Apply for Novo Nordisk Foundation grants

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is an independent Danish enterprise foundation with the vision to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet. A key priority for the foundation is helping excellent academic research move beyond the lab and into solutions that create real-world value.

To support that translation, the foundation offers two Innovator Grants:

the Pioneer Innovator Grant (1.2 million DKK over a 1 year period)
the Distinguished Innovator Grant (7.6 million DKK over a 3 year period).

What is the purpose of the Innovator Grants?

– Both support science-based projects with clear commercial potential and fund activities that can take an idea to proof-of-concept and beyond. The main difference between the two grants is that the Pioneer Innovator Grant is a shorter, smaller grant designed to help researchers validate and de-risk a promising new idea, whereas the Distinguished Innovator Grant is a larger, longer grant aimed at senior or very experienced researchers with a proven innovation track record, for example patents and spinouts, who can also act as ambassadors for innovation within academia, explains Signe Daugbjerg, Senior Scientific Manager Innovation at Novo Nordisk Fonden.

Who can apply, and who should not apply?

– You can apply if you are employed at a university, hospital/clinic, or other research institution in the Nordic. The grant must be administered by a non-profit organisation, and the project cannot be directly linked to an established company (i.e., with a CVR/company registration number).

You should not apply if your project is essentially a traditional research project without a clear plan to take the results towards proof-of-concept, translation and commercialisation. In that case, the Foundation has many other grant opportunities that are better suited.

What tips do you have for those applying?

– Be very clear on three things: the unmet need being addressed, what makes the solution genuinely novel and differentiated, and, crucially, how the project will move the research towards commercialisation.

What expectations do you have of applicants?

– We expect applications to combine scientific excellence with a practical route to impact: a feasible project plan, the right competencies in the team, clear success criteria, and a convincing pathway towards translation and commercialisation. For the Distinguished Innovator Grant, applicants are also expected to bring a strong innovation track record (for example patents or spinouts) and to help champion innovation within academia.

When is the deadline?

– The next call is expected to open mid-August and close at the end of September 2026. From 2027, the Pioneer Innovator Grant will open twice a year (once in January and once in August), while the Distinguished Innovator Grant will open once per year, in August.

Link to Novo Nordisk Foundation >

Link to Pioneer Innovator Grant >

Link to Distinguished Innovator Grant >