Villum Mobility
Technical and natural sciences
We aim to assist Danish universities in their efforts to attract and nurture international top talents and ensure that more of them establish themselves in Denmark.
Through the Villum Mobility program, we offer universities the opportunity to fund family and welcome packages for selected researchers. The program is aimed at researchers who have received research grants from the following programs: Villum Investigator, Villum Young Investigator, or Villum International Postdoc.
The package can cover the expenses associated with when a top researcher relocates to Denmark with their entire family or when a researcher needs to bring their family abroad for an extended research stay. The funds can be used, for example, to cover the salary of a accompanying spouse for a period, salary for a maternity leave substitute, or support for children's care and education.
Villum Fondens' board has allocated 16 million Danish kroner annually to the program. A separate fund, Mobilitetsfonden (The Fund for the Promotion of International Mobility for Research), manages the grants to the universities.
Villum Mobility was developed in dialogue with the universities and based on an anthropological study conducted by IS IT A BIRD. Anthropologists spoke with foreign top researchers to understand their daily lives and needs.
The study "Paving the path for tomorrow's research top talents in Denmark - Exploring the barriers and potentials for attracting and retaining talent in Danish STEM research" can be downloaded here:
The program can only be applied for by the international offices of Danish universities (HR or similar) in collaboration with a host institution.
The international offices and, if applicable, the host institution, work in collaboration with the researcher to customize an offer that suits the specific researcher.
Universities can apply on behalf of researchers who meet the following criteria:
- The researcher should have a grant under either the Villum Investigator, Villum Young Investigator, or Villum International Postdoc program.
For researchers under the Villum Investigator and Villum Young Investigator programs:
- The researcher should have an employment contract (permanent position) at a Danish university.
- If the researcher is a Danish citizen or otherwise affiliated with Denmark, they should not have had residency in Denmark for five years.
Universities can contact Villum Fonden for more information about opportunities and applying for the family package.
Mobilitetsfonden (the Mobility Fund) is responsible for the grants to the universities.
The law firm Horten handles the administration of Mobilitetsfonden.
You can download the articles of association of Mobilitetsfonden.
- Thomas Bjørnholm, forskningsdirektør, Villum Fonden (Chairman)
- Jens Oddershede, fhv. rektor på Syddansk Universitet
- Christian Gregersen, partner, Horten Advokatpartnerselskab
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