Questions and answers

Independent Research Fund Denmark provides support for both independent research and thematic research. Independent research is not restricted to a specific field but is based solely on the researcher’s idea. Thematic research, on the other hand, is limited to specific politically prioritized areas.

The fund supports concrete and time-limited research activities, preferably with international aspects. The fund does not support the continuation of already ongoing research.

Find the current funding opportunities and calls at the page Current funding opportunities. 

On the page Current funding opportunities, you can see all available funding instruments.

If you would like to receive email notifications when new funding instruments are announced, you can subscribe to the newsletter via the page Nyhedsbrev (only available in Danish).  

You can apply for funding for independent research from multiple research councils at the same time if you believe your project cannot be confined to a single council. In such cases, your application will be reviewed by experts from multiple research councils.

You can read more about cross-council assessment on the page Cross-council assessment. 

Independent Research Fund Denmark does not fund standalone PhD scholarships, except for the funding instrument "Non-university Research Education (PhD)". However, funding for embedded Ph.D. students within larger projects may be applied for. Refer to the individual funding instruments in the current call for guidelines on PhD scholarships.

Independent Research Fund Denmark seeks to strengthen and further develop the internationalization of Danish research. Therefore, applications should ideally include international activities. The goal is to allow the best researchers and research groups to coordinate and develop research collaborations across borders and to provide talented researchers with opportunities to spend part of their research careers abroad. Internationalization aspects can therefore be included in applications for all of the fund’s instruments. Regardless, applications must demonstrate relevance to the international state of the art in their respective fields.

The earliest and latest start dates for each funding instrument can be found under the "Framework" section of the relevant funding instrument. On the page Current funding opportunities you can see all available funding instruments.

he fund’s new law as of 1 January 2026 affects you as an applicant, among other things, in relation to the number of applications you can submit to the fund and the number of active grants you can hold with DFF. You can read more about this on the page New Act and changes to the fund's call in 2026.

The application must be submitted by the person who will be legally responsible for the grant. It is important that you, as the applicant, meet the eligibility requirements for the specific funding instrument you are applying for. If you do not meet the requirements, your application may be rejected without further review.

To apply for funding from Independent Research Fund Denmark, you must have obtained a PhD degree or equivalent qualifications at a minimum. If you are applying for "Non-university Research Education (PhD)" the requirement is only a completed master’s degree. If you are applying for “DFF-International Postdoctoral Grant” you must have a PhD degree (or equivalent qualifications, such as a positive assistant professor assessment) or expect to submit your dissertation within 12 months of the application deadline.

Please note that some funding instruments have upper and lower limits on PhD age. These limits will be specified under each funding instrument.

The PhD age is calculated as the period of time between acquiring the PhD and the expiration date of the relevant funding instrument’s application deadline. It is the most recent date, which appears on the PhD diploma, that is applicable. 

If you have both a PhD degree and equivalent qualifications, the PhD age is calculated on the basis of the PhD degree. If you hold multiple PhD degrees, the calculation of your PhD age is based on your first PhD degree. DFF can request documentation of the applicant’s PhD age. 

Independent Research Fund Denmark takes selected leave periods into account. See the current call for further details and how to indicate leave periods in your application.

You can read more about the calculation of PhD age and access the fund's tool for calculating PhD age on the page Calculation of PhD age.

The applicable PhD age limits are outlined under the respective funding instruments. You can view searchable funding instruments on the page Current funding opportunities.

For most of Independent Research Fund Denmark’s funding instruments, applicants must have obtained a PhD degree or equivalent qualifications, such as a positive assistant professor assessment (“adjunktbedømmelse”).

This assessment is only relevant in specific cases where an applicant does not have a PhD degree but is considered to have equivalent qualifications, for example, through an assistant professor position. In such cases, a positive assistant professor assessment may serve as a substitute for a PhD degree.

A positive assistant professor assessment means that the applicant has been deemed qualified to hold an assistant professorship. This qualification may be demonstrated through employment in an assistant professorship or another form of official confirmation. In the case that you currently hold or have previously held an assistant professorship, you have, in principle, already been deemed qualified for the position. In this case, proof of employment can serve as documentation. Alternatively, the assessment can be confirmed by an official statement verifying that the applicant has been deemed qualified for the position, regardless of whether they were ultimately hired.

Yes. Independent Research Fund Denmark aims to promote and strengthen Danish research broadly. The fund does not impose citizenship requirements for applicants or project participants, nor does it require that research institutions be based in Denmark or that research activities take place in a specific geographic location. All applications will be evaluated based on the assessment criteria in the call, including whether the project benefits Danish research. The fund views diversity as a resource, and therefore, all individuals are welcome to apply, regardless of gender, religion, ethnic background, or political beliefs.

However, some funding instruments may require that the applicant conducts research at a foreign institution for all or part of the project period.

Due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as of 22 March 2022, DFF does not accept applications from applicants or with participants who are employed at Russian/Belarusian institutions, or who have planned research activities in those areas.

Yes, unless you are applying for The Inge Lehmann Programme, which has specific employment requirements. Independent Research Fund Denmark recommends seeking assistance from the institution administering the grant when preparing the budget. This administrating institution must also sign the "DFF-Budget Confirmation" form, which must be included in the application.

No. Independent Research Fund Denmark does not accept applications from individuals who have been found guilty of scientific misconduct by The Danish Board on Research Misconduct within the past two years from the application date, according to Lov nr. 383 af 26. april 2017 om videnskabelig uredelighed mv.

Yes. When calculating PhD age, certain types of documentable leave taken after obtaining the PhD degree must be deducted, in accordance with relevant legislation. Refer to the section "Calculation of PhD Age" in the current call to see which types of leave must be deducted.

Yes. If you receive full or partial funding for your project from another source, you are obliged to notify DFF within 14 days. Funding may be in the form of financing from other sources. Partial funding may include cases, where you have submitted an application to other funds, the contents of which are not entirely the same as the project submitted to DFF, but where there is an overlap between the work packages or operating expenses and equipment applied for. DFF may require documentation from you in the form of the grant letter from, and the application to the fund from which you have been granted funding, in order to determine whether there is an overlap in the topics or activities of the two projects, and as documentation of which budget items to cut.

The secretariat of Independent Research Fund Denmark does not have the competencies to assess whether your research idea falls within the scope of the politically determined theme. We kindly refer to the description of the theme in the call for proposals. It will be up to the assessment of the thematic ad hoc committee, which has been established to evaluate the applications and distribute the research funds, to judge whether your application falls within the scope of the politically determined theme. 

Independent Research Fund Denmark has the legal authority to allocate funds within a politically determined theme, when special funding has been provided for this purpose in the National Budget. The wording of the themes is determined and defined by the government and those parliamentary parties, that enter into the annual agreement on the distribution of the research reserve.

The principles of the allocation of funds within politically determined themes and funding instruments are determined by the Board of Independent Research Fund Denmark. The fund’s accompanying call for proposals will, among other things, contain the wording of the political agreement from the agreement on the distribution of the research reserve.

Independent Research Fund Denmark has allocated funds for thematic calls every year since 2018. DFF allocates thematic funds when resources have been earmarked for this purpose in connection with the annual agreement on the distribution of the research reserve or directly through though the National Budget.

The annual agreement on the distribution of the research reserve is typically made in the fourth quarter of the year.

Yes. Starting in 2026, some themes are perennial priorities (2026–2029). This provides better opportunities for potential applicants to think long-term and, for example, consider whether the application is ready to be submitted in 2026 or whether it would be better to aim for a later deadline. See which themes are perennial multi-year priorities on the page Current funding opportunities.

Yes. You can see a list of the members of the thematic committees on the site Thematic Research - Expert committees.

As an applicant, you must complete Independent Research Fund Denmark’s mandatory budget template, which applies to the relevant funding instrument. The correct budget template can be found by creating an application for the desired funding instrument in e-grant and downloading the budget template through the application form under the step “Upload budget.” Remember that a confirmation of the budget must also be attached using the document “DFF-Budget Confirmation”.

The secretariat of Independent Research Fund Denmark strongly recommends that you start your application and budget preparation well in advance. You can create an application and save your entries without submitting it. Similarly, you can download the budget template, work on it, and upload it to your application at a later stage. Additionally, it is recommended that you seek assistance in preparing the budget from the institution that will administer the grant. 
 
Your application may be rejected without further review if you do not submit a budget prepared using Independent Research Fund Denmark’s budget template for the specific funding instrument.  

You can find more information about the budget in the current call.

The information in the budget must be sufficiently detailed so that the research council or thematic committee can clearly see both what the applied funds will be used for, and that the costs can be directly attributable to the proposed project, as well as that the costs are relevant and necessary in order to complete the project.

There is no requirement for different departments to be included as separate parties if they belong to the same institution. If you wish to list multiple parties from the same institution, this is possible as long as the P-numbers are not identical. The same CVR-number can therefore appear several times in the budget, provided that the P-numbers differs. If several departments have the same P-number, you must combine the budget items under one partner.

Yes. DFF grants overhead to cover indirect costs incurred in connection with completion of the project, which cannot be directly attributed to the specific project. This includes, e.g., joint expenses for rent, premises, administration, etc.

Overhead is calculated as a fixed percentage of the grant for the project’s direct expenses. Please note that for some institutions, overhead is calculated on the basis of all direct expenses, while for others, it is calculated on the basis of salary expenses alone. 

The overhead is awarded to the institution that defrays and registers the relevant expense, based on the applicable rate for that type of institution.

Yes, it is possible to apply for funding to cover all expenses that are directly attributable to the project, and that are relevant and necessary for the project’s completion. 

This also includes funding for project participants who are not categorised as scientific/academic personnel (VIP) or technical/administrative personnel (TAP), but who are participating in the project, e.g. professionals such as nurses, pedagogues, teachers, etc., in connection with practice-related research or the like. As such, it is possible to apply for funding to compensate for the working hours spent on participation in the research project, so that they can be bought out from their usual working tasks and participate in the project while their place of employment, among other things, will be given the opportunity to employ temporary employees/substitutes during the same period. 

This type of compensation for spent working time for participants should be listed as operating expenses under ‘other expenses’ in the budget, e.g. listed as a fee. Depending on the number of participants who must be bought out or compensated for their participation, you can use one or more rows in the budget for these expenses. You must remember to describe each included budget item, to indicate the number of working hours for which compensation is sought, and to account for the relevance of the expenses in the application.

Yes. You may apply for annual education rates (”uddannelsestakster”) in relation to any research education required in connection with PhD scholarships financed by the fund. The education rates for PhD students enrolled at Danish universities correspond to DKK 75,000 (Humanities and Social Sciences) or DKK 120,000 (Natural Sciences, Medical Sciences and Technical Sciences) per full project year (maximum 3 years). The rate will be at the host institution’s disposal and also covers all salary expenses in relation to PhD supervision, PhD defence, etc. 

Independent Research Fund Denmark only supports projects that can be completed with the grant awarded by the fund – either the Independent Research Fund Denmark grant in itself or the Independent Research Fund Denmark grant in combination with any potential already obtained co-financing, which must be stated in the application budget. This means that Independent Research Fund Denmark does not support projects where full funding depends on additional funding from another source, which, at the time of application, has not been granted.

In this way, you may well have received commitments of support from another source before applying for a grant from Independent Research Fund Denmark. Any co-financing from your own or other participating institutions must be included in the budget under “co-financing” (green cell). Any contributions to the project from sources that are not actively participating in the project must appear in the budget under “funding from other sources” (orange cell).

Note that Independent Research Fund Denmark cannot provide funding for double financing of research projects and/or research activities; this means that the fund only grants funds for the parts and activities of a project, which has not been financed from other sources.

If you receive full or partial for your project from another source, you are obliged to notify Independent Research Fund Denmark within 14 days.

No, please contact the tax authorities or a private advisor/auditor, as Independent Research Fund Denmark and the fund’s office does not have the opportunity to provide counselling on tax issues.

Independent Research Fund Denmark does not provide guidance on unemployment benefits. We recommend that you contact your unemployment insurance fund for guidance before submitting your application to Independent Research Fund Denmark.

No. DFF does not provide financial support for open access. You can read more about Open Access on the page Open Access policy.

The new format for the applicant’s CV lies between a traditional and a more narrative format. The CV must include “traditional” information on the applicant’s current and previous positions, education, significant research collaborations, grants and awards, etc.

In addition, the applicant must account for:

• their research profile and key contributions to research
• their “career context”, including the extent of their research time and any other special circumstances that have influenced their research career
• their experience in leading others in research contexts
• contributions that support the research community for the benefit of all, e.g. peer review, editorial work, etc.
• contributions that promote more open research, e.g. transparency regarding methods, early sharing of results, etc.
• contributions to wider society, where relevant, e.g. collaboration with relevant stakeholders, dissemination activities, policy work, entrepreneurship, etc.

The applicant’s CV must not exceed three A4 pages. Applications that exceed the page limit will be rejected without further scientific assessment. Specific requirements regarding font, line spacing, etc. are set out in the call. You can find the template for the new CV on the page Templates for your application.

The new format for the applicant’s list of publications is relatively traditional, but with narrative elements. The foundation has chosen to refer to it as a “track record” in order to clarify that it may include research outputs other than publications, although publications remain the natural focus.

The format comprises three categories, all of which must be completed:

• Up to five selected results or outputs from the applicant’s career, along with a brief factual description of their significance and the applicant’s role in them. These may take many different forms, e.g. methods, datasets, creative products, policy outputs, etc. This allows the applicant to highlight results that are particularly important for their research profile or for the specific research project. Traditional publications may of course also be highlighted.
• A numerical overview of the applicant’s total number of publications, broken down into relevant categories at the applicant’s discretion, as well as the total number of citations. This is intended to provide the fund's reviewers with an overview of the applicant’s overall research output.
• A list of the applicant’s publications/research outputs from the past 10 years (to the extent that this can be accommodated within the three pages permitted for the track record; alternatively, the list may be selective). This is intended to give the fund’s reviewers an overview of the applicant’s recent scientific results.

The applicant’s track record must not exceed three A4 pages. Applications that exceed the page limit will be rejected without scientific assessment. Specific requirements regarding font, line spacing, etc. are set out in the call. You can find the template for the new list of publications (track record) on the page Templates for your application.

The fund's board has decided that no bibliometric indicators other than citations may be included.

From 2026, applicants to the fund’s open calls, as well as both applicants (PIs) and co-PIs applying to the fund’s thematic instruments, must use the templates. Other project participants may choose either to use the templates or, as is currently the case, to submit a combined CV and publication list of no more than two pages in total.

The applicant’s CV must not exceed three A4 pages. You must comply with the requirements regarding font, margins, etc., as set out in the call. Applications that exceed the page limit will be rejected without scientific assessment.

The publication list must not exceed three A4 pages. You must comply with the requirements regarding font, margins, etc., as set out in the call. Applications that exceed the page limit will be rejected without further substantive assessment.

If a project participant chooses to use the templates, the requirements regarding length, etc., are the same as for applicants and Co-PIs. However, for technical reasons, the CV and publication list for project participants must be combined into a single PDF file. Different participants may choose different formats.

If a project participant does not use the templates, they may submit a combined CV and publication list of no more than two pages per person.

Yes, there are mandatory templates for the applicant’s CV and publication list (track record). You can find the templates on the page Templates for your application.

Please note in particular that there may be page and character limits for several of the appendices, including the project description and the CV of the applicant as well as those of project participants.

Independent Research Fund Denmark has fixed templates for some appendices but not for all required appendices. Please consult the current call to see which appendices must be included in your application.

You can find the templates on the page Templates for your application.

.Independent Research Fund Denmark will always rely on e-grant’s character count when determining whether a document exceeds the maximum number of pages and/or characters. It is possible to use e-grant’s counting tool, which provides information on the number of pages and characters detected in the uploaded PDF file (e.g., a project description). Please note that the counting tool is solely a PDF counting tool and will not notify you if the document exceeds the specified requirements. You can find the counting tool on the page Counting the numbers of characters. 

Pay special attention to the fact that several attachments, including the project description, thematic appendix and the applicant’s CV, are subject to both page and character limits.

No, you should only submit the appendices that are listed in the call for proposals. Appendices, which are not included in the overview of appendices for the funding instrument in question, will not be considered in the assessment process.

Yes. In the application form you must declare if you have used generative artificial intelligence tools to a substantial extent in the preparation of your application. It is important to note that, as an applicant, you are solely responsible for the scientific output that is being generated by means of generative AI.

The information is not visible to reviewers. 

The fund refers to relevant guidelines within the area, e.g. The European Commission's guidelines on responsible use of generative AI in research.

Yes, it is permitted. In the application form, you must declare, whether or not you, to a substantial extent, have used generative AI in the writing of your application.

It is important to note that, as an applicant, you are solely responsible for the scientific output that is being generated by means of generative AI.

If you use artificial intelligence when writing an application, DFF expects this to happen in a responsible manner.

The fund refers to the European Commission’s guidelines on the responsible use of generative AI in research, in which it is emphasised that researchers that use generative AI is responsible for the scientific output. Thus, this also applies for applicants to DFF, if generative AI is used in the writing of the application. The guidelines emphasise transparency in order for applicants to be open and transparent regarding their use of generative AI in the application. 

No. DFF may not and does not use AI to evaluate applications. Application material is treated as confidential. Therefore, it is not allowed for the fund’s members to upload applications to AI systems for the purpose of obtaining assistance in assessing an application.

On the page How to apply via e-grant you will find guidance on how to create, complete and submit your application via e-grant, which is the fund’s digital application portal. Here you will find information on creating an application, what must be filled in in e-grant, calculation of PhD age, and counting of characters.

After you have submitted your application, the status remains as “submitted” throughout the evaluation process, until you receive notification on the fund’s decision on grant, waitlist, or rejection.

If you wish to cancel or withdraw a submitted application, you must contact us directly via your application case in e-grant or alternatively at DFF-opslag@ufm.dk. In your email, you must state your request to cancel/withdraw the application, the title of your application, and the case number so that it is clear which application is being referred to.

The processing time can be found under the specific calls. On the page "Current funding opportunities", you can see all available funding instruments.  

Shortly after the research council or thematic committee has made a decision, you will receive a short notice informing you of whether or not you have received a grant. Some weeks after the decision, an overview of applicants/projects which have obtained funding is published on Independent Research Fund Denmark’s website.

Two to three months after the fund’s decision, applicants will receive further notice in the form of a grant letter or rejection letter. You are advised by mail from the fund, when the letter is available on e-grant. If you receive a rejection or are placed on a waiting list, the letter will contain a brief justification of the decision. 

The applicable funding instrument and its corresponding call will specify the requirements that must be met for your application to be given active consideration. You are encouraged to carefully review these requirements before submitting your application.  If these requirements are not met, you will receive an administrative rejection. If your application meets the existing formal requirements, it will be submitted to the research council or thematic committee for active consideration.

You cannot submit additional materials after the application deadline - even if the missing information means that the application will be administrative rejected.

Independent Research Fund Denmark, as well as the external reviewers to whom, your application may be sent, work under the instructions on confidential processing of application material and knowledge, which is gained through this processing.

Details about applicants, who have not been awarded funding, will only be published to the extent that someone requests a right of access to documents under the Danish Access to Public Administration Files Act, e.g. in the form of lists of applicants and the projects for which they have applied (i.e. names of applicants and project titles). Applicants should therefore ensure that the title of the application does not contain confidential information.

A submitted application is in its entirety covered by the provisions of the Public Access Act. Any case of handing over of documents pursuant to the Public Access Act, will take place within the realm of this Act.

In Independent Research Fund Denmark, external review is carried out for applications where: a) A council member is an applicant or scientific participant in an application, submitted to the member’s own council, the budget of which exceeds DKK 1 million (excluding overhead), or b) The council, on account of conflicts of interest or other reasons, does not possess the necessary scientific expertise to assess a given application. 

Read more about external review on this page 

The expected processing time is approximately 3–6 months for the final scientific report and the final financial statement, respectively. The processing time depends on several factors, including when the financial statement or report is submitted, whether the information provided is complete, and whether the financial statement and/or report can be approved by the relevant research council.

Please note that this is an estimated processing time, and additional factors may result in a longer review period. As a general rule, it is not possible to request a shortened or expedited review of the final financial statement or scientific final report, even with reference to an upcoming application deadline due to newly introduced application-limiting measures.

Being placed on a waitlist is not a guarantee of funding. You will receive either a grant approval or a rejection letter as soon as it has been determined whether Independent Research Fund Denmark can finance the project or not.

No, you should not. The system of the Danish Bibliometric Research Indicator (BFI) has been phased out as a result of the political agreement on basic funding for research of 3 December, 2021. The BFI webpage was closed during the summer of 2022, and consequently, the BFI-lists are no longer accessible.

Thus, Independent Research Fund Denmark no longer requires an indication of either BFI level or Journal Impact Factor (JIF) for the channels (journals, book series or publisher) where your most significant publications have been published.

Yes, Independent Research Fund Denmark hosts information meetings and webinars in connection with current calls. These webinars are typically held about a month before the specific application deadlines. Invitations to these webinars will be published on the fund's website and sent out via the fund's newsletter.

You can subscribe to the newsletter via the page Nyhedsbrev (only available in Danish).

Yes. The limit of the number of applications submitted per year apply only to the applicant (PI). If, during the current year, you have submitted an application to the fund as an applicant, you may still participate in other applications, for example as a co-PI or project participant, provided that you have sufficient time available to contribute to other researchers’ projects.

No. The fund no longer accepts urgent applications.