NNF Sustain Programme for Researchers (Part 2) – Denmark

The purpose of the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) Sustain Programme is to encourage the scientific use and enrichment of existing data, specifically for cardio metabolic disease (CMD) research. Supporting high-quality CMD research projects using existing data through an open call for research projects that make use of the databases shortlisted in Part 1 and have a clear indication of relevance to CMD research.

Part 2 of the NNF Sustain Programme invites proposals from researchers that make use of the shortlisted databases. The research projects must have a clear indication of relevance to CMD research, including but not limited to mechanisms, prevention, prognosis, diagnosis, methodologies, and/or epidemiology.

Funding Information

• A total of up to DKK 50 million is available for Part 2 of the NNF Sustain Programme. Researchers in Part 2 can apply for grants between DKK 1 million and DKK 4 million for projects lasting between one to three years.

Eligible Expenses

• Applicants may apply for funding for the following types of expenses directly related to the project:
  • Salary for technicians, bio-analysts, and other technical assistance, including laboratory administrators.
  • Salary for postdoctoral researchers.
  • Salary for Ph.D. students
  • Tuition fee for Ph.D. students up to DKK 80,000 per year. Must be specified in the budget.
  • Salary for research-year students, up to DKK 150,000 per budget year.
  • Salary for employees or project consultants at all staffing levels, including project management; however, researchers in permanent positions will not receive funding for their own salary.
  • Travel expenses in relation to the project, e.g. conference and workshop participation and presentation of research results derived from the project, up to DKK 25,000 per budget year.
  • Other travel expenses that are directly related to the project, e.g. for experiments carried out in other labs for a limited period of time.
  • Publication of results originating from the project, up to DKK 50,000 per budget year.
  • Communication and outreach in the form of conferences, books, articles and other dissemination directly related to the project.
  • Smaller equipment required for the project, up to DKK 200,000 per budget year.
  • Operating expenses: Direct expenses for developing, implementing and operating the project, including materials and equipment.
  • Consumables, materials, animals, services, etc., directly related to the project.
  • Project supplement for research grants (Danish universities only).
  • Bench fee (not applicable to Danish universities).
  • Administrative support (not applicable to Danish universities).

Ineligible Expenses

• The Foundation will not award funding for:
  • Salary for the main applicant
  • Commercial activities
  • Overhead/indirect costs (such as rent, electricity, water and maintenance)
  • Double funding of projects

Eligibility Criteria

• Principal Investigators (Main Applicant) must be independent researchers, already established, or in the process of establishing their own research group.
• The research activities and principal investigator must be anchored at a university, hospital or other non-profit research institution in Denmark.
• The applicant must be guaranteed her/his own salary for the entire applied project period.
• If the research proposal is used to generate new data, the new data must be resubmitted to the database following a maximum of two years after the data is generated or published. This two-year exclusivity period is to allow the applicant to generate, analyze, and publish the new data before it is made available to the database and other users, while at the same time ensuring that the data generated is shared with the existing database so as to enrich it.
• One research proposal may request data from more than one of the shortlisted databases. This is neither preferred nor discouraged. If the applicant is successful, both databases will be supported.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Students (incl. MSc. and Ph.D.) and Postdocs are not eligible to apply.
• Applicants who have submitted an application as a database custodian in Part 1 cannot submit an application as a principal investigator for a research proposal relating to their own database in Part 2.

For more information, visit Novo Nordisk Foundation.