
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is seeking applications for its Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator Grant Programme to support highly promising starting group leaders with novel and ambitious projects that will bring new and important insight into human health and disease.
The research must focus on bioscience or basic biomedicine relevant to understanding the human organism and the mechanisms underlying health and disease. Eligible fields include molecular biology, cell biology, bioinformatics, genetics, microbiology, pharmacology, physiology, biophysics, biochemistry, biology, and biostatistics, typically using animal, cellular, or computational models.
Applicants must choose the most appropriate call area among endocrinology and metabolism, clinical and translational medicine, industrial and environmental biotechnology, plant science and food biotechnology, or natural and technical sciences.
Up to DKK 50 million is available for the program, with individual grants offering up to DKK 12.5 million over five years. Funding can cover salaries for the applicant and research staff, tuition fees for PhD students, lab consumables, animals, reagents, analytical services, and equipment up to 20% of the budget.
Additional support includes travel for conferences or leadership courses, publication costs, and direct project expenses. However, overhead costs, commercial activities, and duplicate funding are not supported.
Applicants must be starting group leaders at the level of senior postdoc, senior researcher, assistant or associate professor who are establishing their independent research line. Those already established as independent group leaders with multiple senior authorships or years of experience are encouraged to apply instead for the Hallas-Møller Ascending Investigator Grant.
Applicants with existing “starting” grants of similar size and scope are only exceptionally considered, and such applications must justify the need for an additional project. The research must be anchored at a Danish university, hospital, or other non-profit research institution, and the applicant must be employed in Denmark for the project duration.
The project should clearly define its research goals, scope, and budget, and while collaborations are permitted, the applicant must be the main driver of the work. Co-applicants are not allowed, and letters of support cannot be uploaded.
Each researcher may submit only one “Investigator grant” application at a time, and active grantees can only reapply during the final year of their current grant. Overlapping or similar projects cannot be submitted to multiple Novo Nordisk Foundation calls simultaneously.
Applications are evaluated by the Committee on Bioscience and Basic Biomedicine based on scientific quality, originality, impact, methodological approach, research environment, and the investigator’s track record and independence.
International experience and mobility are advantageous, and applicants with active Novo Nordisk Foundation grants must describe how the new project differs from or complements existing funded work.
For the applicant section, the CV should summarize publication metrics, teaching contributions, and provide a publication list of up to 10 key works. Supplementary information must outline employment terms, current funding commitments, and the percentage of research time dedicated to the proposed project. Those at the borderline of eligibility should explain why they qualify as “Emerging Investigators.”
The deadline for the applications is 13 January 2026.
For more information, visit Novo Nordisk Foundation.
