Villum Infrastructure
Villum Foundation is pleased to announce the 2025 call for Villum Infrastructure. A total amount of DKK 50 million is allocated to this call.
Villum Foundation wishes to strengthen access for the best Danish research environments to cutting-edge equipment that will enable world leading research within the technical and natural sciences.
Projects can target new equipment, custom-built equipment, or upgrades to existing equipment or facilities.
The 2025 Villum Infrastructure call has a total budget of DKK 50m. Individual projects applications can be DKK 6-35m. The grant period is up to 6 years for projects over DKK 15m and 4 years for projects below DKK 15m.
Applicants are eligible to apply if they belong to a qualified Danish university department with a current Villum Investigator or a current permanently employed Villum Young Investigator.
The ideal applicants are researchers at the forefront of their field. We expect that a current Villum Investigator or a current permanently employed Villum Young Investigator will be involved as applicant or co-applicant.
Only one application per qualified department may be submitted.
Synergy with other research groups and departments is encouraged but not required.
Villum Foundation is committed to diversity and has a focus on equal opportunities throughout the assessment process and grant period (you may find our Gender Policy here).
Status
Open
Application amount range
DKK 6.0m - DKK 35m
Application
- Open for submissionsApplication
- Deadline for submissions
14:00
In 2025, researchers from the following departments are eligible to apply:
Aalborg University (AAU)
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Electronic Systems
- Department of Energy
University of Copenhagen (KU)
- Department of Biology
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Computer Science
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management
- Department of Mathematical Sciences
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences
- Globe Institute
- Natural History Museum Denmark
- Niels Bohr Institute
Roskilde University (RUC)
- Department of Science and Environment
University of Southern Denmark (SDU)
- Department of Biology
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- Department of Biotechnology (Green Technology)
- Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy
- Department of Technology and Innovation
- Mads Clausen Institute
- The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute
The assessment of applications for the Villum Infrastructure programme is carried out in two steps.
Step 1: The foundation’s Working group for technical and natural science evaluates the applications based on the Terms of reference and decides which applications should proceed to step 2.
Step 2: The selected applications are sent for external peer review. Applicants will have the opportunity to reply to the peer reviews. Based on the application, the external peer reviews and the reply to the peer reviews, the working group recommends a number of applications for funding to the board of Villum Foundation.
Important dates:
- 9 January 2025: Call opens
- 23 April 2025: Deadline for applications
- June 2025: Decision to proceed to Step 2 (external peer review)
- 10 September 2025: Peer reviews are forwarded for commenting to the selected applicants
- 17 September 2025: Deadline for applicants to comment on peer reviews
- December 2025: Rejection or approval of grant
See the members of the Working Group for Technical and Natural Science here.
The equipment or facility applied for must be hosted by the Danish research institution where the main applicant is employed.
Eligible costs are listed below.
Health or veterinary research, i.e. research focused on the health of humans and animals, including nutrition, medicine, biomedicine, pharmacology and research within diagnostics and methods for examination and treatment.
Applicants affiliated with departments whose main scientific focus is within these areas (including university health departments, hospitals, the Danish Cancer Society, DTU Health Tech and SDU Health Informatics and Technology) are not eligible to apply and will receive an administrative rejection.
Applications should state a compelling vision for the research enabled by the infrastructure in question, including an account of the current state-of-the-art of the field and the strategic relevance and long-term potential for bringing Danish research to the global forefront.
The application should describe the commitment of the host department and connections to ongoing and potential new projects. Plans for continued development beyond the granting period and accessibility for other researchers and institutions should be included.
Finally, applications should outline data management considerations.
The following items may be included in the budget:
- Purchase of equipment and upgrades to existing platforms
- Installation costs, construction, and running costs, incl. salaries for technical support staff*, maintenance, data management, and training of users.
(*Technical support staff salaries = only AC-TAP or TAP. Salaries for scientific staff cannot be applied for.)
- Networking activities to increase user awareness
- Reasonable costs (up to 5% of the amount applied for) associated with required adjustments to physical locations (e.g. necessary laboratory updates).
Projects are subject to the agreement on project supplements.
The application must contain the following documents (in pdf format as separate files):
- Application
- Letter of support from the host department
- CV(s) in the provided template
- Budget in the provided template
- Equipment quotations
See application guidelines for further details
Can a Villum Infrastructure grant be used as co-financing for an application for the NUFI Infrastructure roadmap?
No.
Can the main applicant be someone other than a current Villum Investigator or a current permanently employed Villum Young Investigator?
Yes, in special cases it could be another leading researcher from a qualified department.
Can I apply for salary for technical staff, if I want to custom build the infrastructure myself?
Yes. But take care to clearly describe the needs in the description of the infrastructure in your application.
Can I apply for salary for scientific staff?
No. Costs of research activities and salaries for scientific staff that will use the infrastructure for experiments should be covered via other funding.
Can I apply for glassware, basic instrumentation, chemicals, personal computers, or other basic supplies?
No.
Is the PI expected to spend a certain amount of working hours on the Villum Infrastructure grant?
No, but the PI is expected to be the “super user” of the facility and involved in the day-to-day management of the facility. In the application you should clearly describe your level of involvement and how it aligns with the strategic priorities of the host institution.
Can computing infrastructure be supported?
Yes, as longs as it falls within the scope of the programme.
Can I apply for access to existing large international infrastructures, e.g. beamtime at a synchrotron?
No.
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