CFPs: Project Grants for Research within Plant Science, Agriculture and Food Biotechnology

Deadline: 21-Aug-25

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is pleased to invite applications for Project Grants within Plant Science, Agriculture and Food Biotechnology Research.

Areas of Focus

• Non-exhaustive list of areas that would fall within scope:
  • Research focused on plants and microorganisms for food, fibre, materials or climate change mitigation that enhance productivity, resilience, and resource-use efficiency across the value chain from primary agricultural production to end-product.
  • Development of agricultural-, food-, and forestry systems with higher productivity using less land, and with greater circularity, biodiversity, ecosystem functionality and with minimum impact on environment and climate.
  • Research on the characterization and application of microorganisms or microbial communities for circular economy purposes including inputs in agriculture, food and ecosystem services.
  • Research into the understanding of food components and ingredients derived from plants, microbes, insects, and cellular agriculture, with a focus on functionality, safety, and technological aspects of food science and biotechnology.
  • Research focused on merging food raw materials and ingredients from the above mentioned categories to understand the interplay between various components in the food matrix, e.g. to enhance processability, stability, and organoleptic quality. Interdisciplinary approaches including nutrition and health aspects may only be included to a limited extent.
  • Research focused on the development and application of methods and technologies, including data-driven approaches such as models and algorithms, to enable and support sustainable agriculture and food production. A significant proportion of the proposed research should explore the use of the new method or technology for its intended application.

Funding Information

• The total grant amount is up to DKK 4.3 million for a 3 year grant.
• Duration: The grant period should be 1-3 years.

Eligible Countries

• Projects must be based at a university or other non-profit research institution in Denmark, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden.

Eligibility Criteria

• Main Applicants:
  • Eligible candidates may be junior-level researchers, under the condition that they can document to have established themselves as independent researchers. As the grant does not cover salary of the grantee, the applicant must be guaranteed their own salary for the entire project period.
• Co-applicants:
  • In addition to the main applicant, applications may include one or more co-applicants who contribute scientifically to the project and will receive a financial share of the grant:
    • A co-applicant must have an independent research programme at a university or other non-profit research institution.
    • There is no geographic restriction to the location of a co-applicant.
    • The project may also include research partners who do not receive funding from the grant. Those research partners may be located at a for-profit organisation.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Research primarily focusing on livestock, livestock commodities, and feed
• Research focusing on aquaculture, or its derived commodities
• Research with their main research component on nutritional uptake and clinical studies

Assessment Criteria

• The evaluation of applications will emphasize the scientific excellence, originality and potential of the projects as well as the ability of the applicants to carry them out.

For more information, visit Novo Nordisk Foundation.