The Inge Lehmann Programme

Objective

The Inge Lehmann programme is part of the political agreement of 1 November 2024 on the distribution of the research reserve in 2025. According to the agreement, the objective of the Inge Lehmann programme is to promote a more even gender ratio in research environments, focusing on the career steps where the unbalance sets in.

The programme is open to all scientific areas and to men as well as women, but through exemption pursuant to Section 3 of the Equal Opportunities Act, DFF will, as a general rule, choose female applicants over male in case of equal qualifications between two applicants. An objective assessment will, however, be made, taking into consideration all specific criteria regarding applicants, regardless of gender.

In 2025, a total of DKK 80.9 million has been allocated to the programme. An Inge Lehmann grant has a budgetary framework of up to DKK 2,500,000 excluding overhead, whereby DFF expects to award approx. 23 grants in 2025.

The Inge Lehmann programme aims to provide talented younger researchers with the opportunity to develop their research ideas as well as their competencies as independent research leaders.

Based on the political agreement, DFF has decided to focus the Inge Lehmann programme on the early stages of the research career, as documentation shows that this is where the imbalance in the gender ratio in research environments sets in. In order to support lasting talent development and capacity building, it is moreover a prerequisite for obtaining funding that the applicant has obtained employment as an assistant professor/associate professor, researcher/senior researcher, fellow or similar, cf. the requirements in the Inge Lehmann call for proposals.

To advance the quality of Danish research, DFF offers funding for research projects within a budgetary framework of up to DKK 2,500,000, excluding overhead/administration expenses. A DFF-Research Project1 (Inge Lehmann) is characterised by having a clear and well-defined research question, where the research activities are expected to be of a high, international quality. The duration of a DFF-Research Project1 (Inge Lehmann) is typically 3 years, but it is possible to apply for a project of up to 4 years’ duration if the project includes one or more PhD student(s).

Applicant requirements

An Inge Lehmann grant should contribute to a significant strengthening of your career opportunities at a Danish research institution. The target group consists of the most capable researchers in the beginning of their research career, who can develop their potential as independent research leaders through the management of a research project. 

As an applicant, you must have obtained a PhD degree within the last minimum 2 and maximum 6 years at the time of the expiration of the application deadline. If you have not obtained a PhD degree, you must have obtained equivalent qualifications, e.g. a positive assistant professorship evaluation (“adjunktbedømmelse”) within the last minimum 2 and maximum 6 years at the time of the expiration of the application deadline. (See section 5.3.5 concerning calculation of the PhD age in the Inge Lehmann Call for Proposals). Note that periods of leave must be deducted. You must possess substantial independent research experience corresponding to minimum 2 years after having obtained the PhD degree.

As an applicant, you must be employed as an assistant professor/associate professor (adjunkt/lektor), researcher/senior researcher (forsker/seniorforsker), or fellow (docent) at a Danish research institution, which is covered by a job structure at the (Danish) Ministry of Higher Education and Science, the (Danish) Ministry of Culture, the Danish Ministry of Defence, or the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities. This requirement will support lasting talent development and capacity building at Danish research institutions, cf. section 2.2 in the Inge Lehmann Call for Proposals. If, at the time of application you are not employed in one of the abovementioned employment categories, you can apply if you have entered into an employment agreement within one of the abovementioned employment categories. In this case, you must attach the letter of appointment in your application (appendix B65. Note, there are no fixed template). The employment must not be conditional on obtainment of the Inge Lehmann grant.

If, at the time of application, youare employed at a research institution, which is not covered by the job structures at one of the abovementioned ministries, e.g. as a clinical doctor, you may still fulfil the application criteria, if you are employed in a different job category which involves research and the opportunity for career progression. You will need to account for the ways in which the position fulfils these criteria. DFF will make a specific assessment of employments at research institutions that are not covered by the job structures mentioned above.

Employment as a postdoc does not meet the requirements for the applicant’s employment category.

The administrating institution’s management must sign a confirmation (appendix B64), which confirms that you are employed in the stated employment category.

You must uphold employment at a Danish research institution throughout the entire project period. It is possible to change your employment category during the grant period, e.g. from assistant professor to associate professor or from researcher to senior researcher. If your employment expires during the planned project period and the administrating institution will extend your employment on condition of the grant, the administrating institution’s management must confirm the extension in the confirmation (appendix B64). 

Application requirements

You must write up an ambitious and realistic research plan, which clearly demonstrates how an Inge Lehmann grant will contribute to boosting your research leadership competencies and your research career with an independent international profile. The application must describe how you plan to strengthen your leadership abilities and which specific activities you have planned in relation to internationalisation, e.g. in the form of collaboration, development of networks, or research stays abroad

There must be a sufficiently balanced relationship between the roles of all listed project participants (scientific/academic staff, technical/administrative staff, and whether funded or not), and the concrete role of the participants must be accounted for and justified. Moreover, it is important that the project description contains a description of any sub-projects, including PhD and postdoctoral projects. You can apply for funding for .embedded PhD and postdoctoral scholarships, if these are well integrated into the project and fulfil a clear, independent function within the research project. If the application includes requests for funding for unnamed PhD students and/or unnamed postdocs, the application must include an account of the proposed recruitment process. 

If you, as the applicant, are not an associate professor and have not been awarded a positive associate professor assessment (“lektorbedømmelse”) and are applying for funds for the education of researchers as part of the project as a whole, you must account for how the relevant supervision will be provided, and how the research student’s scientific association to the project will be ensured.

Embedded postdoctoral candidates must have obtained their PhD or achieved equivalent qualifications, e.g., a positive assistant professorship evaluation (”adjunktbedømmelse”), within the last 4 years at the time of the expiration of the application deadline (see section 5.3.5 in the Inge Lehmann Call for Proposals for calculation of the PhD age). If a named postdoctoral candidate is a PhD student at the time of application, the application must include a declaration from the student’s supervisor, stating that the student is expected to submit the PhD thesis within 6 months after the application deadline.