New requirements for applicants’ CVs and publication lists and revised assessment criteria from 2026

  • New law
  • CoARA / ARRA

From 2026, Independent Research fund Denmark will introduce adjusted assessment criteria as well as new formats for applicants’ CVs and publication lists. These changes are part of the fund’s work with CoARA and are intended to ensure that a broader range of experience and research outputs can be taken into account in the assessment of applications. The new requirements apply to all applications submitted to the fund from 2026 onwards.

As a consequence of the fund’s action plan for its work with CoARA and the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA), Independent Research fund Denmark will introduce three new initiatives: 

  • Adjusted assessment criteria 
  • A new format for applicants’ CVs
  • A new format for applicants’ publication lists

The changes will apply to all applications submitted to the fund from 2026. Below, you can read more about the specific changes and what they mean for you as an applicant. 

“There is a need for new approaches to complex scientific and societal challenges. This requires that all relevant types of research talent have the opportunity to contribute. It also requires that research actors agree that there is value in recognising a broader range of research outputs,” says Søren Serritzlew, Chair of the Board of Independent Research fund Denmark.  

He continues: “When assessing researchers and research, the primary focus should therefore be on whether the researchers’ work, results and project design actually create value for research – and for the research community as a whole. This also means that the number of publications a researcher has, or the prestige of a platform or organisation, cannot stand alone when assessing research applications.” 

The primary task of Independent Research fund Denmark is to fund research of the highest international quality and to strengthen groundbreaking, curiosity-driven research in Denmark. The fund’s assessment practice must support this objective and is a continuous focus area. Based on the CoARA principles, the fund has in recent years worked systematically to further develop its processes.

In addition to the three new initiatives resulting from the fund’s work with CoARA, the 2026 call for proposals for independent research funding will also be adjusted in line with the implementation of the amended Act on Independent Research fund Denmark, which entered into force on 1 January 2026. You can read more about the legislative amendment and its implementation here.

Independent Research fund Denmark will publish a new and revised call for proposals for independent research funding for 2026 in mid-March, where the new criteria and requirements will be described. The previous call for proposals has been withdrawn. Read more about this here. 

The fund’s work with CoARA and ARRA is described in more detail on the fund’s website, where you can also find the fund’s action plan and an FAQ that is updated on an ongoing basis.

What do you need to know about the new CV format?

Independent Research fund Denmark is introducing a new template for applicants’ CVs to ensure that the fund’s reviewers have access to all information that may be relevant when assessing which projects are most deserving of funding.

From 2026, it will be mandatory for applicants (PI and co-PI) to all of the fund’s funding instruments to use the CV template. The CV may not exceed three pages and must comply with the specified formal requirements. 

Other project participants may choose either to use the CV template or, as previously, to submit a combined CV and publication list of no more than two pages.

The format includes some narrative elements. Your scientific merits remain central, but the new format provides better opportunities to describe experiences that are relevant to the project and the applicant’s research profile, but which previously played a more limited role in the assessment. The new format gives the fund’s reviewers a more comprehensive overall picture of the applicant.

The specific requirements will be described in the forthcoming call, but you can already download the template and begin preparing your application.

Download the fund’s template for applicants’ CVs, applicable from 2026 

What do you need to know about the new publication list format? 

Independent Research fund Denmark is also introducing a new template for applicants’ publication lists (track records) to ensure that the fund’s reviewers have access to all information that may be relevant when assessing which projects are most deserving of funding.

From 2026, it will be mandatory for applicants (PI and co-PI) to all of the fund’s funding instruments to use the publication list template. The publication list may not exceed three pages and must comply with the specified formal requirements.

Other project participants may choose either to use the template or, as previously, to submit a combined CV and publication list of no more than two pages.

The format remains largely “classic”, but includes a narrative element. Scientific publications remain central, but the new format allows applicants to include other types of research outputs and results that are relevant to the project and to the applicant as a researcher, and which previously played a more limited role in the assessment. The new format provides the fund’s reviewers with a relevant overall picture of the applicant’s research outputs. 

The specific requirements will be described in the forthcoming call, but you can already download the template and begin preparing your application.

View the fund’s template for applicants’ publication lists (track record), applicable from 2026

Revised assessment criteria

Independent Research fund Denmark is adjusting its assessment criteria, which form the basis for how applications are assessed. The adjustment of the criteria serves several purposes. 

First, the original idea is placed more clearly at the centre. The wording of the criteria has been sharpened to make it explicit that a strong, original idea is the most important assessment criterion.

Second, like the CV template, the criteria are intended to support the CoARA principles’ focus on broader recognition of different contributions to research, different researcher profiles and different research outputs. With the new criteria, the focus is shifted from publications alone to, more broadly, the researcher’s competences, previous contributions and experience, which together demonstrate the applicant’s ability to lead and carry out a research project. Similarly, publishing in ways that benefit the research community as a whole—by making results and data openly available—will carry greater merit than before. 

Finally, the fund has taken the opportunity to conduct a general review of the criteria. Drawing on the research assessment literature, the fund has examined how the criteria can be adapted to better support applicants’ and reviewers’ need for clear, operational and transparent criteria. In this context, the fund has sought to reduce the number of criteria and to make them broader. 

The fund’s revised assessment criteria

All applications are evaluated based on the same four overarching categories of criteria:

  • Potential for originality and breakthrough
  • Scientific quality and approach
  • Qualifications and organisation
  • Research results and research outputs.

In addition, the project must adhere to the purpose and requirements specified for the relevant funding instrument.

When DFF assesses applications, emphasis is placed on the extent to which all criteria are fulfilled to the greatest possible degree. However, an overall assessment will always be made. This means that individual criteria may be met to a greater or lesser extent, that relevance to the specific application is considered, and that not all criteria will be equally relevant for every application. Due to the competitive nature of the evaluation process, fulfilment of the criteria does not guarantee that funding will be awarded.

The overall assessment will also take into account whether DFF considers the proposed project to be beneficial to Danish research.

Potential for originality and breakthrough

  • The extent to which the project is original and has the potential to advance the research frontier (e.g., theoretical, methodological or empirical).

Scientific quality and approach

  • The extent to which the research questions and objectives of the project are well chosen.
  • The extent to which the project engages with existing research.
  • The extent to which the project’s theory, any hypotheses, research design and choice of methods are well chosen.
  • The extent to which the project’s work plan, activities and success criteria are well chosen.
  • The extent to which the project provides adequate consideration of ethical issues.

Qualifications and organisation

  • The extent to which the applicant’s competencies, prior contributions and experience indicate that the applicant can lead and carry out the project.
  • The extent to which any participants and collaborators are appropriately selected in relation to the activities they will perform.
  • The extent to which the strategy for organising and managing the project is appropriate and indicates that the applicant will be able to conduct the proposed research while fulfilling other professional obligations.
  • The extent to which the project is organised with a clear alignment between budget, timeline and work plan, and an appropriate plan for addressing potential risks that could impede project execution.
  • The extent to which access to data, facilities, equipment etc. is secured.

Research results and research outputs

  • The extent to which the project is beneficial to Danish research and strengthens the research environment in Denmark.
  • The extent to which the project is expected to result in scientific publications and other outputs, such as datasets, innovation and patents, dissemination or contributions to cultural development, legislation, practical applications, teaching, etc.
  • The extent to which the project’s results are made openly accessible in a manner that enables reproducibility and/or reuse of research results and data to the greatest possible extent, allowing other researchers to build on the outcomes where relevant.

Funding instrument‑specific criteria

  • The extent to which the project and applicant meet the purpose and requirements specified for the funding instrument applied for (see relevant sections).

Instrument-specific / theme-specific criteria

  • To what extent the project and the applicant meet the objectives and requirements set out for the applied funding instrument.*

* Please note that the exact wording of this criterion may vary in calls for thematic research funding.

Background to the work on new criteria and formats 

Independent Research fund Denmark joined the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) and signed the Agreement on Reforming Research Assessment (ARRA) in 2022 in order to help support a sustainable research ecosystem. The movement seeks to promote more diverse career paths and to recognise a broader range of research contributions in research assessment. It currently comprises more than 700 international research organisations, including 14 Danish universities,university colleges and research funding bodies.

The assessment practices of Independent Research fund Denmark are already responsible and firmly grounded in qualitative evaluation. However, the fund regards the agreement as a valuable opportunity to review its assessment processes and make adjustments where necessary. The action plan for the fund’s work with ARRA and CoARA was published in 2024, and the adjusted assessment criteria as well as the new formats for applicants’ CVs and publication lists are a direct outcome of this work. In addition, the fund has, among other initiatives, co-initiated a Danish CoARA network and a Danish CoARA National Chapter, and introduced a bias awareness training programme for the entire fund. You can read more about Independent Research fund Denmark’s work with CoARA on this page. The next step in the fund’s work with CoARA is a broader review and adjustment of the fund’s assessment processes. 

The new formats for applicants’ CVs and publication lists, which result from the work with CoARA, are intended to provide a structured basis for taking all relevant experience and research outputs into account. The adjusted assessment criteria are intended to further strengthen the fund’s focus on the originality of the research idea and its ambition to recognise a broader range of researchers and research outputs.