Villum International Postdoc 2026

Female scientist:

• Recommendation and endorsement by the Danish home institution.
• PhD from Denmark within the technical and natural sciences or equivalent degree.
• Danish citizenship is not required.
• Enrolment as a PhD student (thesis submitted) or a PhD degree acquired up to one year before the application deadline.
• Applicants who have been on maternity/paternity or parental leave after obtaining their PhD, the period after their PhD can be extended by calculating the actual number of weeks of leave and multiplying that by two.

Home institution:

• Endorsement and recommendation of the candidate. (Letter of support is an important part of the assessment of the candidate)
• Facilitation of a mentor for the applicant (mentor, not supervisor).
• Facilitation of a plan, in collaboration with the applicant for the entire grant period including a plan for a postdoc position (possibly paid by the grant), lab space etc. upon return to Denmark. The possibility of a post grant tenure track position may also be addressed.
• Supporting the applicant by allowing them to focus fully on pursuing an independent career.

International stay:

• The international stay should involve a new research field that can serve as an initial inspiration for an independent career. Hence, a stay with a recognized professor abroad, who does not work directly in the same field or have collaborated with the applicant’s PhD supervisor. The purpose of the stay is to pave the way for an independent career after returning to Denmark.
• Co-funding from the host institution abroad is encouraged.
   

We do not support

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.

Furthermore, 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.

We invite the natural and technical science faculties at the Danish universities to recommend one or two eligible top talented female scientists to apply. We only accept applications recommended by the universities.

 Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University are invited to recommend up to three applications each.

 Aalborg University and University of Southern are invited to recommend up to two applications each. 

 IT University of Copenhagen, Roskilde University and GEUS are invited to recommend one application each.

 It is the responsibility of the female applicant to submit the application to the foundation accompanied by appropriate support letters from the department and faculty.

The grant amount which can be applied for is DKK 1-3 million.

The nominal time frame is three years, including an international stay of preferably two years, and a return to a Danish research institution of about one year.

An amount of DKK 18 million is allocated to the call in 2026.

Villum Fonden additionally provides funds for family support based on an individual assessment by the host department and the international office at the host university.

Based on the applications Villum Fonden's Working group for technical and natural sciences will recommend to the board which applicants should receive a Villum International Postdoc grant.

Proposals should fulfill the above requirements and are evaluated based on  scientific excellence, home institution’s commitment to host and participate in career development of the applicant, and international institution’s assessment of how the applicant can fit in and contribute to their work. Hence letters of support are regarded as essential parts of the application.

The applicant should state the reason behind the choice of international institution. Furthermore the applicant should be aware that the committee views the inclusion of a new field in the project as a sign of the applicant's level of ambition.

Important dates:

• 26 August 2026, 2 PM: Deadline for application
• December 2026: Rejection or approval of grant
• January - June 2027: Project start date (specific date must be communicated by the grant recipient to the foundation at the time of grant approval)

https://villumfonden.dk/en/article/working-groups-and-committees 

• Application: Max seven pages/20,000 characters with spaces (see application guidelines): purpose, background, methods, research plan.
   
• CV: Please use the CV template.
   
• Budget: The budget template can be found below. Indirect costs are covered through a project supplement as outlined here: https://dkuni.dk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/guidelines-for-project-supplement_final_version-3.pdf For the 2026 call the project supplement is DKK 257,000 per project-funded full-time academic staff equivalent in eligible staff categories.
  • Additional financial support for travel costs, spouse support etc. may be granted on an individual basis at the discretion of the department and the International HR Office at the applicant's university.
• Letter of support from home institution: A letter should be supplied by the head of department co-signed by the dean expected to host the Villum International Postdoc grantee clearly demonstrating the department’s support and recognition of the applicant (see conditions for home institution).
   
• Letter of support from international institution: A letter from head of department and head of research group clarifying the terms and conditions of the international stay. 
   
• Copy of PhD certificate, documentation for submitted PhD dissertation or documentation of enrolment as PhD student.